THE SYRIAN MENS’S NATIONAL FOOTBALL TEAM AS A PROPAGANDA TOOL OF THE ASSAD GOVERNMENT

Abstract

This paper seeks to explore, study and analyze the impact of the civil war on the Syrian men’s national football team. To do so, the author interviewed a dozen current and former players, coaches and administrators who at some point were part of the national football team and participated in some of its most important matches. This research untangles how the Assad regime used the men’s team to polish his image at home and abroad as part of his “Authoritarian Upgrading,” machinations to polish his image at home and abroad. Assad made the team’s success his own. This paper will attempt to explain how.