Beyond the Game: Accountability, Corruption, and Governance Failures in Modern Sports Law, with Focus on South Africa

Abstract

This article investigates the growing crisis of accountability, corruption, and governance failure in modern sports law, with particular attention to the role of international sports governing bodies and their impact on Global South states. The primary objective is to examine how the legal autonomy of sports institutions has enabled systemic governance weaknesses, and to assess whether existing legal frameworks adequately address corruption, human rights harms, and power imbalances affecting athletes and host communities.
The study adopts a doctrinal and comparative legal methodology, analysing international sports governance structures alongside domestic legal frameworks, with a focused case study on South Africa. It draws on constitutional principles, legislation, and case law to evaluate how national legal systems can respond to governance failures within transnational sport. The article also engages interdisciplinary scholarship on mega-events, corruption, and regulatory theory to situate sports governance within broader debates on transnational private power. The findings reveal that corruption and governance failures in sport are structural rather than incidental, rooted in concentrated decision-making power, weak oversight, and regulatory exceptionalism. South Africa’s constitutional and administrative law jurisprudence demonstrates that sporting autonomy cannot displace the rule of law, offering a model for enhanced accountability in the Global South. Practically, the article underscores the need for legally enforceable transparency measures, human rights due diligence, and stronger judicial oversight. It concludes that restoring the integrity and legitimacy of global sport requires embedding sports governance within robust legal accountability frameworks aligned with constitutional and human rights norms.