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Despite expectations to the contrary, a European victory in the World Cup Final is now inevitable. And even better, for the first time, a European team is going to win a World Cup tournament held outside Europe. Dutch Oranje versus Spanish Roja: Sunday’s final is a testament to the dominance of European football, which was dismissed as dead in the water at the end of the first round. Under the headline “An offside continent,” the La Stampa article published by Presseurop on 22 June, mulled over the parallels between the mediocre performance of European teams in the first stage of the contest and the EU’s dwindling influence in world affairs: as though a decline in diplomatic and economic prestige would inevitably be mirrored by a lack of ability on the football pitch.
And Presseurop did not walk alone. Many titles in the European media surrendered to the temptation of exaggerating the impact of football in other spheres of public life. Political commentators in Germany announced that Angela Merkel’s ruling coalition could not survive if the Mannschaft failed to bring back the trophy from South Africa.
In France and Italy, pundits waxed lyrical about the national dishonour resulting from the early elimination of Les Bleus and the Squadra Azzura. Some were even inspired to sound off on the role of immigrants in the national team and in the nation state. On a more positive note, the Spanish press momentarily set aside controversy over the status of Catalonia: a hiatus no doubt prompted by the predominance of Barcelona players in the national team.
Although there is no denying the growing economic and social influence of football, the political insight to be gained from the analysis of a 90-minute bout of kick and rush will necessarily be of limited value. However, the fact that a Dutch-Spanish final is viewed as a surprising outcome to the 2010 World Cup does demonstrate that euro-pessimism, which is omnipresent in the media, is not always justified. At a time when the American press — and in particular The American Interestand Time — is increasingly publishing front-page headlines on European decline, a touch of euro-optimism is certainly more than welcome.
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