"Creating History Together"

The European Football Championship is underway in Ukraine and Poland, and already a number of issues regarding nationalism and identity have manifested themselves. Two first-hand experiences from L'viv shed some light on Ukrainian national perspectives. The first occurred during the Russia v. Czech Republic match, which I watched in the "Fan Zone" in the center of L'viv.

Throughout the match Ukraine supporters chanted in favor of the Czech team, frequently booed Russia's players as they appeared on the big screen, and led Ukrainian football chants in favor of Czech Republic. It is worth noting that these actions did not lead to any violence between Ukrainian and Russian football fans in the crowd.

The second experience came after Ukraine defeated Greece in its first match of the Euro Cup. As fans left the viewing area in L'viv they chanted "Ukraine is Europe!" When discussing these displays of Ukrainian nationalism the next morning one professor provided a similar anecdote: When the Soviet Union faced off against Canada in the Summit Series in the early 1970s spectators in Ukraine were rooting in favor of the Canadian national team (!).



In co-hosting the Euro Cup Ukraine hoped to strengthen its relations with neighboring European Union (EU) countries and improve its image. In the months and years leading up to the 2012 tournament observers took aim at Ukraine for being a semi-authoritarian government controlled by a corrupt cadre of politicians under the aegis of President Viktor Yanukovych. The strengthening of Ukraine's security forces since Yanukovych's election also contributes to the growing concern within the EU, the United States, and NGOs observing human rights violations around the globe.

The taming of the democratic opposition in Ukraine, the imprisonment of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko and former Minister of Internal Affairs Yuri Lutsenko, ongoing charges of corruption in Ukraine's political life, and allegations of the country's unpreparedness to co-host such a large event marred what is otherwise a beneficial opportunity for Ukraine to solve these and other post-Soviet social, political, and economic issues. Condemnations from EU leaders about Yanukovych's handling of Tymoshenko's trial and imprisonment, which is regarded by most Western observers as strictly if not blatantly political, have done little to change things, so much so that it is safe to say that the regime has used the time to construct a stronger base of power in the regions.



Reports have also come out regarding racist remarks lobbed at players during matches but, at least in L'viv, relations between locals, football fans and players are cordial and welcoming. Emotions run high and tempers flare during matches, but their excited release in cheering and chanting is far better than war.



Articles referred to in this post:



"Goal! Dictators Score in International Sports," http://www.freedomhouse.org/blog/goal-dictators-score-international-sports



"Ukraine today: a guide for digging deeper," http://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia-debates/euro-2012



"Євро-2012 і права людини поза футбольною грою" (Euro-2012 and Human Rights Outside the Football Game), http://www.radiosvoboda.org/content/article/24608570.html



"Про владу в Україні і українську владу" (On Power in Ukraine and Ukrainian Power), http://www.pravda.com.ua/articles/2012/06/12/6965706/