نوع مقاله : مقاله پژوهشی
نویسندگان
1 دانشجوی دکتری حقوق جزا و جرم شناسی، دانشگاه آزاد، واحد بینالملل، کیش، ایران
2 استادیار گروه حقوق جزا و جرم شناسی، دانشگاه علامه طباطبایی، تهران، ایران
3 استادیار گروه حقوق، دانشگاه پیام نور، تهران، ایران
چکیده
در قرن اخیر، ورزش به یکی از موضوعات مهم مطالعاتی در علوم انسانی بدل شده است. و به همین مناسبت، رشتههای جدیدی همچون جامعهشناسی ورزشی، حقوق ورزشی، سیاست ورزشی و مطالعات فرهنگی ورزش شکل گرفتهاند. بااینحال، جرمشناسی ورزشی کمتر دیده شده و دغدغههای جرمشناسان معاصر، از جمله پیشگیری از جرم و کنترل اجتماعی در حوزۀ ورزش مغفول مانده است. این کاستی در حوزۀ جرایم سازمانیافتۀ ورزشی نمود بیشتری دارد. باوجود اهمیت وصف سازمانیافتگی از منظر مطالعات جرمشناسانه، این مهم چندان در تحقیقات علوم جنایی موردتوجه قرار نگرفته است. پژوهش حاضر با لحاظ این ضرورت، به روش تحلیلی و توصیفی و با استفاده از ابزار کتابخانهای به دنبال پاسخ به این سؤال است که فساد سازمانیافته در ورزش چه ویژگیهایی دارد و این اوصاف از منظر جرمشناختی چگونه تحلیل میشوند؟ مطالعات نشان میدهد که درجرایم سازمانی، تفاوتهایی با اوصافی نظیر کسب منفعت، مداخلۀ جنایی شخصیت حقوقی، محوریت شرطبندی، فساد غیرمجرمانه قابلشناسایی است و از منظر نظریات جرمشناسی همچون نظریات فشار، رفتار برنامهریزیشده، انتخاب عقلانی، نئولیبرالیسم و آسیب اجتماعی-شناختی قابلشناسایی هستند. نتیجه آنکه راهکارهایی چون ارائۀ الگوهای آموزشی، تدوین پیمان جامع مقابله با فساد ورزشی سازمانیافتۀ بینالمللی و تغییر تعریف فساد در مقابله با آن راهگشا خواهد بود.
کلیدواژهها
- آسیب اجتماعی-شناختی
- سازمان یافتگی
- فساد ورزشی
- نظریه انتخاب عقلانی
- نظریۀ رفتار برنامهریزی شده
- نظریۀ فشار
- نئولیبرالیسم
موضوعات
عنوان مقاله [English]
Criminological Investigation of Organizational Corruption in Sport
نویسندگان [English]
- Reza Abolhassani 1
- Tahmoores Bashirieh 2
- mahdi yousefi sadeghloo 3
1 PhD Student in Criminal Law and Criminology, Azad University, International Branch, Kish, Iran
2 Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Law and Criminology, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran
3 Assistant Professor, Department of Law, Payam Noor University, Tehran, Iran
چکیده [English]
Over the past century, sport has increasingly become a significant arena of scholarly inquiry within the humanities and social sciences. Growing recognition of its social, cultural, political, and economic importance has led to the development of specialized subfields such as sports sociology, sports geography, sports history, sports law, sports politics, the political sociology of sport, and cultural studies of sport. Each of these fields has contributed valuable insights into the ways sport intersects with broader social structures and cultural dynamics. Yet, within this expanding body of research, the field of sports criminology remains comparatively underdeveloped. Unlike sports sociology or sports law, which have achieved relatively autonomous academic status, sports criminology has often been overshadowed by these more established disciplines. As a result, core criminological concerns—crime prevention, criminal justice processes, and mechanisms of social control—have not been systematically examined in the context of sport.
This research identifies a critical gap, particularly concerning organizational or organized crime in sport. Although organized crime has long been central to criminological analysis and criminal law, its manifestations within sport have not received adequate scholarly attention. The concept of organized crime—with its focus on structured group activity, continuity, hierarchy, and illicit profit—offers significant analytical utility. Nevertheless, despite the recognized importance of organizational features from both legal and criminological perspectives, international scholarship has shown limited interest in defining or analyzing how these characteristics appear in sport. International bodies, for their part, have yet to articulate a comprehensive framework for identifying the distinctive attributes of organized corruption within the sporting domain.
Against this backdrop, the present study was designed with a dual purpose: first, to identify the essential characteristics of organized corruption in sport; and second, to interpret these characteristics through established criminological theories. The research adopts a descriptive–analytical method, relying on library-based sources including academic books, journal articles, reports from international organizations, and relevant legal instruments. By synthesizing insights from these materials, the study aims to develop a robust analytical framework for understanding organized corruption in sport and to highlight potential directions for effective prevention and control.
The findings show that organized corruption in sport possesses both substantive and procedural features that distinguish it from other forms of crime. Notable attributes include the pursuit of profit—often realized through manipulation of betting markets and the financial exploitation of sport’s global popularity; the involvement of legal entities and corporations as active participants or facilitators of illicit schemes; the structural role of betting and gambling systems as enablers of corrupt behavior; and the persistence of non-criminal forms of corruption that, although not prosecutable, nonetheless erode sporting integrity and pave the way for criminal conduct. These features underscore the complexity of the phenomenon, which straddles the boundary between legality and illegality, public perception and legal sanction, individual culpability and organizational responsibility.
From a theoretical standpoint, the study demonstrates that organized corruption in sport can be fruitfully analyzed through a range of criminological perspectives. Strain theory illuminates how structural pressures within professional sport—particularly the intense emphasis on success and financial gain—create conditions conducive to deviance. The theory of planned behavior explains how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control shape decisions to engage in corrupt practices. Rational choice theory highlights the calculated assessment of risks and benefits that makes organized corruption appear profitable despite potential sanctions. The neoliberal paradigm draws attention to the ways market-oriented ideologies, commercialization, and deregulation generate fertile conditions for exploitation and criminal infiltration. Finally, frameworks grounded in social harm theory expand the conceptualization of corruption to include harmful practices that undermine trust, fairness, and the cultural value of sport.
The analysis ultimately demonstrates that organized corruption in sport is neither isolated nor marginal; rather, it is a systemic challenge deeply intertwined with broader social, economic, and political processes. Its transnational character—with activities spanning jurisdictions, involving multinational corporations, and exploiting global financial and digital systems—complicates regulatory responses. This reality highlights the inadequacy of traditional, domestically oriented approaches to crime control and underscores the need for innovative, cooperative, and interdisciplinary strategies.
In terms of policy implications, the study argues for several strategic measures. First, the development of educational programs tailored to athletes, coaches, administrators, and supporters is crucial for raising awareness of the risks and consequences of organized corruption. Second, a comprehensive international convention specifically targeting organized corruption in sport is needed to provide a unified legal framework and facilitate cross-border cooperation. Third, the definition of corruption itself requires reconceptualization—expanding beyond narrow criminal classifications to encompass the broader spectrum of harmful practices that undermine sporting integrity. Such a broadened definition would enable policymakers and scholars to capture more accurately the full range of activities that threaten fairness, transparency, and trust in sport.
In conclusion, this study underscores the urgency of integrating criminological perspectives into the study of sport and addressing organized corruption as a distinct and pressing issue. By situating the problem within criminological theory, identifying its unique characteristics, and proposing practical solutions, the research contributes to bridging a longstanding gap in both scholarship and policy. Given sport’s global cultural influence and vast resources, it demands analytical frameworks capable of safeguarding its integrity. The findings suggest that combating organized corruption in sport requires not only legal instruments but also interdisciplinary engagement, theoretical innovation, and sustained international collaboration.
کلیدواژهها [English]
- sports corruption
- organization
- strain theory
- theory of planned behavior
- rational choice theory
- neoliberalism
- social harm theory
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