As much as we think that football clubs are premier sporting outfits, they often stand for so much more. Whether it be a cultural institution, a local landmark or the icon of a region, each club has its own story to tell.
What many of these stories reveal though is a much larger meaning.An idealism so to speak. In fact, many football clubs stand as a way to give people a voice. More often than not, a political one.
It takes just a quick glimpse into a club’s history to reveal why there founded and the backgrounds of those at play. These aspects have carried through right to the modern-day – into rivalries, fans and the club ethos itself.
So with all this in mind, it seems that some clubs have just as much sway off the pitch as they do on it. But just how much influence can football clubs have in a political sphere?
Left vs right = an eternal struggle?
When it comes does to politics itself – there are only two sides to take – the left or the right. The left generally lends itself to more socialist mindsets whilst the right takes a more capitalist viewpoint.
It’s not uncommon to see entire neighbourhoods swayed into one idealism and form social groups based on these ideals.
That is where the birthplace of many great clubs have come from –including those in football. It doesn’t matter where you go – Europe, SouthAmerica, Africa - you will find at least one club that was built out of apolitical viewpoint.
The most common places you will find these are in cities that have multiple clubs. Unlike towns that have just one club to represent themselves, places with multiple clubs often do so due to people not sharing political ideologies.
Israel’s Identity Struggle
Israel has always been a divisive state in the political landscape and its mere existence stems from fierce reactions from all cultures living in the country.
These divides have spilt over into the sporting sphere and can be found splitting some of the country’s most successful clubs.
In particular, the rivalry between two of Israel’s most successful clubs – Beitar Jerusalem and Hapoel Tel-Aviv. The rivalry between these two sides has gone to showcase the splits found throughout Israeli society.
On one side, you have Beitar Jerusalem – the main team of a city that is considered holy to Jews, Muslims and Christians alike. However, Beitaris notorious for its far-right following and nationalist views.
The club has traditionally shunned players of Muslim faith and remains the only Israeli Ligat Ha’al side to not field a player of Arab origins.
Add to the fact it has hugely Zionistic symbols such as the menorah on the club crest and its prefix referencing a famous Jewish movement, it is not hard to see what the club represents.
Meanwhile, Hapoel Tel-Aviv is the exact opposite looking to represent everything the left stands for and the message is posted all over the club’s imagery.
From their use of Hapoel (Hebrew for worker) to the inclusion of the communist sickle in the club logo, it is quick to see how the club has traditionally leaned towards the left.
These two clashing viewpoints already build to tension on and off the pitch let alone the constant power struggle between the cities of Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem.
What this combines to is a fiery atmosphere whenever the two clubs meet and show just how different two clubs’ stances can be even in a small nation such as Israel.
A religious debacle
It’s not just political alignments that divide cities and countries apart. Religion can play just a big a role too in utilizing football clubs as a political pawn.
In a strange twist of fate though – it is different strands of the same religion that clash more than what two distinct faiths do.
Christianity and Islam are two major faiths that both notably suffer from this folly and it has been a boiling point that has led to huge wars between nations let alone football clubs. So what happens when two similar ideals clash?
The Old Firm
There is no better example of how religious tensions split a city quite like The Old Firm derby in Scotland between Celtic and Rangers.
It’s a battle that brings Glasgow to a standstill and has huge ramifications whenever the two clubs meet – often in high-pressure scenarios.
Celtic share their origins back to more Catholic roots when the club was founded by Irish immigrants back in the late 1800s.
It’s a huge culture clash to the more traditional Protestant background of Scottish natives and what is reflected in the beliefs and views of many Rangers fans.
What this clash of cultures brings is a huge fever in the stands and on the pitch and a trip to either Ibrox or Parkhead will see police and security everywhere ready to separate the two sides.
On the pitch, the sides are their direct competitors for domestic honours which only adds to the tension when matches take place in a tie that sees an average of 29 fouls a game – 4 times higher than any other British derby.
Off the pitch, the violence between the two sides isn’t great either as sectarian crimes plague the streets of Glasgow.
Stats from the Scottish Government revealed that out of 640religious hate crimes committed in Glasgow from 2017-2018 – 50 per cent were aimed towards someone of the Catholic faith.
What made this even more shocking was that a study by Youthlink Scotland in 2018 found that 76% of those crimes were often committed due to someone backing either Celtic or Rangers.
It’s a shocking revelation that shows just how far the club’s backgrounds stretch into Glasgow’s identity and just how far the religious tension flare.
Despite both clubs’ often striving to end the problems away from the pitch, it will still take a while for these to truly affect a city that is so fiercely divided.
An international incident
If you thought that politics in football stretched to just domestic clubs, think again. In fact, international sides are also accustomed to fierce rivalries.
Many of these rivalries are born out of real-out events but remain relatively friendly as sides compete for honours with club colleagues now sometimes being the opposition.
Yet, some rivalries between international sides generate fierce hatred and can have a huge influence on not just the game but international affairs itself.
The Football War
Believe it or not, there is an actual war that is often attributed to starting at a football side between two countries.
In 1969, Central America was rocked by a four-day conflict between El Salvador and Honduras after the two met in a qualifier for the 1970 WorldCup.
At the time, both nations were locked in bitter disputes over landownership and Honduran law changes in 1967 took away many rights of Salvadorian owners and gave them to Honduran citizens instead.
When the two sides met in a best of three series, the series was tied at 1-1 although both games were marred by a large act of violence in the crowds. With the decider taking place in Mexico, El Salvador cut off diplomatic times with Honduras claiming that 11,000 Salvadorians were tortured fleeingHonduras by troops of the country.
In the decisive match, El Salvador triumphed winning the match 3-2to add an exclamation point to their expulsion of Honduran diplomats.
What followed was EL Salvador striking their southern neighbours with several air raids bombing the main airport in Tegucigalpa and sending land troops over the border to seize two major highways.
In response, Honduras sent several air raids to target ElSalvador’s oil refineries crippling their infrastructure as they bombed several key depots on the Pacific coastline.
As the two sides had been at war for four days, a ceasefire was announced although both sides left troops stationed in enemy territory until a full peace deal was signed in 1980.
It was a conflict that both sides could hardly afford due to corruption and in-fighting in their home nations but many still believe that it was this series that triggered a full-blown war for around 100 hours.
Serbia & Albania’s bitter fight
The Kosovo War that plagued the Balkans throughout the 1990s saw many ethnic Albanians living in the Serbian region of Kosovo brutally massacred by Serbian forces in a fight for independence.
Whilst the war ended in the late 1990s, the rivalry betweenAlbania and Serbia remained at large however they were yet to meet in any cultural theatre. Until 2014.
Serbia and Albania were drawn together in the qualifying phase forEURO 2016. What followed in their first-ever competitive clash in Belgrade shocked the world…
In the match, Serbian fans were chanting “kill the Albanians”throughout the games whilst drones hovered over the pitch showcasing provocative images. It set off reactions both on and off the pitch with fights between players as well as fans in the stands.
The match was abandoned at half-time due to the tensions withSerbia awarded a 3-0 victory due to Albania refusing to play on. Serbia was also punished with a 3 point deduction due to the actions of the home fans.
Tensions were hardly subdued in the opposite fixture in Albania where the Serbian team bus was attacked by fans hurling rocks whilst protesting fans were dispersed with water cannons from riot police after the game.
The ties sent off shockwaves in neighbouring countries too with Albania’s embassy in Montenegro getting attacked with debris whilst protests against UEFA were held as far as North America in response to Serbia being rewarded the walkover victory.
It shows that the tensions faced in international competition are even higher than domestic disputes and that the ripple effects can be felt almost anywhere across the planet.
A front for change
If matches can trigger wars and international incidents, then a defined institution could help instigate change even further. How about forming new countries?
Some clubs have enough sway and influence within their communities that if they stand with a cause, it gives their backroom influencers enough sway to use the icon as a way to promote an entire movement.
It’s happened more than people might believe and there are clubs in the modern game that are not just poster-boys for independence movements but some that are even controlled by those leading the cause. So how far does this symbolism go?
Spain’s great getaway?
Spain is home to some of the biggest and richest clubs in the world and each of these generally represents one of Spain’s many autonomous regions.
Yet – this autonomy has created some huge social divides within communities with some regions eager to break away from Madrid and declare independence.
Unsurprisingly, those in the political spheres have deep ties with some of those regions biggest clubs who have backed their movements for independence much to the chagrin of league officials and those in the Spanish government. Let’s look at some examples…
Barcelona – Mes Que Un Club
Barcelona’s famous motto “Mes Que Un Club” translates from Catalan to English as “More than a Club” and to Catalonians, that is just the case.
So much so that Barcelona have roped itself into the region’s continued push for independence from Spain over the past couple of decades.
Just take a look at how the club reacted to the last attempt to break away following a local referendum on the matter in 2017. The local referendum saw 90% opt for independence and form a new country of their own.
Whilst Barcelona weren’t directly involved in the vote themselves, they had shown posters around the Nou Camp supporting the movement itself.
It was after the government in Madrid rejected the referendum results where the club started to show its true colours.
Scheduled to face Las Palmas in La Liga after the result was rejected, Barcelona announced that they were not going to play citing security concerns and as a show of faith to the Catalan people.
League officials reacted swiftly threatening a massive fine and a six-point deduction if they forfeited the game. In a compromise, Barcelona played the match behind closed doors showing solidarity and proving that Barca always stands with the Catalan people.
Athletic Bilbao: For Basque eyes only
Not to be outdone by their southern rivals, the Basque region have had a prolonged fight for independence – a saga much more fraught than any other Spanish region.
The principal city in the Basque Country is Bilbao who hostsAthletic Club – one of Spain’s principal sides and one never relegated from the top flight.
Alongside having their logo plastered with Basque symbols, the club has always remained true to its roots – so far that only Basque players are allowed to play for the club.
Such a policy has the chance to backfire but the region’s rich talent pool has allowed Atheltic to thrive and show just how iconic their club is to the region.
In partnership with their Basque players only policy, all the backroom staff and coaches also must have Basque ties in some format.
The club has had this policy since 1912 and has proven to manyBasque nationalists that their region can prosper on its own using AthleticBilbao as a model for such success.
Sheriff of the state
Whilst some clubs use their independence to back secessionist movements, others are quite literally a commercial form advertising what their land could be like with full independence.
The prime example – Sheriff Tiraspol. Sheriff play and are classed as a league side of Moldova however the club is based in Transnistria – a breakaway region that has never fully gained independence.
At the heart of Sheriff’s success is that they are owned and run by one of the few powerhouse corporate bodies in Transnistria – the SheriffCorporation.
Formed in 1993, the Sheriff Corporation has grown into a conglomerate involved in all arms of business from retail to media and even running a successful football club.
Sheriff Tiraspol has shone thanks to the wealth pumped into it by their owners turning it into a dominant powerhouse who has featured in theChampions League.
Despite their business owners regularly being investigated for corruption in local and regional elections, Sheriff’s success in football has painted the region in a completely different light.
So much so that when FC Sheriff beat Real Madrid in the 2021-22Champions League group stages, it re-sparked the debate as to the struggles surrounding Transnistria as a whole.
Even though the policies around the club’s owners may raise many questions about ethics and politics in the region itself, the success of FCSheriff continues to gloss over the problems many might find if they were to dig deeper.
So are football clubs political piñatas?
As you can see, football clubs are more than just sporting entities. Once a club is up and running in a community, they are a force that can represent a community in almost any aspect.
On the domestic front, clubs provide fans with an outlet to back certain causes no matter if it is for a certain political alignment or to back a religious strand.
How these effects play out within the community can both have positive and negative effects yet the clubs find ways to try and ease any tensions when they flare-up.
National sides are just as prone to triggering heated incidents between local neighbours and these after-effects can be strong enough to send huge shockwaves throughout a region.
If clubs do become a political voice for movements, they tend todo so in subtler ways to provide their community with a strong show of support without disrupting society at large.
It’s these types of movements and acts that can show what football clubs can do for good in a political sense without taking things too far which could truly disrupt society or gloss over larger problems at hand.