Author: Jack McHenry (Sports Columnist)
Sports on the international stage bring the significance of athletic competition to a higher level; a level where international politics manifest themselves on fans’ favorite fields of play. In the United States, grudge matches between the Soviet Union are becoming a distant memory. These games, including the great Cinderella victory for the USA hockey team in the 1980 Olympics, were an arena where geopolitics could erupt into something resembling a hot conflict in the otherwise stagnant Cold War.
While the United States lacks the same level of ideological differences to compete within international sporting events, the fervor of this competition exists elsewhere in the world, particularly in the context of soccer, both at the club and international level. Furthermore, the history of soccer violence and hooliganism combined with nationalism and political tensions creates an environment where clashes between fans is almost guaranteed.
On Feb. 1, a soccer riot erupted in Suez after a match between two Egyptian clubs in which 79 people lost their lives. The riot was sparked by the rivalry between the two clubs, and a long tradition of soccer violence that plagues the game in many parts of the world. However, the same riot instantly had political implications nation wide, as Egypt careens down an unpredictable and tumultuous road towards democracy.
Protests broke out on Feb. 2 in response to the police not being able to enforce the law at the game and protect fans. In a larger sense, the protests were a way to lash out against the “interim” military government that is proving reluctant to relinquish power. A soccer match became a springboard for political action in an already unstable state.
Violence has been an unfortunate companion of high level soccer for decades. Particularly in Europe, these actions have become a sort of cult culture, which has been romanticized in various movies, including the critically acclaimed Green Street Hooligans. This culture, combined with the fervent nationalism that accompanies international matches, provides fertile ground for skirmishes between fans based in deep-seeded feuds to flourish. Many of these feuds are significantly historical. In the 2006 World Cup in Germany, rowdy England supporters could be hard taunting German fans about their defeat in World War II. Rivalries in Eastern Europe share a similar character as well.
Poland shares bitter rivalries with Germany and Russia, with the roots stretching back centuries, as Poland often found itself torn between the two European powers. From Frederick III and Peter the Great to Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin, the Polish people experienced political domination at the hands of Germany and Russia. In modern times, international soccer matches have been a cathartic way to exercise these past degradations, if they end in victory.
This summer, Poland and Ukraine will co-host the European Cup, a tournament much like the World Cup, but only for national sides from Europe. With some of the rowdiest fans in the world, in terms of fans positively supporting their side within the law and in terms of vicious hooligans, Poland will play a very entertaining, if not treacherous, host. The draw revealed that Poland will play the opening group stage of the tournament against Russia, the Czech Republic, and Greece. Every game could be grounds for a riot. The history of the animosity towards Russia needs no further explanation.
I grew up on tales from my grandfather of how the 1946-1947 national team, with most of Poland in ruins, defeated a heavily favored Czechoslovakian side. Poland rejoiced, and the bitterness towards their Czechoslovakian neighbors for being relatively spared by the Germans in World War II was, if only for a moment, alleviated. Proximity always seems to breed contempt, and the rivalry between neighboring Poland and the Czech Republic remains strong.
Greece does not share the same historic flavor as the contempt towards Russia and the Czech Republic from Polish fans possesses. However, Greece is a perfect demonstration of how politics and economics can manifest themselves in sports. Due to its economic collapse, there has been a sense of frustration towards Greece, a frustration that will no doubt rear its head at Euro 2012. On YouTube, there are fan made videos of Polish soccer fans, with menacing comments directed towards Greece saying “Greece: you know why.”
Euro 2012, in two countries with tragic histories of loss and degradation, rivalries old and new, historic and economic, will play out on pitches, in stadium seats, and in the streets across Poland and the Ukraine.
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