The World Cup 1982: a showcase of the spain’s new democracy

Abstract

This article aims to use the thirtieth anniversary of the FIFA World Cup in Spain, to analyze some fundamental aspects of the organization of this sporting event. During the process of political transition and under the influence of a deep economic crisis, the Spanish society will face the challenge of organizing the first World Cup with the participation of 24 national football teams. At the international level, the different governments and the political and sports institutions tried to use the World Cup as a symbol of a new democratic and modern country. This text studies some aspects closely related to their organization, the funding sources, the reform of the RTVE infrastructure, the choice of venues and the renovation of the stadiums, as well as commercial and advertising exploitation of Spain-82.