A case study of moral neglect in the Egyptian sports establishment

Review of Business Research, July, 2007 by Samir M. Youssef

The Sports Establishment

This establishment is under the supervision of the Sports Ministry which was recently replaced by the Supreme Council of Sports. In terms of structure different sports are handled by different Federations including that of football (EFF) which is the most important one in terms of resources and popularity. Also affiliated with the Ministry are the different social and sports clubs which enter into local competitions. Whenever there are regional or international competitions national teams are formed to represent the country. Like every where else, the sports industry is very lucrative in terms of financial rewards for players, income for clubs from matches 'proceeds, sponsors contracts and contributions. Amongst all sports soccer (or football) stands out as the most popular and it commands the allegiance of millions if not billions of fans around the World. FIFA is considered the international body responsible for overseeing the welfare of the game world wide. It organizes regional and international competitions and it has absolute technical authority over the 204 Football Federations world wide. These competitions are used as promotion platforms for well known multinational companies to advertise their products in exchange for lucrative exclusive promotion contracts granted by FIFA. Some of this income is used to support the game in different countries.

Soccer is very popular in Egypt and famous players are considered celebrities along with movie stars as well as politicians. The sport also uses a lot of administrators including coaches. The welfare of the game and the players is on the top of the agenda of the boards of the EFF and the sports clubs. Administrators have a lot to gain from the game. In addition to direct payment if they hold a certain post they get the chance to travel and they may share in the rewards the clubs get. They also get the chance for networking and possibly promoting their own businesses on the side. Obviously this is a fertile ground for pursuing self interest which sometimes comes counter to the common interest of the country and the game.

In responding to FIFA's invitation to submit bids the Sports Minister (SM) relegated this task to a file committee composed mostly of EFF officials. This paper shows that the culture of the public sector and the sports establishment has hindered the organizational system by failing to coordinate members of the bid file committee so they could rally behind a common cause. This has encouraged the dominance of individual interests.

ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES

In the process of allocating responsibilities of a given task the tendency toward collective responsibility gets lost. As the individual is further removed from the common goal he becomes more focused on individual goals which appear more tangible and carry immediate benefits. Imperfect coordination can lead to responsibilities for the whole getting lost (Kaptien & Wempe, 2002).Everyone avoid doing something because they depend on others doing it. Once responsibility is diffused among many actors people will no longer concern themselves with the duties of others and lose the sense of the organization as a unifying body.