|TOP|Two Brazilian researchers have just published a book in which they argue that football and sport more generally have been elevated almost to the level of a secular religion.

Professors Ricardo dos Santos and Francisco Teixeira of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro argue in their book “Football and politics, the construction of a national identity” that football is like the secular religion of this era with all its myths, rules and revered heroes, reports Ecumenical News International.

They also highlight in their book, recently published to coincide with the World Cup in Germany, that religion is forced to compete with football when games are on at the same time as church services.

Dos Santos and Teixeira went on to claim that the likes of the World Cup was an example of globalisation and a mobilisation of the largest number of people on the planet, whilst remaining an event that upheld national identities and provided an avenue through which to present and celebrate those identities.

|AD|Christians engaged with the World Cup by launching outreach initiatives to bring football fans to the joy of knowing Christ, including an evangelistic website launched by the media ministry of Campus Crusade for Christ, Global Media Outreach.

Women of the Methodist Church were also just some of the campaigners calling for urgent action to bring to an end the sex trafficking that took place during the World Cup.

Using the slogan “buying sex is not a sport,” the women joined forces with The Coalition Against Trafficking in Women (CATW), and aimed to highlight the appalling effects of trafficking on the lives of vulnerable, young women.

It’s estimated that more than 40,000 women could be brought into Germany to be exploited as sex workers, although German officials say the number is overblown.