Michael Cole, a PhD candidate at the University of Tartu in Estonia, joins “Right Rising” to break down how right-wing populist leaders are using some of the world’s most popular footballers for political gain.
Along with host Augusta Dell’Omo, he takes us on a deep dive into some of the most famous examples of this budding relationship, such as German footballer Mesut Ozil and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Cole helps us understand how these relationships emerged and what these new partnerships could look like in the context of the 2021 European Championships.
*[Fair Observer is a media partner of the Centre for Analysis of the Radical Right. Click here for a full list of episodes.]
The views expressed in this post are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Fair Observer’s editorial policy.










Commenting Guidelines
Please read our commenting guidelines before commenting.
1. Be Respectful: Please be polite to the author. Avoid hostility. The whole point of Fair Observer is openness to different perspectives from perspectives from around the world.
2. Comment Thoughtfully: Please be relevant and constructive. We do not allow personal attacks, disinformation or trolling. We will remove hate speech or incitement.
3. Contribute Usefully: Add something of value — a point of view, an argument, a personal experience or a relevant link if you are citing statistics and key facts.
Please agree to the guidelines before proceeding.