TEHRAN – Heather L. Dichter’s 2020 bestseller “Football Diplomacy: International Relations and Football since 1914” will be reviewed during a meeting in Tehran on Monday.

Ehsan Mohammadi, the translator of the Persian edition of the book, published in 2022 by Pileh Publications, will attend the meeting, which will be held at 4:30 pm at the Young Thinkers House. 

Mohammadi, who is also the director of the Diplomacy Academy and an international advisor to the University of Tehran, has added information to the Persian edition under the supervision of Dichter. 

The session will also be attended by former Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamidreza Asefi, who was also an international advisor to the Iran Football Federation, scholars Mohammad Soltanifar and Meisam Zamanabadi.

The Young Thinkers House will organize the session with contributions from the Diplomacy Academy.

The Persian edition has been published with a preface by Ahmad Naqibzadeh, a politics professor at the University of Tehran.

“The fine translation by Ehsan Mohammadi and the increasing role of football in the international arena provide the opportunity for those who are interested in politics and international relations to make an excursion to the interwoven alleys of multifaceted international relations,” he wrote.

Dichter wrote the book with contributions from Peter J. Beck, Chris Bolsmann and nine other scholars.
  
Although the game of soccer is known by many names around the world, the sport is a universal language. Throughout the past century, governments have used soccer to further their diplomatic aims through a range of actions including boycotts, carefully orchestrated displays at matches, and more. In turn, soccer organizations have leveraged their power over membership and tournament decisions to play a role in international relations.

“In Soccer Diplomacy”, an international group of experts analyzes the relationship between soccer and diplomacy. 

Together, they investigate topics such as the use of soccer as a tool of nation-state–based diplomacy, soccer as a non-state actor, and the relationship between soccer and diplomatic actors in subnational, national, and transnational contexts. They also examine the sport as a conduit for representation, communication and negotiation.

Drawing on a wealth of historical examples, the contributors demonstrate that governments must frequently address soccer as part of their diplomatic affairs. 

They argue that this single sport, more than the Olympics, other regional multisport competitions, or even any other sport, reveals much about international relations, how states attempt to influence foreign views, and regional power dynamics.

Sorush, a publisher under IRIB, also released another Persian translation of the book by Imam Khodabandelu in 2022.

Photo: Front cover of the Persian translation of “Football Diplomacy” by Ehsan Mohammadi.

MMS/YAW