The EUROPEAN UNION - QANTAS JOURNALIST AWARD

in association with

the National Press Club

Michael Visontay of the Sun-Herald, winner of the 2007 EU-QANTAS Journalist Award, travelled to Europe in April 2008 to report on the role of football in today's European culture, how it brings people together and how it can enhance racial and religious tolerance. The range of different nationals, colours, race and religions in football all make for good ambassadors in this regard. While in Europe, Michael met with representatives of the European Commission, immigration and sports ministers and football associations to gain a better understanding of the issue from European experts and how these link with sport and cultural issues in Australia.

Below is an article that resulted from this research.

MICHAEL VISONTAY

In Italy, tickets to football matches are sold at banks, and no matter where you are, everyone knows how to get to the grounds. The locals in a tiny cafe on the edge of Milan once wrote me a map with perfect directions on how to find the San Siro stadium for an AC Milan fixture, and where to park our car. They didn't speak English but they spoke football.

In England the government has weighed into the debate about the national team after it failed to qualify for the recent European Championships. In Spain, some said the team's victory at Euro 2008 might help unify the Basque, Catalan and other cultural groups that have been in conflict for decades.

Football permeates all levels of society in Europe. It is a new common language, and the economic and social forces driving the game make it much more than a sport. Indeed, the mass movement of players across European clubs, propelled by enormous amounts of money, has provoked heated discussion about the state of the game: some say it has ushered in a new form of diplomacy, as fans embrace foreigners like never before.

Others complain that their local clubs have no local players left, or that the concentration of money has made winners too predictable.

These were just some of the arguments that greeted me during a recent trip to research the social and cultural impact of football on integration under the European Union. My trip was a sports fan's dream: a combination of watching football matches and meeting officials from clubs, associations and supporters groups.

Their observations provided a clear contrast with life down under. Australians are passionate about football but in the end, it is still sport. In Europe, football is a way of life, deeply intertwined with culture, commerce and community.

The strongest taste of this mixture came one warm sunny evening outside a pub in London, where I heard the story of the Wimbledon football club from Gail Moss, a die-hard fan and activist supporter. In 2003, the south London club, famous but only occasionally in the top flight, relocated 90 km north to Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire. The move was deeply unpopular both with the majority of the club's established fan base and football supporters more generally.

A year earlier, some of its supporters had responded to the plans by forming a new club, AFC Wimbledon, which they see as the direct continuation of the sporting representation of the people of Wimbledon , although they currently play slightly out of the locality.

In between alcoholic ciders, Gail Moss recounted how she and others now follow the breakaway club, where players are paid in hundreds of pounds, if that, and crowds are lucky to make the small thousands. They scrape together sponsorship for jerseys and rustle up equipment, like parents in a school fundraiser. What really matters to them is a sense of ownership, of belonging, of being connected to the community.

Of course, across Europe such passion and tribalism also has an ugly side, with racism and violence between rival fans. But Pedro Velasquez, Deputy Head of the European Union's Sport Unit in Brussels, shared another side of this story.

It centred on a Romany (gypsy) supporter at a Romanian football match a few years ago who saw a banner that read 'Gypsies Die''. The Romany man started a campaign to stop racism in football and change attitudes to Romany people. Enlisting the support of European politicians and former players, he managed to get legislation introduced to ban identified racists from matches.

Just as rivalry between fans often mirrors larger social issues, it also captures differences between cities, and nowhere more so than in Spain, where Real Madrid and Barcelona are the two great forces.

Barcelona, on the coast and close to France, has long enjoyed a reputation as the people's club, where football is valued above politics and money, symbol of a metropolis that basks in its artistic glory and social freedom. By contrast, Madrid has lived in Barcelona's shadow, held back by the isolation of the Franco era. Real Madrid has won many titles but never the affection showered on Barcelona.

However, in this, my first visit to the capital, it was clear that Madrid now exudes a confidence to match any city. A booming economy has sparked a wave of migration to the urban centre, and together with an obvious boost in infrastructure, it radiates confidence and visible prosperity.

Thankfully, economic progress has not affected the Spanish appetite for artistic celebration. We arrived on May 1, May Day, and the next day was also declared a public holiday. Walking up the grand avenues of Madrid in the soft evening sunshine, we suddenly found ourselves caught in a huge crowd of people around the landmark Banco d'Espana building.

A friendly policeman told us a huge spectacular was about to begin.

It was May 2 and we had stumbled onto the Bicentenary celebrations of the great Spanish revolt against Napoleon in 1808 - an event also immortalised in an exhibition of Goya paintings in the Prado musuem.

For the next hour or so, we witnessed a magnificent display of sound and light, fireworks and aerial gymnastics; a memorable evocation of Spanish history and national identity. After the show people thronged into bars, restaurants and tapas bars. We ate dinner after midnight in a noisy bar, the streets were packed. Madrid was exhilarating.

But there are other signs of energy. During my last visit 15 years ago, Spain's rail network was slow and antiquated. Today, it's state of the art, with a fast train network to Seville in the south and Barcelona in the east. The ride to Seville , in just over two and a half hours, was on time and comfortable. Things have certainly changed.

As our Qantas jet flew home, with the service and punctuality that remind you why Australia is such a good place to live, I realised that football and infrastructure are flip sides of the same civilising force. The introduction of one currency, the arrival of cheap flights and the development of fast train networks, the movement of players across borders and integration of different backgrounds within one club - all of these help people experience new cultures and foster acceptance, even enthusiasm for different ways of living.

My thoughts turned to the next trip. Can you win the same award twice?

Michael Visontay was recipient of the 2007 EU-Qantas Journalism Award.

General Information on the Award

Application guidelines.

Contact:
Roger Camilleri (02 6271 2744)
Delegation of the European Commission, Canberra
fax: (02) 6273 4445