Even among us callow Americans, the UEFA Euro Cup has attracted significant attention. The excitement surrounding association football matches (or as real citizens of the US call it, soccer) is finally penetrating one of the last holdouts in the world. However, despite the lighthearted (and thanks to Spain, World Cup Champion Italy-less) atmosphere of the approaching semifinal rounds, soccer matches highlight an interesting dynamic of the world- that of nationhood, sovereignty, and international recognition.
Everyone is aware of the national teams of many of the world’s countries. However, even countries who do not have recognition, such as Tibet and Chechnya, have national football teams. FIFA cannot sanction these teams, because they are not recognized as countries, and yet they play anyway in multiple different non-FIFA tournaments, such as the FIFI World Cup, as well as under the auspices of groups such as the NF-Board. Such competitions help both to maintain a sense of nationhood and legitimacy.
Soccer is a fun game. It does, however, have real international relations implications. Here’s to Euro 2008.
