Football’s coming home – or is it? The World Cup is in full swing; flags are flying, hopes are high, and discussions about controversial refereeing decisions dominate schools and workplaces. Then there are those penalty shootouts, the cruellest of endings to 120 minutes of effort, energy and endurance.
The night Arsenal lost their penalty shootout in the UEFA Champions League final, my baby grandson was asleep in his Arsenal pyjamas, oblivious to the tension around him. He was beginning his journey as a Gooner [a longstanding nickname for an Arsenal supporter]. The next day, the streets of North London were filled with an ethnically diverse crowd of over a million cheering fans, from children to the 94-year-old woman holding up her sign from her window – “I’ve been a Gunner all my life”. I couldn’t get to the Premier League victory parade, but my phone was pinging all day with photos and videos from family who did.
I became a keen fan late. It was my sons’ passion and joy that won me over: their delight in the songs, the shared agony, and the sense of belonging. In our fractured communities, football brings people together, but it also divides them into tribes. The rivalry between clubs ranges from respect and gentle banter to deep suspicion and hostility. The emotional highs of winning led to riots in Paris in May. The devastation of England losing directly correlates with a rise in domestic violence. Add that to the conflicting demands between church and local teams, which play and train on Sundays, it is no wonder many Christians dislike football. Football is complicated; good, bad and ugly.
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