Features of the development of modern science in the pandemic’s era: collection of scientific papers «scientia» with Proceedings of the I international Scientific and Theoretical Conference (Vol. 1)

 
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71
Sherzod Khodjimurotov Abdiakimovich 
Independent researcher
Tashkent state university of law, Republic of UZbekistan 
 
 
THE HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF MIGRATION 
OF FOOTBALL PLAYERS 
 
Abstract. 
Professional footballers' migration has recently been a hot topic. Over the last 10 years or so, it 
has not only been the subject of a number of books and journal papers, but it has also been a popular topic 
among newspaper, radio, and television journalists. This paper covers some of the most important work 
on the issue, critically examining how the idea of "globalization" has been used in particular. It also helps 
us comprehend the phenomena of football player movement from a historical viewpoint. 
 
Introduction 
There is no doubt, that football has already established itself as type of sport of a global 
importance. Back in the days of 1930, when for the first time in the history of football Uruguay 
hosted football`s biggest venue - the first World Cup competition, expectations were high. There 
were just only 13 teams competing for the cup, and four European national teams present and 
obviously most of the crowds gathered for matches of South American countries, particularly the 
final between hosts and eventual winners Uruguay and their fierce rivals Argentina. Main purpose 
behind the establishment of the World Cup was to expand the international market for football 
talents from all over the world. At that time large numbers of players migrated from one continent 
to another, because of the weak economic power and the amateur nature of their game they were 
eager to try themselves abroad and were encouraged by the prospect of financial incentives.
1
These experiences have had a beneficial impact on the nature and style of play at both ends, 
but they have also contributed to a fermented discussion on matters of national origin, citizenship, 
labour rights. The mass migration of footballers in European and South American continents was 
a result of those first international tournaments.
2
Some literatures indicate how migration affected to the formation of ancient football clubs 
and their diversity in terms of player nationalities. As quoted by Taylor in his “Global Players? 
Football, Migration and Globalization, “In 1932, author described in his novel the atmosphere of 
Lyons Football Club at the turn of the century. “It was, he wrote, “a mixed society in which the 
German-speaking Swiss was together with the Italian, the Englishman with the Egyptian, and the 
man from Lyons with the man from Marseilles.”
3
According to Jonathan Magee, the European factor has played a huge role for football labour 
migration development on international level.
4
The migration movement of football talents from 
African and Latin American countries to Europe has seen a great rise in numbers in world football 
for a long period. As Taylor notes, “weak national economies and financial crisis have often 
worked to push players out while, on the pull side, the wealthiest European leagues, in particular, 
have been able to offer unrivalled financial rewards.”
5
1
Christiane Eisenberg, “From England to the World: The Spread of Modern Football, 1863 2000”, Moving Bodies 
1.1 (2003): 16. (as cited in Taylor, M. (2006). Global Players? Football, Migration and Globalization, c. 1930-2000.).” 
Historical Social Research / Historische Sozialforschung
, vol. 31, no. 1 (115), 2006, pp. 7–30. 
JSTOR
, available 
online at www.jstor.org/stable/20762099. (last visited May 28 2020) 
2
Taylor, Matthew. “Global Players? Football, Migration and Globalization, c. 1930-2000.”