Football (Soccer)- The Political Game?

[Paul_Culloty]

Just thought I'd get a good debate going, a few good topics along this line would be:

World Cups: Hitler and Mussolini (1930's), Argentina's Junta (1978), Brazil's Junta (1970).

Sport and Irish Nationalism

Celtic, Rangers and Northern Ireland

Central America's Soccer War

Berlusconi

Franco

Barcelona v Madrid Power Struggle

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head, but you have to admit, it would make a good thesis for someone.

[Himanil]

Nope.

[Toltec]

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head, but you have to admit, it would make a good thesis for someone.


For someone? Not you?

To start a debate you need a point, not a list.

The only one there that interests me is 'The Football War' so can you make an argument about it?

[Heidi XX]

Yes political game. Why? cause the game of soccer was for fun and for entertainment and men only plyed with there hearts.
But now,it's all money and polictics and brides, men only playing for big big Pounds /Dollars.

[Historian_X]

Heh, what about the 1915 Christmas day football game between Germany and England in WWI?

[Himanil]

men only playing for big big Pounds /Dollars.

Just because men play it for money doesn't mean that it's a political game, name me one even minor game that people play without getting paid for it.

[Toltec]

name me one even minor game that people play without getting paid for it.

Competitive Sailing.

In fact the competiters generally pay a large amount of money to compete.

[Heidi XX]

Just because men play it for money doesn't mean that it's a political game, name me one even minor game that people play without getting paid for it.

It's political game now. i can,go back to the olden days and soccer was minor game (when it was first invented) and men never got paid for playing!they played with there hearts.
Now it's all richpeople and political game,even in ww2 Musslinni and Hilter some how bride the umpire so germany could win against the Austrain team.
Mussolinni did the same thing.
can you tell me if normal peple run the soccor game? or the political runs the games?

[Himanil]

Competitive Sailing.

In fact the competiters generally pay a large amount of money to compete.

Um.. would that exactly come under 'minor sport', I mean come on exactly what is the participation, importance or influence of it?

[Himanil]

It's political game now. i can,go back to the olden days and soccer was minor game (when it was first invented) and men never got paid for playing!they played with there hearts.
Now it's all richpeople and political game,even in ww2 Musslinni and Hilter some how bride the umpire so germany could win against the Austrain team.
Mussolinni did the same thing.
can you tell me if normal peple run the soccor game? or the political runs the games?

Th big businessmen run it.

[Tudor chick]

It's political game now. i can,go back to the olden days and soccer was minor game (when it was first invented) and men never got paid for playing!they played with there hearts.
Now it's all richpeople and political game,even in ww2 Musslinni and Hilter some how bride the umpire so germany could win against the Austrain team.
Mussolinni did the same thing.
can you tell me if normal peple run the soccor game? or the political runs the games?

There are very good women’s teams that play soccer. My daughters played in a soccer comp called "total girl" It was great. Over 1000 girls of all ages went from all over our state. Our town’s team had to travel about 6 hours to get there, but it was great. Didn't get paid a cent!

I think the problem with today main stream soccer comps is money. It seems the teams that have the most money can buy the best players, managers, coaching staff, therefore buying their success. There are some teams in the English comp that dont even have any English players. How can that be representative of the area they are suppose to be or come from?

Here in Australia, our AFL comp has a salary cap that prevents this from happening. There are also rules on player transfers and recruiting. It makes for a lot fairer and even comp which makes for better viewing.

Having said all that though, the Australian soccerroo players that play for English teams, then come home and play for us are soooo much better than our local A league players. On that note, our boys only have to win one more match to go the world cup in South Africa. Go the scocceroo's.

[Heidi XX]

There are very good women’s teams that play soccer. My daughters played in a soccer comp called "total girl" It was great. Over 1000 girls of all ages went from all over our state. Our town’s team had to travel about 6 hours to get there, but it was great. Didn't get paid a cent!

I think the problem with today main stream soccer comps is money. It seems the teams that have the most money can buy the best players, managers, coaching staff, therefore buying their success. There are some teams in the English comp that dont even have any English players. How can that be representative of the area they are suppose to be or come from?

Here in Australia, our AFL comp has a salary cap that prevents this from happening. There are also rules on player transfers and recruiting. It makes for a lot fairer and even comp which makes for better viewing.

Having said all that though, the Australian soccerroo players that play for English teams, then come home and play for us are soooo much better than our local A league players. On that note, our boys only have to win one more match to go the world cup in South Africa. Go the scocceroo's.

I can see were you're girls are comming from,i use to play Aussie rules football when i was a bit yoiunger,i love boy games better.

Yes, English teams are full of forganors,this is why i believe that soccer is Polictical. Why they choose african descent men over English men? Is because African descent men are much better at running and all that,so they learn towards non enegish than there own engish players.Does this equal up to politics? I think so in my eyes.
If it was not polititcal,they would have been using there English men.

Actually it's not only africans,it's also white men with out english last names.That is a dead give away on there real nationality.

it's all down to politics in my eyes,my own opinion on the game of soccer;)

[finrod]

Just thought I'd get a good debate going, a few good topics along this line would be:

World Cups: Hitler and Mussolini (1930's), Argentina's Junta (1978), Brazil's Junta (1970).

Sport and Irish Nationalism

Celtic, Rangers and Northern Ireland

Central America's Soccer War

Berlusconi

Franco

Barcelona v Madrid Power Struggle

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head, but you have to admit, it would make a good thesis for someone.
This would make a great thesis for someone. There is still politics in soccer. Lets start with Spain. Barcelona is more than just a club. It represents Catalan identity, language and culture and for many years was the last line of resistance for the Catalan people against Franco’s dictatorship. It was a thorn in the flesh of Franco and the establishment team Real Madrid. Even today, Barcelona does not accept big money shirt sponsorship because it is the team of Catalonia. It is much more than just a football club. Athletic Bilbao is another team in Spain. It comes from the Basque region. It is a symbol of Basque culture, language and identity and for that reason only recruits players of Basque origin.
In Scotland we have Rangers and Celtic. These two teams are the result of centuries of Protestant/ Catholic antagonism in Britain and Ireland. Celtic, the Catholic club was founded by Irish immigrants who moved to Glasgow and started working in the factories. Rangers on the other hand was founded by blue collar Protestant Scottish workers. Some of the songs sang on the stands at the games have sectarian overtones dating back to the 17th century. Recently, Neill Lennon received some death threats when he was about to play for Northern Ireland because he was a Celtic player. It is said that Celtic is Irelands club and has support even among members of the Irish diaspora in the US and Australia.
Moving to Italy the two Milan clubs represented different constituencies in the city. Milan was for the working classes while Internazionale was for the upper classes. The same applies to Argentina. In Buenos Aires, River plate represents the upper classes while Boca Juniors represents the lower classes. In Brazil, in the southern city of Porto Alegre, there are two teams which mirror the racial rivalry in the city. Gremio is supported by the white populace of the city. These are the locals who are proud of their European roots and consider themselves culturally different from other Brazilians. Internacional on the other hand is supported by the non white populace who are mostly immigrants from other states in the country.
Finally when it comes to the internationals, Korea vs Japan, Turkey vs Greece, Turkey vs Armenia, Israel vs any Arab country, Croatia vs Serbia are all rivalries governed by political undertones which have their roots in past antagonisms which can only be bloodlessly settled on the soccer pitch. In 1986, Maradonna’s “hand of God “ goal and “the greatest goal” against England was the only way that Argentina could restore its battered pride after being soundly defeated 4 years earlier by the British during the Falklands war.
Therefore despite soccer being big business it is still in many cases governed by politics. That’s why it is the beautiful game. Anyway, great thread.

[Himanil]

I can see were you're girls are comming from,i use to play Aussie rules football when i was a bit yoiunger,i love boy games better.

Yes, English teams are full of forganors,this is why i believe that soccer is Polictical. Why they choose african descent men over English men? Is because African descent men are much better at running and all that,so they learn towards non enegish than there own engish players.Does this equal up to politics? I think so in my eyes.
If it was not polititcal,they would have been using there English men.

Actually it's not only africans,it's also white men with out english last names.That is a dead give away on there real nationality.

it's all down to politics in my eyes,my own opinion on the game of soccer;)


Well those decisions are purely business and not political for no one would disagree that club football hardly retains it's previous glory or joy, nowadays it's done up there only for money and not the love of it.