Fair play or foul World Cup sportsmanship under scrutiny at Birmingham

Sports psychologists at the University of Birmingham are investigating how factors such as motivation can influence how likely a football player is to adopt antisocial behaviour in their quest for victory in contests such as the World Cup. Which of the England players is most likely to commit a foul, square up to a referee, or verbally intimidate their opposite number in the 2010 championship? Might it be possible to predict who in Fabio Capello's 23-strong squad will adopt dirty tactics on South Africa's pitches in the coming weeks, and who will not? 'Frequency of antisocial behaviour is often increased in sport compared to other life contexts, especially when the stakes are high,' explains Dr Ian Boardley, lecturer in Sport Psychology and Education. 'The degree to which players will engage in offensive verbal and physical behaviour to gain unfair advantage is informed by their motivation,' he says. 'If they are focused on winning at all costs they are more likely to take part in this kind of activity, whereas if they are more concerned with developing their own personal skills, self-improvement, and play for the pure love of the game they may be less likely to do so.' Research led by Dr Boardley has highlighted several psychosocial mechanisms that underpin transgression in sport - explaining why some sportspeople don't experience the normal feelings of guilt or remorse that should accompany such acts.