Big and Small Footballing Nations and the Harmful Effects of Systemic Corruption on International Sports Performance: An Investigation of Potentially Unique Susceptibility Among Small States

Abstract

This paper explores the claim that small states are particularly sensitive to thedetrimental effects of systemic corruption on international sports performance, whichwas previously made on the basis of medal counts at the Games of the Small States ofEurope and the summer and winter editions of the Olympic Games. The present studyaimed to further investigate the validity of such a claim and its generalisability in othersporting contexts. Due to its worldwide popularity and expansive global infrastructure,international football was selected as an ideal main discipline for probing such effects.The points system used by its highest international governing federation to rank countriesacross mens and womens categories was used as the main dependent variable of interest.A multiple regression analysis was then carried out to estimate the effects of smallstate status on performance, across all levels of corruption, while controlling for overallpopulation size. The findings strongly support the central thesis that small states havea unique susceptibility to the effects of systemic corruption on sports performance ininternational football. Serious concerns are consequently raised about the capacity for realimprovements in international sports performance by Malta or other small states, shouldpolicymakers and sports administrators fail to more meaningfully promote transparency,trustworthiness, accountability, and indeed any fundamental principles antithetical tosystemic corruption both within and beyond the microcosm of sports communities.