Post-colonial outcomes in football: FIFA, overseas territories and national identity

This paper looks at the legacies left by colonial empires in remaining overseas territories and how football has responded to this heritage both in terms of governance and development. The author will address the notion of independence in a sporting rather than political sense, what this can achieve and the footballing ambitions of the departments and territories of France, the Dutch Caribbean countries, the remnants of the British Empire and how this compares to the more recently acquired territories of the United States of America.