Angel Cabrera

Football and the flattening of the world

Back in Davos, having the most unlikely conversations with the most unlikely people.  This morning, a panel of soccer executives, social entrepreneurs and the inevitable Pele, are addressing the role this universal sport plays in our complex world.  Soccer is far from perfect... doping, violence and corruption cast a shadow over the sport... yet, it is hard to think of any other activity that so clearly brings people together... a universal sport, a universal following, a universal method to channel rivalry and competitiveness.  The story of the Homless Woldcup, established by Mel Young to bring hope to homeless and hopeless individuals from around the world shows it all. Quite surprising that it took so long for the world of soccer to join the world debates in Davos. 

My article with David Bowen about the need to treat global management as a true profession was finally printed by the Journal of Management Development (vol. 24, no. 9, 2005, 791-806) and can be accessed on line following this link.  The article appears as part of a special issue on the state and future of business education, edited by EFMD's general manager Eric Cornuel, with very interesting articles among others by my colleagues and friends Gabriel Hawawini (INSEAD) and Peter Lorrange (IMD).