Football and Religion

8 June 2024

We see them more and more often on the football field: players with their hands raised, players making the sign of the cross, players kissing the ground, and many more such scenes that we might almost call rituals. Perhaps we find this strange and exaggerated, and beautiful forms of superstition, but there is a very human thought and character trait behind it. From the humanities, we know that humans are not only linguistic and social beings but also beings with the capacity for transcendence, a difficult word for “rising above oneself” or perhaps “being part of the greater whole.” This is a form of connection with something other, something greater, which is also contained in the word “religion” (=to connect). So, it’s not all that strange; it seems rather that we had forgotten it. Even here at this Marveld Tournament, we have already seen several players from various teams making the aforementioned gestures. We know that various football clubs have their own chapel (e.g., FC Barcelona at Camp Nou and Schalke’04). It is also a trend of our time that there is more attention to spirituality, perhaps for many a vague word. But it just seems that way. In my professional life as a pastor and theologian, I have had the opportunity to introduce many people to it. Initially met with considerable reluctance, terms like “what nonsense” and “vague” were often heard, but when I asked: “What excites you?” people were often unstoppable and the stories about various hobbies truly came out. In the word enthusiasm lies the Greek root “en Theou”: from God. In fact, these forms are very personal: it is about you and your connection with your source, and this runs along a particular axis. Someone who says, “I walk in nature and find God there,” clearly has an axis that runs through nature. In this way, environmental activists, trade unionists, musicians, footballers, and all of us have our own axis.

Johan Klaassen, editor of PannaNews, former pastor of Groenlo, and 23-year playing member of Grol!