OPINION: Soccer Proves Unlikely Symptom of Eastern European Turmoil
Sarah Weber (SFS ‘23) is a guest writer for the Caravel's opinion section. The content and opinions of this piece are the writer’s and the writer’s alone. They do not reflect the opinions of the Caravel or its staff.
Soccer fans in Eastern Europe are increasingly bringing racism and xenophobia to the stands. (Kremlin)
Soccer has defined European history for thousands of years, from the time of ancient Rome to its development in England as one of the first ubiquitous and regulated sports. During the Cold War, when the Iron Curtain divided the world and prevented communication and travel between countries, soccer helped relieve intra-European tensions by acting as a common thread uniting Warsaw Pact and NATO member states through a mutual interest in Europe’s many teams and championship tournaments.
Most recently, however, soccer has manifested itself less as a unifying factor in Eastern Europe and much more as a symptom of the intense racial, social, and political barriers that continue to mire former communist nations in the dregs of the past and prevent real progress in government and culture.
The racial aspect of soccer has a long and ugly history in Europe. Although some of the best players on European teams are of African descent, these players have frequently faced racial abuse from attendees so severe that it has led to games paused or forfeited.
Nowhere has such vitriol been stronger than in Eastern Europe. In October, Bulgaria’s soccer chief resigned after fans of the Bulgarian soccer team assaulted opposing players with monkey chants and Nazi salutes. Weeks later, the UEFA punished the team by ordering them to play a European Championship qualifying game in an empty stadium. The UEFA stopped short of prohibiting the team from playing in the Euro 2020 playoffs in March, a decision that drew the ire of anti-racism groups.
“They have missed an opportunity to send an uncompromising message on racism and discrimination,” said Kick It Out, a London-based anti-racism group.
Bulgaria is far from the only Eastern European country to exhibit such blatant discrimination though their tacit approval of fans’ racist cheers. In the same week that the UEFA sentenced the Bulgarian team, the organization also ordered Serbia’s soccer team to prohibit all fans from attending their next home game after attendees’ “racist behavior” during a loss to Portugal in September.
The racism exhibited by soccer fans stems from the wider issue of Eastern Europe’s persistent xenophobia and inability to eradicate discrimination. Serbia, for example, has a long history of oppressing religious and racial minorities, particularly Muslims, against whom the country has committed genocide. Antisemitism, too, has bubbled to the surface in Eastern Europe, as leaders like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán have harnessed antisemitic imagery to build nationalist support.
In Russia, meanwhile, soccer has become symptomatic of a different problem: that of imperialism and the violence associated with it. Most recently, the UEFA ruled that the soccer teams of Russia and Kosovo can no longer play against each other, citing “security risks” associated with games between the countries. Although Kosovo declared its separation from Serbia in 2007, Russia still refuses to acknowledge its independence, effectively blocking Kosovo from entering the UN thanks to Russia’s Security Council veto power.
Moreover, the Russian state has been complicit in the rise of violent, far-right soccer fans, known as hooligans, many of whom group together to form neo-Nazi gangs. Although largely known for their assaults on opposing teams’ supporters, these gangs have also used Nazi-era symbolism and xenophobia to attack Jewish, minority, and immigrant groups. In fact, the monkey chants for which the UEFA sentenced Serbia and Bulgaria apparently emerged first in Russia.
While Russia made a temporary effort to quell the racism and xenophobia espoused by their soccer fans during the 2018 FIFA World Cup, the state has otherwise given tacit approval to the groups, who are staunch supporters of the current governmental system. As of yet, Russia’s government has done next to nothing to attempt to disband the groups, instead relying on a symbiotic relationship wherein they allow the groups to act with impunity as long as the groups respect—and even enforce—increased state control.
While soccer has united Europe in the past, it now seems to be driving a wedge between west and east, revealing the core issues that continue to prevent Eastern Europe from attaining the modernity and advancements of its western counterpart. The UEFA’s feeble attempts to reform the issues that currently define Eastern Europe’s soccer scene will continue to fail unless these countries address the systematic nature of the problem. Racism, xenophobia, and political fractures cannot be solved by cancelled matches; these countries must instead reform their governments and societies to work towards tolerance and equality and finally right the wrongs of the past.
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