Kick Fascism Into Touch...

So, what has sport got to do with politics?  Well, everything, actually.  The whine from some 'sports fans' to the effect that one has nothing to do with the other, which they come out with every time a sporting personality becomes involved in a political row, is one of the most tiresome sounds in the known universe.  It also conveniently avoids the fact that organised sports are all about politics.  On the one hand the international sporting federations indulge in various complex political manoeuvres every time they arrange their next major tournament or event: national governments are expected to jump through hoops for the honour of hosting these sporting events.  As we've seen with Fifa's convoluted procedures to award the next few World Cups, the choice of host nation has more to do with politics than football.  Certainly, having a rich footballing history and tradition seems to be a hindrance for potential hosts these days.

On the other hand, politicians are only too happy to use sporting events for their own partisan purposes.  Most obviously, Hitler made full use of the 1936 Berlin Olympics to showcase the Third Reich and demonstrate the superiority of good Aryan athletes.  More recently, let's not forget the way in which Boris Johnson was keen to make capital of the London Olympics, attempting to take credit for every aspect of them, (despite the fact that he had nothing to do with securing the games for London or their organisation).  Then there was the apartheid regime in South Africa - a pariah state desperately trying to legitimise itself in the 1980s by organising those 'rebel' cricket tours, where various (white) international cricketers were induced by huge wads of cash to play fake international test matches against an all-white South African side.  I remember that was the first time I heard the whine about sport not having anything to do with politics - even if that sporting 'event' was effectively endorsing a political system which institutionalised racial prejudice. 

All of which, of course, brings us to the controversy surrounding the appointment of Paulo Di Canio as manager of Sunderland AFC.  Apparently local MP David Miliband was overreacting by resigning from the board because the club had appointed a fascist as manager.  Apparently, Di Canio's political views are irrelevant and a private matter.  Apparently, sport has nothing to do with politics.  All of which statements are completely wrong.  As a serving politician, there is no way in which Miliband can afford to be associated with anyone who supports an extreme political philosophy.  Which Di Canio apparently does.  I'm afraid that claiming his politics are an entirely personal matter cuts no ice when he has, in the past, been quite happy not only to admit to fascist sympathies, but to describe himself as a fascist, express his admiration for Benito Mussolini and give fascist salutes to fans in Italy when he played for Lazio.  But, he assures us, he isn't a racist.  Which apparently makes his fascism OK.  Except that it doesn't.  Quite apart from the fact that his historical fascist hero Mussolini, whilst originally not pursuing racist policies, was quite happy to embrace the doctrines of anti-Semitism and racial purity when he wanted Hitler's support, whether Di Canio likes it or not, fascism, in the public mind, is inextricably linked with racism.  With racism still an issue in football (just ask John Terry or Luis Suarez) having a self-confessed fascist in charge of a Premier League football club is an issue.  A political issue as well as a footballing issue.  The two can't be separated.  Like it or not.