To those who say that
football is only a game, I say think again. Football is a universal
language that connects people in ways that no other cultural phenomenon
can. Capitalism, communism, Christianity? None of these can hold
a candle to the common denominator of football. What else appeals
to all creeds, classes, communities and nations? Only in the context
of football can we really talk about a ‘global community’.
Statistics show a mesmerizing world-wide phenomenon.
The 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea was by far the most
watched televised event in history, with a cumulative audience of
over 30 billion people, from 213 countries. Predictably, men outnumbered
women, but viewing figures in Japan were divided equally between
the sexes. Each game attracted an average audience of 356 million,
while the final itself was watched by an estimated 1.1 billion.
These are the kind of numbers that televangelists can only dream
about. In terms of world-wide appeal, nothing comes close to football.
Talk to people in Nigeria, Brazil, or Romania,
for example, and they will tell you what football means to them.
When a country slips into economic or political turmoil, football
remains a rallying point, a symbol of hope, the last vestige of
national pride. The people may grow weary of politics and religion
but when they give up on football then you know that things are
really bad.
Across the world, football is a huge social force,
an engine for change, and a mirror on the state of society. Politicians
understand its power and they frequently court its popularity. Even
in a country as dogmatic as Iran, the authorities are only too aware
of its potency. After the Islamic revolution, Iranian women were
banned from watching football matches. But the ban prompted outrage
and women pressed for reform. In 1987, the ruling clerics were forced
into a compromise. Women could watch football on television, they
declared, provided that they had the sound turned down. Many women
continued to defy the ban, sneaking into grounds disguised as men.
But all pretence was finally blown when Iran qualified for the World
Cup in 1997. Then it was the authorities' turn to watch, as women
broke through the police ranks to join in the wild celebrations.
Read on …
|
