What a horrible let-down! Not so much the result of England’s Euro Final against Italy (though that was heart-breaking enough), but the childish way many of our players threw their toys out of the pram, showing their disgust at their silver ‘runners-up’ medals by immediately removing them from around their necks.
Poor losers?
It was a dreadful disappointment after the nation had invested so much emotional time and energy into supporting the Three Lions as they tried to emulate our 1966 World Cup heroes by lifting a major trophy for the first time in 55 years. And indeed a disappointment following the young England players’ exemplary behaviour otherwise.
Visiting close relatives in Hampshire, my own family even preceded the match with a special English dinner of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding! But it all ended in tears. We could have coped with the disappointment of losing had it not been for the surly disrespect shown at the prize-giving, reminding us of the similar antics displayed by our finalists after their defeat by South Africa in the Rugby World Cup of 2019. I understand that it has become a ‘trend’, but nothing justifies bad sportsmanship and being sore losers.
The tokenism of taking the knee
I note that much post-match discussion was about racism and thuggery, and I guess they are connected. Even before kick-off, players were engaged in the well-meaning but divisive exercise of ‘taking the knee’ to demonstrate their anti-racist credentials, but it didn’t stop a flurry of social media abuse after three of our black players missed penalties. The reality was that we were up against a Goliath of a goalie, and our young ‘Davids’ were simply not up to the mark when it came to the shoot-out.
The reality was that we were up against a Goliath of a goalie, and our young ‘Davids’ were simply not up to the mark when it came to the shoot-out.
Though the media increasingly denies any political connection, ‘taking the knee’ is of course associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, whose activists are using it as a Trojan horse to further their anarchic cause, and have already demonstrated their own anti-Semitic agenda.
Sadly, racism has also become a trend – in fact, there has been an exponential rise in anti-Semitism in Britain and across the Western world since the recent flare-up in Gaza between Israel and the Hamas terrorists. You’d think it was entirely Israel’s fault (although even if it were, the racism remains unjustifiable).
You are not going to change behaviour by legislation, or even education – and certainly not through tokenism. For all the campaigns and slogans, we don’t seem to be making much headway.
The nation’s real need
That is because it is the heart that needs dealing with, and that won’t happen without a re-awakening of the very Christian faith that gave birth to many of our great football clubs in this country.
What started as a laudable attempt to engage young churchgoers in healthy team activities has turned into an idolatrous golden calf to which we all bow down in worship, with some players still in their teens earning more money per week than many of us do in a year!
I love sport. I believe it is something which can bring us all together. Healthy exercise is vital to our well-being and learning how to work as a team is hugely helpful for achieving meaningful social inter-connection. But there are limits to the value we should place on what is merely meant to be fun.
Heart issues
Jesus spoke at some length about the cause of evil in society, and the need for ‘heart surgery’. He said: “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). In Matthew’s gospel, he explains that the things that come out of a man’s mouth “come from the heart, and these defile him. For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander” (Matt 15:18f).
I am reminded of the Christian conference workshop I took in 2018 which happened to coincide with Harry Kane and his heroes making great progress in the World Cup – meaning I was competing against England for participants. Indeed we ‘kicked off’ at similar times – but I was no match for the Three Lions! I was later informed that half of those who had earlier indicated interest in my seminar had absconded to watch the football instead – in the chapel of all places!
A number of today’s football stars – especially those from African backgrounds – are strong believers in Jesus Christ and put him first in their lives, making no secret of their faith.
Which surely blows away any lingering doubts that football has become a religion in our country. The national excitement stirred by a game which the churches of England helped launch into the stratosphere is amazing indeed.
Rediscovering the gospel
What on earth did we start? Many have become so passionate for the sport that they have lost connection with its source. And yet good has still come out of it (see Rom 8:28). For a number of today’s football stars – especially those from African backgrounds – are strong believers in Jesus Christ and put him first in their lives, making no secret of their faith. Unfortunately, the game’s ruling body, FIFA, has handed a ‘red card’ to expressions of faith on the pitch – in order not to give offence!
But as I said to my depleted audience in 2018, there is something more important than football. In the words of Jesus, “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36). And there is a world waiting to see if England – and the British Isles as a whole – will again take up the baton she dropped several generations ago when she forsook her first love for the gospel.