Abstract
This thesis aims to illuminate the interconnected nature of European politics and football (soccer), especially on the international competitive level, in the governments of Italy and England in the 1930s. As Italy rose to prominence on the political scene of Europe, it became a threat to English dominance of world football. This growing threat to sporting reputation also represented the growing threat of Italian Fascism to British democracy, such that each government developed policies toward international sport aimed to meet wider foreign policy goals. The three international football matches between the two nations in the 1930s illustrate the politicized nature of international sporting competition, revealing the influence of these matches on general Anglo-Italian relations. Through a comparative study of contemporary newspaper reports, this thesis reveals the role that international football competitions between England and Italy in the 1930s played in shaping the wider diplomatic relations between the two nations, as distinct styles and attitudes toward the game mirrored the differing political approaches and ambitions of the states.