El Clasico Makes Rivals, Not Enemies: How I Feel About the Heightened Security
Security will be in a state of
heightened alert in El Clasico.
Whatever happens in the sporting
realm, we all hope it’s exciting and
maybe a temporary mental escape
from the tragic realities of life.
The attacks in Paris rocked the
world, but they were just an
example of the strife that people
face worldwide. It’s true that every
once in a while it would be good to
step out of the European bubble
and show more respect for the
victims of terror worldwide.
It’s worth remembering that
football is global and the fan in
Mali or Beirut is every bit as
important as the fan in France.
However, the attacks in Paris are
especially relevant to European
football because of what happened
outside a France-Germany friendly
match. There were even reports that
the terrorists wanted to attack the
game itself. Other matches were
cancelled. And then we have the
uneasy backdrop of heightened
security at the Clasico.
One hopes no one will be stupid
enough to try to attack such a
marvellous sporting event. And I
have confidence in security guards,
many of whom probably aren’t paid
enough and whose deeds can go
unrecognized. There are no
guarantees, but I’d rather not dwell
on what can go wrong.
It’s a timely reminder not to take
things too seriously when it comes
to football. Yes, there are political
underpinnings to the Clasico but
they are smaller than they used to
be. They’re important but of the
past, mainly. Barca fans are still
more liberal while Real Madrid fans
are still more right-wing, and the
struggle for Catalan independence
sometimes goes to the forefront.
And that’s fine, really. Thankfully,
most of this is peaceful if not
always respectful.
Lines are crossed, unfortunately.
There are still unfortunate displays
of racism in football stadiums
across the world, homophobia and
gender discrimination can also be
problems, and so on. But by and
large, people just want to cheer for
their team.
In the end, it’s just a game and a
way, maybe, to get our tribal
aggressions out in a way in which
no one is hurt too badly. At least, it
should be, as violence is still a
problem at some stadiums, though
thankfully these cases are becoming
relatively rare.
When you see a team with players
from all over the world, speaking
different languages, having grown
up in different cultures and with
different religions and so on,
successfully playing with each
other, you start to realize that
learning to respect others even
when they are different is the key
to winning.
So whatever your team, or religion,
or nationality, or whatever - just
enjoy this one. Get excited, happy,
sad, angry - but keep your
perspective. The evil in the world
does can sometimes be unafraid of
death. What they truly fear is unity.
They fear people remaining calm.
They fear people having fun.
No matter who wins the match, as
long as you’re a football fan and
enjoy yourself without hurting
anyone, you’re part of the solution.
Take a moment and remember you
share your favorite team with
people in France and Lebanon and
Mali and South Korea and Belize.
And that even if you pick different
teams, you are united by the
passion of sport.
Now let’s go out there and have a
bit of fun.
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