Is football more important than politics? England might take home the trophy on Sunday. It would be a huge win for a team short on silverware. It could even transform Britain.
X
Next
What might change if England win on Sunday
Is football more important than politics? England might take home the trophy on Sunday. It would be a huge win for a team short on silverware. It could even transform Britain.
X
PreviousNext
England has waited 58 years for a day like this. It has won Euro 2024. The players dance with joy. Gareth SouthgateAs a player he appeared 57 times for England. He became the team's manager in 2016, and guided it to the World Cup semi-finals two years later. weeps.
This is the dream of millions of England fans. This Sunday it could become a reality. If England do take the trophy1 it will be their first piece of silverware since the 1966 World Cup.
On Sunday they face mighty Spain. Victory is far from assured. But if England do win, the tremors might be felt outside football.
Extra time. When Argentina won the 2022 World Cup, the entire country got a day off. With a football-mad prime minister, an England victory might have the same result.
Arise Sir Gareth. Manager Southgate has had a rocky tournament. If England win, however, he is tipped to be rewarded with a knighthoodAn official title given to British men who have performed some kind of extraordinary service. .2
Role model. The 22-year-old Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka has been a star of the tournament. Saka's "quiet confidence", hard-working spirit3 and sense of humour might make him the positive face of Britain across the world.
Soft touch. England fans can be cruel about their team and its manager. A victory would lay such gripes to rest. And it might make people kinder - at least for a while.
Borrowed glow. Prime Minister Keir Starmer is not publicly adored.4 But football can shift the climate. A feel good wave might extend to him and his government.5
Have a go. The taste of victory could encourage more people to give the sport a try themselves. A nation could be inspired into fitness and teamwork.6
Exit ghost. England's 1966 World Cup victory still lives in folk memory. It is the albatross around the team's neck.7 Winning the Euros would give everyone a chance to move on - and create a new mythology.
Is football more important than politics?
Yes: Politics divides a nation. Football brings it together.
No: Football cannot guarantee equal rights, protect minorities, stop climate change or uphold the rule of law. It is a distraction from what really matters.
Or... It depends on what you see as important. Politics can shape our freedoms and future in a way sport cannot. But great sporting moments inspire powerful emotions and define our memories.
X
Previous
Keywords
Gareth Southgate - As a player he appeared 57 times for England. He became the team's manager in 2016, and guided it to the World Cup semi-finals two years later.
Knighthood - An official title given to British men who have performed some kind of extraordinary service.
What might change if England win on Sunday
King Charles said: “If I may encourage you to secure victory before the need for any last minute wonder-goals or another penalties drama, I am sure the stresses on the nation’s collective heart rate and blood pressure would be greatly alleviated!” Glossary
Gareth Southgate - As a player he appeared 57 times for England. He became the team's manager in 2016, and guided it to the World Cup semi-finals two years later.
Knighthood - An official title given to British men who have performed some kind of extraordinary service.