[Vision2020] A Socialist's Guide to the World Cup

[Tom Hansen]

>From The New Socialist at:

http://www.newsocialist.org/index.php?id=884

"Football isn't a matter of life and death, it's more important than that."

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A socialist's guide to the World Cup

by Simon Black 
June 9, 2006 

As World Cup fever grips the globe, many progressives will be sighing at the
prospect of another sporting spectacle distracting the "masses" from the
pressing issues of the day - the classic "bread and circuses" argument.
There is a tendency on the North American Left to disdain sport: its
competitive nature, the corporatization of its grand events, its inherent
masculinities and cultures of exclusion. 

Some of this critique is grounded in good sociology; some of it bears an
irrational disdain for that in which one does not participate or enjoy. In
many sports, but especially in "the beautiful game," politics and the game
have a symbiotic relationship. Politics can influence and be influenced by
what happens on the field of play. The World Cup is no exception. 

My parents immigrated to Canada from Liverpool in the 1960s; growing up,
soccer and socialism were the main topics of discussion in the Black
household. Conversations at the dinner table moved seamlessly between
football and politics, England's chances in the World Cup and the NDP's
chances in the upcoming election. 

I only committed my life to socialism after being rejected as a professional
soccer player (a brief stint with the English Premier League's Watford FC is
my footballing claim to fame). 

In many countries, soccer is a terrain of political and ideological struggle
like the media or the education system. Teams in Europe often have decidedly
partisan political followings. Lazio of Rome was the club of Mussolini and
retains a large fascist following today. Italian club A.S. Livorno has long
been associated with communism and banners of Che Guevara can be seen waving
in the stands at the team's home games. Clashes between Livorno's supporters
and the fans of right-wing teams can dominate match day in this picturesque
Tuscany town. 

When asked to play a friendly match against the Zapatistas, left-leaning
club Inter Milan gladly took up the offer encouraged by its bohemian
supporters who see their team as a counterbalance to AC Milan, owned by
former right-wing Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. 

In the UK, Glasgow Celtic were an organizing ground for the cause of Irish
liberation and a haven of Catholic solidarity in a hostile Protestant and
Unionist Glasgow. 

In Spain, FC Barcelona is the home of Catalan nationalism. In the era of
fascist rule, the team was a serious aggravation to General Franco and his
sympathizers who supported Barca's fierce rivals Real Madrid. But for those
on the Left who are ignorant of soccer's rich political history and are
greeting the onset of World Cup madness with a yawn, here's a quick
socialist's guide to the big tournament. I hope it will pique your interest
enough to watch a game or two. 

Colonial legacies 

The great Trinidadian intellectual C.L.R. James believed that the
English-speaking Caribbean truly gained independence from colonial rule when
the West Indies defeated England in cricket. A victory for the colonies
signaled a shift in the national psyche from subordination and inferiority
to confidence and pride, cultivating a fervent nationalism. Thus anytime a
former colony goes up against its colonizer, far more than just a game is at
stake. 

Long independent, the nations of Togo, Trinidad and Angola will face their
colonizers in the first round of World Cup 2006. Both soccer minnows, a
victory for Togo or Trinidad will set off waves of celebration in the home
country. 

Yet the Angola versus Portugal match is arguably the most exciting and
politically stimulating of the first round. Angola waged a brutal struggle
for independence against Portuguese rule (and later against U.S. and South
African influence) gaining independence in 1975. Angolans will be hoping
their team rises above the favoured Portuguese in a game that will be
charged with political symbolism. 

Iranian fervour 

In his wonderful book How Soccer Explains the World: An (unlikely) theory of
globalization, Franklin Foer describes the political tremors that can result
from a victory of the Iranian national soccer team. Iran's victories can
unleash popular sentiments that buck against the theocratic rule of the
mullahs. The celebrations that greet Iranian soccer success make the
country's rulers uneasy: people eat, drink and be merry, dancing in the
streets and saying things aloud that they otherwise would not dare to say. 

Upon a team victory, Foer notes that what is normally restricted to the
private sphere of the Iranian household bursts forth occupying public space
as people take to the streets in celebrations that can and do morph into
demonstrations against the government. The ayatollahs attempt to hijack the
success of the national team for their own purposes but the team itself
maintains a cautious independence from the government line. How Iranian
success or defeat plays out in this era of U.S. sabre-rattling over the
country's nuclear program will be interesting. 

Social movements 

There are other World Cup news stories worth following that are not directly
related to the games themselves but have everything to do with politics. 

Having legalized prostitution, Germany's sex industry is gearing up for a
massive boost in business. Yet women's groups are concerned with the
trafficking of women for sexual slavery to meet the demand created by a
massive influx of male tourists into the country. A number of NGOs have
criticized world soccer's governing body FIFA for not doing enough to raise
awareness about trafficking and forced prostitution. Only recently have FIFA
and German authorities begun to address these complaints. A number of NGOs
plan to stage protests during the Cup's festivities. 

Oxfam has led a coalition of anti-sweat NGOs (the Fair Play Alliance) to
protest the working conditions under which the uniforms and shoes of the
participating teams are made. Oxfam's report, Offside! Labour Rights and
Sportswear Production in Asia, puts the spotlight on a number of large
multinational corporations who have failed to clean up their supply chains
and address the continuing abuse of workers' rights. Anti-sweatshop groups
will use the World Cup to stage demonstrations against the big apparel
companies like Nike and Adidas. 

As Oxfam points out, while players like England's David Beckham receive
millions in sponsorship deals, the people who make his shoes receive little
more than pennies. Pressure is being put on the superstar players to
convince their sponsors to clean up their acts. Whether players use their
power and influence to help stamp out sweatshop abuses remains to be seen. 

So whether you're cheering on the boys from Brazil or avoiding the
television at all costs, keep an eye on the political dynamics of this
year's World Cup. Before you vilify the overpaid athletes participating,
remember that for many of them, football has been their means of social
mobility, rising from the ghettoes of Sao Paulo, Tehran or Manchester to the
world's biggest sporting stage. 

And for those of you who still can't see what all the fuss is about, keep in
mind the words of a famous English coach (and Lefty) by the name of Bill
Shankly, "Football isn't a matter of life and death, it's more important
than that."

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Seeya round town, Moscow.

t hansen-moore
Moscow, Idaho

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And why shouldn't the rich pay taxes?

"The people that write laws are greedy.  They need money to buy votes.  What
better way to get it than to extract it, by force of law, from the
relatively few who can afford the nicer things in life.  If you can buy
something nice then you can pay more taxes so that politicians can give
something to the 'poor' and take a cut for themselves."
 
- Varnel W. (March 20, 2006)

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