Football, faith & ‘a freezing, inhospitable landscape’

Football’s coming home – or is it? The World Cup is in full swing; flags are flying, hopes are high, and discussions about controversial refereeing decisions dominate schools and workplaces. Then there are those penalty shootouts, the cruellest of endings to 120 minutes of effort, energy and endurance.

The night Arsenal lost their penalty shootout in the UEFA Champions League final, my baby grandson was asleep in his Arsenal pyjamas, oblivious to the tension around him. He was beginning his journey as a Gooner [a longstanding nickname for an Arsenal supporter]. The next day, the streets of North London were filled with an ethnically diverse crowd of over a million cheering fans, from children to the 94-year-old woman holding up her sign from her window – “I’ve been a Gunner all my life”. I couldn’t get to the Premier League victory parade, but my phone was pinging all day with photos and videos from family who did.

I became a keen fan late. It was my sons’ passion and joy that won me over: their delight in the songs, the shared agony, and the sense of belonging. In our fractured communities, football brings people together, but it also divides them into tribes. The rivalry between clubs ranges from respect and gentle banter to deep suspicion and hostility. The emotional highs of winning led to riots in Paris in May. The devastation of England losing directly correlates with a rise in domestic violence. Add that to the conflicting demands between church and local teams, which play and train on Sundays, it is no wonder many Christians dislike football. Football is complicated; good, bad and ugly.

Felix White, musician, podcaster and Fulham FC supporter, wrote in his recent book Whatever Will Be, Will Be: A Matter of Life and Football: “As cringe-laden as it can sometimes sound, I realise why football is talked about as a religion. It is a congregation, where you put yourself in a space and pray for something good to happen, where you acknowledge you have no control over your fate, and you all put your hands together, at the same time, in the same space.” His book describes the deeply emotional relationship he has with football. It is both insightful and terribly sad. He describes, simultaneously, a sense of belonging alongside a deep isolation: “A fanbase splintered in a freezing, inhospitable landscape, shards of ice breaking off with different people on them, floating them out to unspecified parts of the sea, at the mercy of the tide.” The desire for belonging tainted by alienation, loneliness, and separation. Football is not salvation.

The gospel binds us together on a much deeper level than football teams do, yet we are often separated from one another and divided over things we should not divide over. Has it always been like this? The disciples wanted Jesus to rebuke someone who was driving out demons in Jesus’ name. The Corinthians formed fan bases of their favoured preachers: Paul, Apollos or Cephas. Forming different groups, being competitive, and looking down on those who are different is deeply wired in us. Football is a game which builds on this; it is very successfully monetised, as we buy shirts to display our colours. It is second nature for us to be tribal, and we need to resist it in our churches and gospel affiliations. We have our favoured teams – speakers, authors, musicians, organisations, conferences and podcasts, and can be critical about the other “tribe” because we think just like the disciples, “they are not following us”. Sometimes as Christians we too are “splintered in a freezing, inhospitable landscape, like shards of ice breaking off with different people on them, floating them out to unspecified parts of the sea”. For those looking on from the outside, this is hugely damaging. I am not advocating unity with those who are not holding fast to the gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that working through disagreements in a wise and godly way is hard. It is why Jesus needed to pray for believers before He headed to the cross, “that they may be made completely one, and that the world may know you have sent me”. Unity with other believers was not achieved lightly – it took Jesus to the cross. Belonging to God’s family is an enormous privilege, one we can rejoice in and something we must honour. We have a bond more profound than that of a football supporter, be it for a club or a nation. It is a bond we need to nurture with a gospel-hearted generosity to all God’s people, to display the glory of Jesus to the world.

This summer, football fans from one nation will experience an incredible high, a moment of united exultation as the World Cup is held aloft. But that unity will dissipate. It will vanish. In our fellowship with one another in Christ, we look forward to a far greater celebration when the Lamb is seen on the throne. For now we can display our unity in Christ, the miracle of diversity in the church and our commitment to one another, which will last much longer than a football match or even a victory parade, but we will have to work at it.