Association football and politics
Association football has played a role in maintaining the differences which give each European country a distinct identity, while strengthening the bonds that bind Europe together.
[2] European football stadiums have assumed other roles as places of refuge and sites of political uprisings and terrorist attacks.
Ben Bella played briefly for Marseille during the mid-1940s before leading Algeria in the aftermath of its war of independence, first as prime minister and then as president.
When 26 Seaburn Casuals hooligans were arrested in a police raid before the 1998 FIFA World Cup, some were found to be involved with neo-Nazi groups such as Combat 18.
[7] In contrast, according to YouGov statistics, supporters of Crystal Palace and West Ham lean right, with the latter being one of the most conservative clubs in the Premier League.
[19] St. Pauli fans have been known for taking vocal, prominent stances on social and political issues that affect minorities, oppressed peoples, and the working class.
Due to accusations of genocide of Palestinians, many St. Pauli supporters have openly stood in solidarity with Palestine, as well as condemn Israeli atrocities.
[20] In recent times, Bayern Munich fans have been described as left-leaning, while their Der Klassiker rivals Borussia Dortmund have historically been right-leaning.
[23] In fact, one of the players, Edward Junior Wilson, who comes from Liberia, was involved in a fight with the Indonesian police because he thought he was flying the West Papua flag.
[41] The far-right Lazio ultras consider A.S. Livorno Calcio and Atalanta, both with strong left-wing leanings, to be among their ideological antagonists.
[49] An activist group which monitors sectarian activity in Glasgow has reported that on Old Firm weekends, violent attacks increase nine-fold above normal levels.
[52] The term morbo (roughly translating as morbid fascination and antagonism)[53] has been used[54][55] to describe attitudes to the complex network of identities and relationships between Spanish clubs.
[58] The largest ultras groups who follow Real Madrid and Barcelona (the two clubs in Spain's most famous rivalry, El Clásico) are right-wing.
The hostility between them springs from their profiles as the symbolic representatives of Castile and Catalonia,[59][60] which escalated under the Madrid-based ruling fascist regime of Francisco Franco during the mid-20th century and continued into the 21st, with many Barcelona supporters visibly sympathetic to the Catalan independence movement.
[61] Barcelona's claimed position as the persecuted team in their relationship with Madrid contrasts with their city rivalry with Espanyol, who are aligned towards Spanish unionism and whose owners see Barça as the club unfairly favored by Catalonian lawmakers.
Although the build-up to the war involved socioeconomic issues such as immigration and land reform, its impetus was hostility by rioters during the second North American qualifying round for the 1970 FIFA World Cup.
Expelled from the confederation, Israel spent several years trying to qualify for the OFC (Oceania), before eventually joining UEFA (Europe) officially.
Various actions with political nuances often occur in Indonesian football, starting from refusing to compete with the Israeli national team in the 1958 FIFA World Cup qualification because of his solidarity with Palestine and do not want to violate the country's basic constitution.
Indonesia was also involved in military confrontation with Malaysia from 1963 to 1966 which stemmed from opposition to the establishment of the Federation of Malaya which will incorporate Sabah and Sarawak into its parts because they are considered puppet states and remnants of British imperialism in Southeast Asia.
Recently, the Indonesian government also rejected the Israeli U-20 national team who will play in the 2021 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia after qualifying.
After a previous-round win, Iraqi military spokesman Qassim Moussawi said that they wanted to stop "terrorists, Sunni extremists, and criminals from targeting the joy of the people.
[81][82] Many, however, hailed the victory as a show of unity;[83] according to Iraq's coach, Jorvan Vieira, "This is not just about football ...this is more important than that ...This has brought great happiness to the whole country.
"[84] Saudi coach Hélio dos Anjos said, "Iraq deserved to win today ...They were very motivated and we knew the whole world was supporting this team.
Turkish president Abdullah Gül was invited to watch the match, and he and his Armenian counterpart Serzh Sargsyan sat together behind bullet-proof glass.
It then became an international incident with Irish Taoiseach Brian Cowen demanding a replay and the French President telling him to "stick to politics".
The Emirate television displayed various banners showing a fictitious name for the Persian Gulf during the match between Iran's Sepahan and the UAE's Al Ain.
In addition to comments from the UAE comparing the three disputed islands (Greater and Lesser Tunbs and Abu Musa, held by Iran) to the occupation of Palestine, calls were made to downgrade ties.
[124] In the lead-up to the 2022 Brazilian presidential election, several of the Brazil national team players endorsed Bolsonaro for re-election, this time running for the Liberal Party.
Players that endorsed Bolsonaro include Alisson Becker, Dani Alves, Lucas Moura, Neymar and Thiago Silva.
[133] After Biden dropped out of the 2024 presidential election, Rapinoe, alongside former basketball player Sue Bird, endorsed Biden's successor as Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, for the 2024 presidential election, and was excited about Harris potentially being the first woman and the second Black person to become President of the United States.
