The FIFA World Cup in Qatar has already been hit by controversy around human rights and the treatment of migrant workers in the host country. As fans around the world board planes to go to the tournament (and then return home), it’s worth paying attention to how football and migration are intertwined.
Football is a global game, and migration is very much part of it. According to a recent report from the International Centre for Sports Studies in Switzerland, nearly a quarter of professional footballers (around 14,000) are expatriates, moving thousands of miles from home to play for a team in a different country.
