When nationalism mixes with football within the stadiums and streets of Europe, it normally doesn’t end well.
For many years, images of drunk fans decorated with nationalist symbols and flags fight against one another or against the police, followed the UEFA European Championshipa contest held every 4 years between teams from across the continent.
It is due to this fact perhaps comprehensible that the German authorities feared the worst within the run-up to the present championship, which began on 14 June and ends on 14 July with a final between Spain and England.
Finally, nationalist populism on the rise in Europe for several years, like violence between fans at regular football matches.
But the nationalism on display through the current European Championship – because the competition is often called – was generally of a more benign nature: Enthusiastic fans They painted their faces within the national colors and sang along to the national anthems that begin each game. However, scenes of the nationalist-motivated mass violence that has characterised events prior to now were largely avoided on the championship.
What is more clearly visible is, because the English novelist Rebecca Watson put it, a “pure patriotism', based on the mutual recognition that comes from an emotional experience shared with one's fellow residents – something Watson wrote she last experienced through the COVID epidemic, when Britons stood on their doorsteps and applauded the National Health Service.
On the appropriate wing
This is somewhat surprising if you consider the broader political currents in Europe. A decade ago, far-right parties were polling in single digits in most parts of the continent; now Some achieve 30% And Formation of national governments.
Many of the fans who went into the European Championship with great expectations come from countries where nationalist populism has taken hold. Since Italy won the last championship in 2021The country has seen the brothers of Italy bring a right-wing coalition to powerIn the Netherlands, Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party won the elections last yr on an anti-immigration platform.
In the European elections in June, the far-right The Alternative for Germany party got here in second place When the votes were counted within the country and in Austria, the right-wing populist Freedom Party got here first.
In France, only a last-minute collaboration between the centre and left parties prevented Marine Le Pen’s National Rally from won the primary round with 34% of the vote earlier this month.
How can this ugly face of nationalism and the rise of anti-immigration far-right parties be reconciled with the commonly peaceful and good-natured national pride of football fans on display through the European Championship?
About football and identity
Soccer, or football because it is known as outside the USA, became increasingly popular within the late nineteenth centurypartly promoted by industrialists who were on the lookout for a technique to entertain the lads who were flocking to England's emerging industrial towns. The support of an area team gave them a way of identity and belonging that replaced the village life from which that they had been uprooted.
While some Marxists see football as capitalist conspiracy to distract staff from the category struggleit also serves as a way of expression of mass popular culture.
Football continues to play a job within the politics of national identity on the European stage, from the early days of fascism for the Decades of the Cold War.
Peter Byrne/PA Images via Getty Images
The UEFA European Championship has been held every 4 years since 1960. In its current form, the competition begins with 24 teams competing in a bunch stage before advancing to the knockout rounds.
It is inevitable that there might be more teams that win than there are teams that lose, so for a lot of fans, it’s a pleasure to share within the experience of their hopes being dashed – and to have fun those transient moments when their team exceeded all expectations.
There were several such moments at Euro 2024. Slovakia Surprise 1-0 win against Belgium And Georgia's victory over Portugal secured each lower ranked teams a spot within the round of 16. Turkey scored the primary goal within the quarter-final against the Netherlands and gave their fans 20 minutes of euphoria. before the team suffered a defeat.
The tournament was closely followed in war-torn Ukraine, which, despite ending last in its group, was at the very least capable of have fun a victory over Slovakia.
Participation in a sporting event can bring out the positive side of nationalism, because it involves mutual respect between competing teams and acceptance of the fairness of the foundations of the sport – even when one’s own team doesn’t win. In this sense, it may well be seen as a microcosm of “rules-based international order“, which the West sees as essential for global peace and stability.
Show hate the red card
Of course, the 2024 tournament was not completely resistant to the dark side of patriotism and nationalism.
There were a handful of incidents, including violent clashes between English and Serbian fans before their opening match in Gelsenkirchen. But German police have generally managed to contain violence between rival fans: journalists covering the matches noted that The variety of arrests was in the one digits and support – with enthusiasm – was good-natured.
Meanwhile, the European football association UEFA has reacted quickly and punished players who make provocative nationalist statements. After Albanian striker Mirlind Daku used a megaphone to coordinate fans After shouting “f— Serbia” and “f— Macedonia” after his team’s draw with Croatia, he was banned for 2 matches. The Turk Merih Demiral was also banned for 2 games because they made a “wolf” sign – which is related to the ultra-nationalist Turkish movement “Grey Wolves” – after scoring a goal in a victory against Austria.
Migration changes the foundations of the sport
For many years up until the 2010s, there have been real concerns that racist behavior of fans – equivalent to verbal abuse of black players – meant that the game would lose the support of normal fans and company sponsors. It prompted Football associations and police must take tough motion by punishing fans, clubs and players who were involved in or tolerated such behaviour.
At the identical time, increasingly more players on national teams are first or second generation immigrants. This growing ethnic diversity makes it increasingly difficult for true fans to support their national team while continuing to precise racist views.
Over and beyond Study 2017 of skilled football clubs in Europe found that ethnically heterogeneous teams are more successful than less diverse teams – and this might also apply to national teams.
A minority of fans still scapegoat players with ties to other countries. When Germany did not qualify for the playoff round on the 2018 World Cup, Turkish-German player Mesut Özil commented: “I am German when we win, but I am an immigrant when we lose.” His teammate İlkay Gündoğan, also born in Germany to Turkish parents, was similarly criticized in 2018 for and called Recep Tayyip Erdoğan “my president“after a gathering with the Turkish head of state. One sign that the situation can have improved is that Gündoğan was captain of the German team on the 2024 European Championship.
Figures from the world of football and politics have pushed back against the concept players' loyalty ought to be questioned based on their background. When American-based South African comedian Trevor Noah joked: “Did Africa just win the World Cup?” in 2018 – a reference to the high variety of players of African descent on the winning French team – many were quick to notice that the majority were born in France. The French ambassador to the United States wrote in a letter Noah says his comment, even when it was meant in jest, helps legitimize the view that “whiteness” is a prerequisite for being French.
And that runs counter to the shift in nationalism seen through the European Championships, away from nativism and towards the benevolent and inclusive. Looking ahead to the 2024 European Championships, football has the power to unite somewhat than divide – and to advertise tolerance and multiculturalism somewhat than division and antagonism.
image credit : theconversation.com