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For the Love of the Game

Patriotism can lead us to do some peculiar things. Take Italian soccer club Perugia, for example. The club had announced last week that it was cutting South Korean soccer hero Ahn Jung-hwan from its roster because it was his fault the Italian National team was knocked out of the World Cup. Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci called Ahn, “the ruin of Italian soccer.”

After outrage from Asian fans saying they would boycott the team and the Asian Football Federation threatening to tell Asian players to stay away, Perugia rescinded their decision. Less than a week later, Gaucci’s club took back his words, saying that they had simply had “an emotional reaction, a provocation.” In fact, after a phone conversation between the club and Ahn, a new contract had been reached, but financial details were not released.

As odd as this story may sound, it sums up what the World Cup does to some die-hard fans: It makes them crazy. It is no secret that in Europe and South America, people are extremly obsessed with the game. So it should come as no surprise to hear odd, or sometimes even tragic stories stemming from the World Cup.

Back in 1994, Colombian soccer star Anders Escobar scored a goal against his own team in a game against the United States, essentially ending any hopes for his country’s success in the cup. Upon his return to Colombia, Escobar was shot 10 times outside of a nightclub, allegedly by men who blamed him for Colombia’s poor showing.

This year South Korean and Japanese officials went out of their way to ensure that events like Escobar’s tragic death would not reoccur. With intense security and a huge military presence, the two organizing nations made a list of known “soccer hooligans,” mainly from England, and barred them from entering either country.

If the removal of one South Korean from an Italian soccer club is the worst thing that comes out of this year’s World Cup, FIFA officials and fans alike will be overjoyed. Unfortunately, it is all too often that overzealous, patriotic fans let their emotions get the best of them, much like Perugia owner Luciano Gaucci.