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The politicization of football: the European game and the approach to the Second World War

During the period of the Second World War, European Football underwent a massive transformation. With a sharp rise in its popularity at a time of high political intensity, as this essay argues, the game became politicized. The game took on four main characteristics. First, it became an agent of international relations. The foreign policies of European nations became ostensibly articulated in the international game. Second, it became a source of political propaganda. The use of the game to expose the virtues of the state was most apparent in the fascist states of Italy, German and Spain. Thirdly, it became a tool of public pacification. Football worked well with nations’ plans to depoliticize their populations. And finally, it became a medium of popular protest. The football arena became a safe channel for the expression of disaffection with the regimes concerned. The essay thus shows that an examination of the game’s development in the period covering the Second World War not only serves as a valuable political indicator of the era but also lends insight into the modern game.