Superpowerful But Superinvisible? Women’s Football and Nation in Presidential Discourse in Colombia, 2010-2018

This article quantitatively and qualitatively evaluates references to women’s football in Colombia in presidential discourse and Twitter posts during the presidency of Juan Manuel Santos (2010-2018). Using critical discourse analysis of presidential discourse, it compares representations and messages around the respective Colombian men’s and women’s national football teams in relation to Santos’ national unity project. Although football in Colombia was understood by the Santos government to have powerful unifying and transformative potential, this article questions whether this potential is limited to the male game and the extent to which women’s football contributed to Santos’ sporting nationalism strategy. Could women’s football also represent the “national us” and the “New Colombia” so frequently mentioned in presidential rhetoric?