2.2 Nationhood: playing for a new flag

Show description|Hide description

The flags of Austria and Germany.

Despite FIFA’s 1962 ruling that prohibits footballers from representing two different nations in competitive matches, there is a special circumstance which allows this to occur – the dissolution or fragmentation of nations, e.g., the likes of the Soviet Union, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. Military history inevitably shapes debate on national identity and what it means to be patriotic. As such, representing a new country (i.e., partly switching allegiances), exemplifies this perspective from both players and nations. A striking example here is the expansion of Germany in 1938, which saw the Austrian national team dissolve and combine with Germany’s.

Activity 2 The creation of a new German football team

Timing: Allow approximately 20 minutes

There are two video clips in this activity, both taken from the 2003 BBC documentary Football and Fascism. Take some time to consider the first question and video clip, before moving onto the second.

1. How did the German annexing of Austria impact football?

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 1

Show transcript | Hide transcript

Transcript: Video 1 Football and fascism 1

NARRATOR

In March 1938, Germany annexed Austria. Hitler’s Weimar commandeered state institutions and buildings and plundered national art collections. Annexation also offered an irresistible opportunity for the Nazis to build up the German football team by forcibly recruiting Austria’s star footballers. Hitler wanted to build a team that would erase the memories of his footballing humiliation at the Olympics. The 1938 World Cup would be an opportunity to present to the world an all conquering United Germany with the added talents of the Austrian Wunderteam.

The Nazis relished the fact that the star of their combined team would be the legendary paper man Matthias Schindler. But there was a problem. Schindler despised the Nazis and their annexation of his Homeland. He detested the Aryans only policy which had driven all the Jewish officials out of his club Austria Vienna. Schindler became a symbol for a new kind of relationship between fascism and football.

End transcript: Video 1 Football and fascism 1

Download

Video 1 Football and fascism 1

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

2. What implications were there for the new-look German side at the 1938 World Cup?

Download this video clip.Video player: Video 2

Show transcript | Hide transcript

Transcript: Video 2 Football and fascism 2

SPEAKER

Only a month later, the 1938 World Cup was held in France. Hitler proclaimed that 60 million Germans will play in Paris. In a chilling precursor to an invasion only two years later, Italy and Germany marched into France in the name of football.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

In the first round, the newly combined German team with five Austrians in the starting 11 were drawn to play against their neutral neighbors, Switzerland, a team they were expected to beat. A one-all draw in the first game resulted in a replay. Germany quickly took a 2-0 lead. But the longer the game went on, the more apparent it became that even on the same team, Austrians and Germans preferred to play against each other.

[CHEERING, WHISTLE]

The Swiss scored four times against a German team that disintegrated under the pressure. The team the Nazis wanted to show off to the world was eliminated before the World Cup had really begun. It was another footballing humiliation for Hitler.

End transcript: Video 2 Football and fascism 2

Download

Video 2 Football and fascism 2

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

To use this interactive functionality a free OU account is required. Sign in or register.

Interactive feature not available in single page view (see it in standard view).

Discussion

1. Germany saw this as an opportunity to recruit Austria’s star footballers. This came at a time when the Austrians were the superior side, having beaten Germany 6-0 and 5-0 earlier in the decade. The 1938 men’s World Cup presented the Germans with a chance to present a new-look, possibly enhanced, German side. However Austria’s star centre-forward, Matthias Sindelar, refused to play citing his hated for Nazi-Germany.The following year Sindelar and his girlfriend were found dead in their Austrian apartment. Although the official verdict cited carbon monoxide poisoning, speculation remains over whether his death was, in fact, a murder (Jonze, 2018).
2. Five Austrians featured in Germany’s first match of the tournament against Switzerland. With old rules, a replay of the tie was necessary following a draw. Despite going two goals up in the replay, the new German side capitulated and lost 4-2. It was clear that the Austrians, who had been forced to represent Germany, harboured severe dislike for their new nation – this new ‘united’ nation was anything but.

The Germany-Austria example highlights contentious issues surrounding national identity. Austrian players and supporters became symbols of political resistance. A further instance demonstrates the flexibility in allegiances and borders over time: the break-up of Yugoslavia. Several players were able to select their new allegiance to the likes of Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro or Slovenia. All the examples in this section highlight how player recruitment can be impacted by ethnic, civil and national identities.