Soccer's diversity unites a divided Europe, sort of

BERLIN — Over the past month, the chanting and shouting on the streets of Berlin were not expressions of anger and protest about deepening political and societal divisions, but the sound of joy and excitement about the European Championship soccer tournament.

Hosted by Germany, the tournament — also known as the UEFA Euro 2024 — brought together lovers of the “beautiful game” from across the continent at a time when much of Europe is at odds.

In the German capital Sunday night, fans huddled in front of TV screens outside bars and convenience stores, soaking up beer and the electric atmosphere to watch Spain play England in the final. And when Spain beat England 2-1, crowds roared in unison —in multiple European languages.

Four weeks of fever pitch have provided a welcome distraction from the malaise many Europeans feel about recent political gains of the far right with their anti-immigrant rhetoric across the continent.

The tournament kicked off June 14, just days after European parliamentary elections that saw a continental shift to the right.

French President Emmanuel Macron called early legislative elections, after the far-right National Rally party trounced his centrists in the vote for European Parliament. The captain of France's men's soccer squad, Kylian Mbappé, turned to politics in a June 16 news conference and appealed to young fans to vote against Marine Le Pen's far-right party.

“We see the extremes are knocking on the door of power,” Mbappé warned. "I want to be proud to represent France, I don't want to represent a country that doesn't correspond to my values, or our values."

And after Le Pen's National Rally came first in round one, Mbappé said the results were "catastrophic" and urged French fans to go out and vote in the runoff. "We can't leave our country in the hands of these people," the soccer star said on July 4.

In the end, the National Rally fell behind France's leftist and centrist coalitions in the second round of legislative elections on July 7.

In Germany, meanwhile, the far-right Alternative for Germany party rejected its national team as being too ethnically diverse. In the European parliamentary elections, the AfD came second nationally, and first in eastern Germany.

Björn Höcke, who sits on the extreme-right edge of the AfD, said he could no longer identify with the German team because it “oozes rainbow ideology from every pore.”

His dog-whistle comments echoed the findings of a recent survey, commissioned by public broadcaster WDR, that suggested 21% of Germans “would prefer more white players on the national team.”

Germany's manager and team members called out the poll as "racist."

"We're here [at the championship] to play for everyone in the country," said Germany manager Julian Nagelsmann. "Anyone at the top of their game can be a national player and give their all for our country.”

In a bid to promote diversity, Nagelsmann’s players sported a pink and purple uniform during the tournament. The colors were chosen as a play on the word bunt — meaning colorful and often used in German to describe a society that is multicultural and LGBTQ+. It has become the team’s fastest-selling away uniform.

And while the AfD dismissed the shirt as woke, it’s difficult for the party to deny that diversity on the field leads to success.

Take Spain’s Lamine Yamal — the tournament’s rising star at only 17 years old.

After becoming the youngest player to score a goal in the history of UEFA’s Euros, Yamal spelled out the number 304 with his fingers — a proud reference to the zip code of Rocafonda, the multicultural neighborhood where he grew up with his Moroccan father and Equatorial Guinean mother in the Catalan city of Mataró.

Just last week, King Felipe VI of Spain paid tribute to Yamal’s “brilliance” and sheer skill, which on Sunday helped his country win the tournament.

For four weeks, the European Championship showed a Europe for which many still strive: united in its diversity.