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There are people who say that in football almost all the explanations can be found for the world’s events and situations. Maybe they’re right. Maybe it’s absurd to think that football is just a game and that its limits are the stadium.
When people start thinking of football as part of the community, the economy and of the political structure of a city, a state or a country it actually turns itself into a singular microcosm.
In Scotland, it’s easy to realize it: mainly in the city of Glasgow, predominantly when there is a Rangers vs. Celtic match.
Watching carefully such a duel, it’s easy to see that it’s not just a game going on there. It’s clear that they are maintaining a rivalry that started years and years ago, precisely in the XVI century, with the protestant reformation. And it’s a pity to see that they are just repeating in the football field the ancient hate and intolerance of the past years between Catholics and Protestants.
Fortunately this situation can be changed. The clubs are deeply involved in campaigns against prejudice and racism. One great example is the SOS (Sense over Sectarianism), a partnership between many clubs and organizations, including the Glasgow Rangers and the Celtics, with funding by the Millennium Commission to give grants to people setting up projects or programs that challenge sectarianism and bigotry in the wider Glasgow area. The aim of the scheme is to enable people to challenge the existing attitudes, behaviors and assumptions that contribute to division within society by promoting positive social integration, and to encourage an understanding of different cultures and backgrounds.
On a visit to the Rangers’ Ibrox stadium, a group of almost 15 young delegates around the world — including some from Lithuania, Republic of Moldova, Brazil, Argentina, Argelia, Morocco, Austria and also Scotland — who were attending the 3rd World Youth Congress taking place in Stirling University (30th July – 8th August) had a meeting with coordinators and participants of the club’s anti-sectarianism program. They were explaining their education program, called ‘Ready to Learn’ that is designed to educate future generations of supporters. The initiative encourages schoolchildren to be aware of racism, sectarianism and bigotry.
For the delegates it was a great opportunity to debate about how football can be a reflection of political and religious issues. For the hosts it was a chance to know about international issues involving racism and segregation.
At the end of the visit, the delegates went to a tour inside the traditional Glasgow’s Ibrox stadium and had the opportunity to get to know facts about the building and about historical matches that had taken place there.
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Luciana Arfelli
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