Giorgos Katidis Nazi style salute
Football has always been linked to young men having mental issues. The mental issues are usually being in the position where other men especially older men look to these young guys to validate the older men lives. That is quite a powerful position to put anyone in especially young guys who are still trying to find their place in the world.
The reason why other men look to footballers to validate their lives is that football has always been a tribal way of having a war without using actual violence, hence, grown men will cry when their team loses, or, go into uncontrollable rapture when they win a big game. It is the sense of being together and supporting your team/tribe that makes football such a powerful sporting expression.
Football can then be seen as a powerful tool for those who are politically motivated. George Orwell once said apparently that sport was war without the shooting…he may have done and if he did he was very perceptive. In Greece sport was used to indoctrinate the masses into religious beliefs with the Olympics games. In Rome sport was used by the emperors to placate the masses and take their mind of everyday problems. In England when football came on the scene during the middle ages, football was banned and subsequently has been a source of problem ever since.
Fascism is such a strange manifestation of malevolence trying to be rational. Its whole premise is that certain people are better than others and so they should be worshipped and obeyed. Yet that belief will always find adherents because it is simple and needs only obedience. What a perfect stage for such belief that football provides. The almost campiness that fascism exhibits in the worship of perfection lends it self easily to footballers and their renowned fitness. When a player is worshipped and cheered to the rafters for some brilliant play, why shouldn’t that player be drunk on the adulation?
So with more players coming out with fascistic tendencies is not a surprise. From Paolo di Canio to Giorgos Katidis the overly egotistical will at some time lose their inhibitions and show the whole world what they really think. With Paolo di Canio it should be really interesting as he is not backward at coming forward. As the newly appointed manager at Sunderland AFC, Paolo di Canio has already created upset with David Miliband – brother of Ed Miliband, has resigned because of di Canio views (David Miliband comes from a Jewish family) on fascism. Paolo di Canio has stated that he is not a racist, which is weird as fascist believe some people are more important than others because of birth, so how would you let the ‘best’ person be in charge?
However, in the gloom of uncritical hero worshipping there is a silver lining. Football has also been a community spirited game, in which the sport was used to bring people together and fight the social ills of the day. Because it is 11 men against 11 men (or women). Any ideology using football to prove one group of humans is more superior than another group of humans has always come unstuck.
The biggest problem with football now is not whether intolerance is creeping back in the game as it never really left. It is whether gay footballers will finally be able to come out? Racism has more or less been defeated within football, although some remnants will have their moment from time to time. Just as sexism is seen as very uncool as womens’ soccer gets bigger audience and players, there will come a time when gay footballers will be seen as footballers first and homosexuals second. Obviously in a fascistic world, gays do not really exist even though a lot fascist are basically closet gays in denial.
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