Good governance, a mission not completed

H. Thomas R. Persson
Dept. of Sport Sciences, Malmö University

Today, good governance is a well-established concept with far-reaching implications for sport governance, at least in theory, but also increasingly so in practice. I first encountered the concept of good governance while researching the Danish FA at the end of the first decade of the 21st century. This resulted in amongst other things a comparison between Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Even though there were things to be desired on all parts, especially in Sweden, at the time Denmark was ahead of its neighbours. Of course, much has happened with the concept and models of good governance since then, and not least among various national and international federations. There are plenty of good examples of attempts to steer sport in right direction and yet others where sport is in clear breech of good governance. In Sweden, for example, the Swedish Sports Confederation published its own version of good governance: RF’s code of democratic governance of sport federations and clubs (RF, 2019, now under revision). The negative examples or the outright breach of good governance are commonly brought to our attention in news articles, documentaries, and/or when going viral on social media. Amongst these we find examples such as when the Swedish Fencing Federation accused the International Fencing Federation (FIE) of breaking good governance principles (Nelsen, 2021), and of sportswashing, such as when the land was laid bare under the feet of FIFA in relation to hosting of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar in 2022, or the lack of democratic procedures surrounding the FIE 2024 Junior and Cadet Fencing World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Berkeley, 2023; Littorin, 2023).

For example, when an organisation has signed up to a version of good governance and ticked all the right boxes necessary in terms of evaluations – does this mean that the actual practices have changed?

One of the most principal players in critically scrutinising the business of sport, in the international development and promotion of the concepts of good governance, and more specifically in the development of an evaluation tool for international federations is Play the Game with their National Sports Governance Observer tool (Play the Game, n.d.a). Play the Game was founded in 1997 and is an “independent platform for raising and developing awareness about critical issues in modern sport such as doping, corruption, good governance, match-fixing, sustainability of mega-events, the role of sports journalism, and the human rights of athletes” (Play the Game, n.d.b). The exact definition of good governance in sport, its indicators, context sensitivity, etc. is unurprisingly a topic of debate, both among academics and within sport itself. The book Good governance in sport: Critical reflections stems from the work of Play the Game. Although mainly an academic output, the book has in similar fashion to Play the Game one foot among the practitioners and one in academia.

Good governance in sport: Critical reflections is a welcome contribution to the good governance debate. The book is divided into two main sections. The first part – Critical reflections on theoretical perspectives – contains texts that discuss aspects such as rational choice theory, relational and processual aspects, public value, feminist perspectives, ethical leadership, and the relationship between organizational culture and good governance. These chapters are not only valid critical reflections focusing on different potential weaknesses of the concept, but perhaps more importantly, they have the potential to really change sport for the better, per se. For example, when an organisation has signed up to a version of good governance and ticked all the right boxes necessary in terms of evaluations – does this mean that the actual practices have changed?

The second part – Critical reflections on policies and practices – is divided into the two sub-areas. The first subsection – Insider perspectives – contains non-academic contributions with texts on lessons from Australia, the role of the consultant, and an inside account of FIFA. The second subsection – Academic reflections – contains texts on possible backlashes of institutional requirements, validity and reliability of indicators, integrity vs. good governance, contextuality, the possibility of stimulating ethical action, the pitfalls of codification, implementation by management, and ends appropriately with a “travelogue”.

Critical reflections, as the book’s subtitle promises, is more than just for show. As such, quality also varies. It should come as no surprise that I am already a strong advocate of good governance, as a researcher and lecturer on sport governance at both undergraduate and master’s level, but also as a former board member of the Swedish Fencing Federation. However, I must resignedly admit that a sober critical review of both the concept and various models has been long overdue. The review of this book, while not necessarily long overdue, is more than a little late. After all, the book was published in 2022. On the other hand, I have now not only had the opportunity to read this work, reflect on its content, but I have also included it in the reading lists of two courses. Thus, I have also had the opportunity to see how students engage with the themes of the book and how they use them in their coursework and their thesis work. Although not unique, the non-academic texts are welcome contributions, and I would have wanted more of them. Here, I am primarily thinking of contributions from sports federations and perhaps even venturing into the interview or discussion format. At the same time, it is here that some of the contributions make the overall level of the book sway slightly, but that is very small minus.

My conclusion is that this is the book for researchers, lecturers and students in the field of sport governance (and sport management), but there is also hope that some practitioners will include it in their reading list..

Copyright © H. Thomas R. Persson 2024

References

Berkeley, G. (2023, 2 March). Exclusive: Swedish fencing anger as IOC passes complaint to FIE in Saudi Arabia hosting row. Inside the games. Swedish fencing anger as IOC passes complaint to FIE in Saudi Arabia hosting row (insidethegames.biz)

Littorin, J. (2023, 2 June). Försöket att tysta fäktbasen anmäls till IOK. Dagens Nyheter. https://www.dn.se/sport/forsoket-att-tysta-faktbasen-anmals-till-iok/

Nelsen, M. (2021, 25 Nov). Swedish Fencing Federation accuses the FIE of breaking good governance principles. infobae. Swedish Fencing Federation accuses the FIE of breaking good governance principles – Infobae

Play the Game (n.d.a). National Sports Governance Observer (NSGO). National Sports Governance Observer (NSGO) (playthegame.org)

Play the Game (n.d.b) About Play the Game. About (playthegame.org)

RF (2019). RF:s kod för demokratisk styrning av idrottsförbund och föreningar. RFs kod för demokratisk styrning.pdf