Ethics and Issues Of International Football - Term Paper Example

 «Ethics and Issues Of International Football» A person is always faced with options in before making decisions. Regardless of age, gender, nationality, profession, religious affiliation or other demographic considerations, the concepts of ethics apply. This essay would discuss relevant schools of thought and relate them to one of the most famous sports in the world, football. The objectives of this essay are as follows: 1. To give specific definitions of relevant terms; 2. To stipulate alternative ethical schools of thought; 3. To relate ethics to football through the laws of the game and the Code of Ethics; 4. Finally, to identify ethical issues surrounding international football. A. Definition of Terms Ethics is defined as “the systematic inquiry into man’s moral behavior with the purpose of discovering the rules that ought to govern human action and the goods that are worth seeking in human life” Johnson (1965 7). Further, Johnson averred that “ethics is concerned with attempting to answer two different questions: what is right (or wrong)? And what is good (or bad)?” On the other hand, international football (soccer) is defined as “a game played on a rectangular field with net goals at either end in which two teams of 11 players each try to drive a ball into the other's goal by kicking, heading, or using any part of the body except the arms and hands. The goalie is the only player who may touch or move the ball with the arms or hands.” According to an article on Soccer, “international competition is regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA; founded 1904), which sponsors the quadrennial (since 1930) World Cup competition and whose membership is larger than that of the United Nations. Soccer has been an Olympic event since 1900.” (Columbia Encyclopedia) Football is played in accordance with a set of rules known as the Laws of the Game. II. MAIN SCHOOLS OF ETHICAL THOUGHT There are an enormity of researches and theoretical work written on the subject of ethics. Accordingly, depending on the writer, schools of ethical thought differ from each other. Some aver that there are two (2) schools of thought for ethics and others say that there are three (3) schools of thought. Still other references have more schools of thought that one can image. According to De Foe, there are three (3) main schools of thought as detailed below: 1. The Deontologist The people's good is the highest law. The aim of deontological ethics is to find the most moral behavior and to make that a law or a set of rules for others to follow. The use of deontological ethics is extensive in our world, observed most as laws, rules, and ethical codes. Theories of deontological ethics might suggest that it would be possible to create a complete and comprehensive law that would prevent all negative behavior for all people who follow that law. 2. The Consequentialist That which is evil to one at one time, becomes good at another time to someone else. The consequential might state that in most circumstances it is wrong to push another human being or to shoot another human being. However if someone is about to walk in front of a speeding car then through consequence it becomes ethical to push that person out of the path of getting hit. Likewise if a person is about to detonate explosives inside a building it becomes ethical to shoot them according to consequentialism. This seems to suggest that how ethical the action is becomes irrelevant… the results of the action in preventing harm and promoting the most happiness for the most number of people becomes the single benchmark for ethical behavior. 3. Moral Individualism I must find a truth that is true for me … the idea for which I can live or die. Moral individualism suggests that a person cannot know what it is to be moral without first discovering what it is within themselves that determines certain behavior to be linked to moral or immoral acts. Likewise he or she must also give others the freedom to undergo this process within them to find their own moral center. Moral individualism is the ethical principle that I am most in agreement with. I believe deontological ethics force the "right" behavior on to others, whereas consequential ethics are too subjective for a sense of moral action to be clear. Yet if a person understands their own moral drive and the drives that others have, then he or she can understand what the most appropriate behavior is for all those involved in the ethical decision. According to Ward, the schools of thought in ethics can be approached using four aspects. However, he proposed a review of correct conduct to guide one in decision making: In detail, he proposed the following: ”One way to approach ethics is to focus on one of four recurring aspects of ethical situations: rights, goods, virtues and our communal relations with others. Ethical inquiry into correct conduct involves (1) questions about whether an action honors or violates anyone’s rights or duties, (2) questions about the “goods” that should be pursued, often thought of as the harmful or beneficial consequences of action, (3) the impact of action on the “virtue” of the actors -- their character and integrity, and (4) the impact of action on our communal and “caring” relations with others.” Accordingly, Ward enumerated the four aspects which provide an approach to ethics: “1. Teleological or “goods-based” ethics: Ethics is primarily about the aims or telos of actions -- the “goods” to be pursued, including the impact of actions on individuals or groups. Ethics systems in this tradition include “consequential” theories that attempt to maximize valuable outcomes or “goods” and minimize harms. One form of consequentialism is utilitarianism, where valuable outcomes are defined in terms of utility. 2. “Duty” or “de-ontological” ethics: Ethics is primarily about the rights and duties of agents, which take precedent over individual feelings or inclinations, the wishes of the majority, or utilitarian calculations about what would make most people happy. Rights trump the pursuit of goods. There are fundamental principles and duties that restrain self-interest. Ethical systems in this tradition include the philosophy of Kant and John Rawls. 3. Virtue ethics: Ethics is primarily about developing a virtuous person and citizen. Ethics is not primarily about formulating an unchanging set of principles. It is about developing ethical character and the practical wisdom to choose the right thing to do in complex situations. Here, ethical education and development plays a central role. Ethical thought in this tradition derives from the virtue ethics of Plato and Aristotle, with its stress on achieving the good life, through virtuous dispositions. Often, such thinking is “perfectionist” by stressing that ethics should be guided by a notion of human perfection or the ideal society. 4. Ethics of care and community: Ethical deliberation should prioritize the fostering of responsible, caring relationships among people – relationships that honor their dignity, humanity and “connectedness.” This approach is embodied in a “communitarian ethics” that views values as embedded in community and shared practices. According to this approach, too much of Western ethics has emphasized the rights of atomized individuals while downplaying their duties. A primary ethical imperative, then, is to build communities that enhance compassionate and fulfilling relationships among its members. In journalism, this “ethics of care” is expressed in several ways, including the principle to “minimize” unnecessary harm to vulnerable subjects of news stories. Advocates of an ethics of care tend to prefer the “social responsibility theory” of the press over the liberal theory of the press.” LAWS OF THE GAME As mentioned above, competitions on international football are regulated by the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). This governing body ensures that in playing football, officials, players, and other people instrumental to the games follow a set of rules. This is called the Laws of the Game. Details from Columbia Encyclopedia briefly discussed the following: “There are seventeen laws in the official Laws of the Game. The same Laws are designed to apply to all levels of football, although certain modifications for groups such as juniors, seniors or women are permitted. The laws are often framed in broad terms, which allow flexibility in their application depending on the nature of the game. In addition to the seventeen laws, numerous IFAB (International Football Association Board) decisions and other directives contribute to the regulation of football. The Laws of the Game are published by FIFA, but are maintained by the International Football Association Board, not FIFA itself.” CODE OF ETHICS In addition to the laws of the game, FIFA also established a Code of Ethics on October 6, 2006 for the purpose of structuring the game’s conduct regulations and procedural regulations. All stipulated rules and regulations are in concurrence with the schools of thought of ethics. According to the Preamble of the Code of Ethics, “FIFA bears a special responsibility to safeguard the integrity and reputation of football worldwide. FIFA is constantly striving to protect the image of football, and especially that of FIFA, from jeopardy or harm as a result of immoral or unethical methods and practices. In this connection, the following Code has been passed.” To itemize some of the important regulations which govern the players, the following articles from the Code has been quoted: “Article 6 Ban on discrimination Officials, players and players’ agents may not act in a discriminatory manner, especially with regard to ethnicity, race, culture, politics, religion, gender or language. Article 9 Protection of personal rights During the course of their activities, officials, players and players’ agents shall ensure that the personal rights of those persons whom they contact and with whom they deal are protected, respected and safeguarded. Article 15 Betting Officials, players and players’ agents are forbidden from taking part, either directly or indirectly, in betting, gambling, lotteries and similar events or transactions connected with football matches. They are forbidden from having stakes, either actively or passively, in companies, concerns, organizations etc. that promote, broker, arrange or conduct such events or transactions.” For officials of the game, the following article is stipulated: “Article 3 Basic rules. Officials are expected to be aware of the importance of their function and concomitant obligations and responsibilities. Their conduct shall reflect the fact that they support and further the principles and objectives of FIFA, the confederations, associations, leagues and clubs in every way and refrain from anything that could be harmful to these aims and objectives. They shall respect the sanctity of their allegiance to FIFA, the confederations, associations, leagues and clubs. Officials shall show commitment to an ethical attitude while fulfilling their task. They shall pledge to behave in a dignified manner. They shall behave and act with complete credibility and integrity. Officials may not abuse their position as part of their function in any way, especially to take advantage of their function for private aims or gains.” From the abovementioned, it can be deduced that the FIFA had been very clear on the laws, regulations for officials, players, even players’ agents, with regard to ethical implications and issues of the game. This is of primary importance to ensure that football is being played in its optimum professional level with the objective to preserve human rights and for the entertainment of millions of its fans all over the world. Whatever infractions are committed which are violations of the code of ethics will be dealt with the Ethics Committee subject to the rules and regulations stipulated in the Code. ETHICAL ISSUES IN INTERNATIONAL FOOTBALL As previously discussed, ethics primarily answer two (2) relevant questions: “what is right (or wrong)? and what is good (or bad)?” It is imminent that in a game followed by millions of fans all over the world, ethical issues abound. It is fortunate that there are professional committees who oversee and manage these issues. What follows are excerpts of articles and researches written which delve on ethical issues in international football: 1. A feature in the Guardian, entitled, “Football screens and genes: Should genetic discrimination in sport be banned?” (2006) reported that “at least one UK football club has been contemplating using genetic tests to screen potential recruits, in the hope of identifying future star players. This comes only one day after legislation was passed in the US Senate prohibiting insurance companies and employers from using genetic information in hiring or insurance decisions.” 2. Another ethical issue is on commercialization of the football game. This includes employing football players to promote products and brands. The ethical issues here come when the products and brands they are promoting are contrary to good health practices which create confusion in the minds of our minors. For instance, details from Ethics and the business of football, Roger Cowe examines the societal issues concerning the game, with excerpts detailed below: The conflict is particularly strong in the UK, where several leading clubs – notably Manchester United – have floated on the stock market and therefore have legal responsibilities to shareholders, many of whom are professional investors and may have no interest in the game except as a source of revenue and profit for the club. The game has traditional links with alcohol, for example, with brewers being major sponsors at club and international level. Similar question marks arise over links with food sponsors. In the UK, Gary Lineker’s role promoting Walkers crisps has come under scrutiny. And questions are being asked about the role of McDonald’s as a sponsor, in the light of worries about the impact of burger meals on obesity and health in general. Racism is a common issue in many such communities, and football in many countries seems to attract far-right groups that revel in xenophobia and especially prejudice against non-whites. Monkey chants were a common feature of games involving black players until fairly recently and such abuse can still be heard in some international games. 3. Baumann discussed in his article, “The Law and Ethics of Football Injuries,” another ethical issue pertaining confidentiality and professional secrecy in dealing with football players’ bill of health. An excerpt is shown below: “A particularly sensitive problem in football and in all prominent sports is that of confidentiality and professional secrecy in dealing with information on an athlete's physical and mental condition, as mental problems are becoming increasingly responsible for negative performances, especially because of increasing media pressure. It is only a short step from uninhibited reporting about players' physical injuries or illnesses, to equally uninhibited stories about their psychological or mental problems.” 4. Doping is another significant ethical issue which the FIFA Ethical Committee has set their eyes on for quite some time. ”Doping is defined as any attempt either by the player, or at the instigation of another person such as manager, coach, trainer, doctor, physiotherapist or masseur, to enhance mental and physical performance unphysiologically or to treat ailments or injury – when this is medically unjustified – for the sole purpose of taking part in a competition. This includes using (taking or injecting), administering or prescribing prohibited substances prior to or during a competition. These stipulations also apply to out-of-competition testing for anabolic steroids and peptide hormones as well as to substances producing similar effects. Other prohibited methods (e.g. blood doping) or manipulation of collected samples is likewise classified as doping. Doping contravenes the ethics of sport, constitutes an acute or chronic health hazard for players and may have fatal consequences.” It is important to note here that there are several prohibited substances identified in the article which a player should never intake. Among these are: “stimulants, narcotics, cannabinoids and glucocorticosteroids which are included for in-competition testing.” CONCLUSION Ethics explores the theoretical foundations of moral theology. It searches oneself before making a decision and taking action. The various schools and thought and concepts written about ethics provide the appropriate tool to guide a person in his decision making process. This is most important, as we have seen, in international football – a game loved by millions all over the world. In order to address the ethical issues mentioned above, the Ethical Committee formed by FIFA has instituted measures to closely monitor officials, players and players’ agents, on any infractions or violations committed. Further, other organizations have been formed to prevent occurrence of the same issues. From some of the ethical issues mentioned above, the following courses of action were instituted: ETHICAL ISSUES COURSES OF ACTION Genetic discrimination. * Genetic Non-discrimination Act (Football screens and genes) Racism * the European organization, UEFA have launched official campaigns and applied sanctions to countries such as Slovakia after their fans hurled racial abuse at black players. (Cowe) * For the Euro 2004 championship in Portugal it has set up a telephone number for fans to report racism or xenophobia. (Cowe) Confidentiality * Specific treatment methods for typical and common sports injuries must be weighed under socio-economic aspects, and attention paid to the direct costs of early functional treatment and to the indirect costs resulting from the athlete being out of action for his team. (Baumann) For other ethical issues, the Ethical Committee and various social and civic organizations within the area are continuously searching for ways and means to solve ethical dilemmas. Those participating in the sports and those viewing them, should both be vigilant on these issues. It is not only what is good (or bad), and right (or wrong) that we should be accountable for. There is also the issue to doing what is appropriate for the good of many as against the good of one. REFERENCES Johnson, Oliver A., ETHICS: Selections from Classical and Contemporary Writers, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, Inc., 1965. Definition: “Soccer”, Columbia Encyclopedia: Soccer, De Foe, Alex, “Get to Know Your Ethics and Morals”, September 9, 2008, < http://spiritualblog.com/589/get-to-know-your-ethics-and-morals> Ward, Stephen J. A., “Approaches to Ethics”, FIFA Code of Ethics, 2004 (revised 2006), Football screens and genes: Should genetic discrimination in sport be banned? April 26, 2008, Cowe, Roger, “Archive: Ethics and the business of football”, Baumann, Toni Graf, “Guest Column - The Law and Ethics of Football Injuries”, Thursday 13 February 1997, F-MARC Doping Update, “FIFA’S Approach to Doping in Football”, 2006, Read More