June 30, 2008
Spanish triumph
My joy at Spain’s victory in the football last night is almost unconfined. I say almost because Spain were England’s companions as the great under-achievers of world soccer. Now they have won something. So it’s back to not so splendid isolation for the English.
At the beginning of the tournament, I speculated about reasons for longstanding Spanish footballing failure. Perhaps, it had something to do with a lack of a strong sense of nationhood in Spain?
Well, that theory has clearly not withstood the test of Torres. But how about the new theory - that footballing victory will create a surge of Spanish nationalism that will help to bind the nation together?
I’m afraid I’m not buying that either. It reminds me of the theory that the victory of a multi-racial French team in the 1998 World Cup was going to bury racism in France. Four years later, Jean-Marie Le Pen had made it through to the second round of the French presidential election.
I suspect that regional tensions in Spain are probably just as hard to uproot as racial tensions in France. I’m sure that the football last night will create a huge “feel good factor” in Spain for a little while. But, alas, these things tend not to last.
We only win the World Cup under a Labour government. The message for the May 2010 general election is clear…
Posted by: Anthony Zacharzewski | June 30th, 2008 at 2:31 pm | Report this commentFor the record, Spain won this tournament in 1964 but I doubt if Spain would have broken up without that win. Contrarywise, The Soviet Union won it in 1960 and Czechoslovakia in 1976 but both countries broke up later on.
On the other hand, West Germans (winners in 1972 and 80)went on to unite with East Germany and won the trophy as a united Germany in 1996.
It seems that there is little empirical evidence either way but I wonder what the winning of the Eurovision Song Contest does to a people’s sense of nationhood?
Posted by: Pacifist | June 30th, 2008 at 2:49 pm | Report this commentPlease leave politics and sport away from each other. Football unites people to share a common bond. Politics corrupt society and should never be placed along sport.
Posted by: Vedran | June 30th, 2008 at 3:45 pm | Report this comment‘Soccer’? I have already given up on ‘oil’, which admittedly is easier to pronounce then ‘petroleum’ (and less stiff; however, ‘gasoline’ should never be allowed to supplant elegant ‘petrol’). ‘Real estate’ is on the way to overtake ‘property’, but ’soccer’ succer. There is no comparison with well-tempered ‘footbal’, which is more rational and elegant. Whilst ‘footbal’ makes it almost sound like a gentleman’s sport, ’soccer’ is straight out of bestial Hollywood movies.
I hope borrowings from American will stop at that; the greatest danger is that American misgrammar will begin to seep through. Help stop globalisation from ruining cultural diversity. Save us from the philistines.
BTW, is it ‘financial’ as in ‘high’ (with a long i) or as in ‘Finn’ (with a short i)? Is the latter a case of what is termed Estuary English?
Posted by: RCS | June 30th, 2008 at 4:19 pm | Report this commentPacifist: all three countries in your first paragraph were dictatorships at the time, which probably made more political weather than winning the footie.
Posted by: Anthony Zacharzewski | June 30th, 2008 at 4:36 pm | Report this commentAlmost winning the world cup has allowed germans to freely express their love for their nation, something that was a taboo until that moment.
Posted by: Atreides | June 30th, 2008 at 5:34 pm | Report this commentThe problem in Spain is that people who love their nation are affraid of showing it, because that creates tensions with independentists.
At least, all the happiness publicly expressed yesterday in ALL spanish regions and cities will show our governement that people might back a stronger defense of national unity.
This victory might not mean more national sentiment, but it will show polititians that there was already more than they thought.
Spain’s deserved victory will be celebrated all over Spain, by Catalans and Castellanos and Basques alike. Only a small fringe in certain regions really wants independence from Madrid(and in exchange for what? Dependence on the EU overlords in Brussels & Franfurt?).
¡Viva España!
Posted by: Shevvers | June 30th, 2008 at 8:33 pm | Report this commentLuis Aragones isolated the players from the media and from the Soccer Federation, he refused to take any of the aging sacred cows like Raul, who treat the younger players like servants and second guess the trainer. Then he based the team around the Barcelona/Ajax school of ball control and thanks to the Bosman ruling he finally had what other Spanish coaches have always lacked: real killers up front… Add a little bit of “champion’s luck” and there you have it.
If his successor maintains this formula scrupulously the sky is the limit, but if he neglects any one of the elements, then, like in a fairy tale, Cinderella’s carriage turns back into pumpkin.
Posted by: David Seaton | June 30th, 2008 at 9:24 pm | Report this commentHere are two events, concerning mass culture which
we could examine together:
The euro2008 produced an event of the highest craftmanship, creativity and artistry.
The game Spain_Germany moved us esthetically.
Consider now Eurovision 2008 one of the kitchiest low artistry events of mass european culture.
Is it possible that the same audience looked at
Posted by: Cassandra | July 1st, 2008 at 1:52 am | Report this commentthese two events?
[…] ¿Qué problemas o triunfos políticos “profetiza” la gran victoria futbolística de la selección española..? [ .. ] But how about the new theory - that footballing victory will create a surge of Spanish nationalism that will help to bind the nation together? I’m afraid I’m not buying that either. It reminds me of the theory that the victory of a multi-racial French team in the 1998 World Cup was going to bury racism in France. Four years later, Jean-Marie Le Pen had made it through to the second round of the French presidential election. I suspect that regional tensions in Spain are probably just as hard to uproot as racial tensions in France. I’m sure that the football last night will create a huge “feel good factor” in Spain for a little while. But, alas, these things tend not to last. [Financial Times, 30 junio 08. Gideon Rachman, Spanish triumph]. […]
Posted by: Fútbol y nacionalismo (s) | Una temporada en el infierno | July 1st, 2008 at 5:08 pm | Report this commentWimbledon: A second major win for the Spaniards within a week of the first.
Zapatero should call a snap election to bank on the feelgood factor!
Posted by: Pacifist | July 7th, 2008 at 1:58 pm | Report this comment