Russian Soccer

Russia is a country built on the rich traditions in ballet and gymnastics. As most of Russia is focused on the country’s main attractions, soccer has built a tradition of its own, separate from these other major sports. Like most of Europe, Russian soccer fans go crazy with national pride. Soccer in Russia has never truly become a powerhouse like most other European nations. The national team is developing like most Asian squads, trying to make a name for themselves on the world stage. In a country with strict rule and a lack in ethnic and sexual diversity, Russian soccer has become just as ignorant to these new ideas.

In recent years, the notion that there could be a nonwhite athlete inside the Russian borders has been met with outcry. When a visiting team has nonwhite athletes on the roster the stadium chants about the, “monkeys” and have been known to throw bananas at the players on the field. Zenit St. Petersburgs  fans even released a manifesto saying, “Dark-skinned players are all but forced down Zenit’s throat now, which only brings out a negative reaction”… adding that gay players were “unworthy of our great city.”

Usually when a group of people fight for tradition it means they are scared of some great, non-existent threat. We see it when gay couples want marriage equality and when atheists fight for equal space in front of a courthouse during the winter. It seems that some Russian soccer fans are scared of their tradition being taken away from them, with minority soccer players taking over their “pure” sport.

The World Cup has always been a mecca for racism between rival nations, but in 2018 the World Cup is headed to Russia. Leaders around the world have come out and said that security will need to be much stricter, fearing for the wellbeing of their players. The World Cup is the most hostile event in the world and takes more security than any other sporting event. The World Cups traditions of heated rivalries and hostile crowds mixed with the soccer (social) traditions of Russia has FIFA wondering if the 2018 World Cup was placed in the best location for the wellbeing of soccer.

Next week we head to our Northern border as we travel to the world’s second largest country, Canada. Soccer in North America is a fairly new sport compared to the rest of the world. Canada is slowly building a quality soccer program on the women’s side while the men’s teams have not progressed quite as easily. Join us next week on World Soccer Traditions.