Football Politics

The Malta Independent

Football Politics

The Euro 2000 final of last Sunday was not strictly a football affair.

The result had immediate repercussions on the Italian political scene. The Italians had not even touched home base from their Belgian/Dutch success/disappointment that Italian politicians were turning the whole affair into a political game.

The political significance of the event was however deeper. Even the events as they unfolded on the field of play had certain elements which` bear strange resemblance to events that are unfolding on the EU scene.

The Italians in the first half showed that contrary to initial expectations, they were not inferior to the French even though the actual level of play created by both sides was largely insubstantial. In the second half the Italians showed for long stretches that they were actually superior and they were in control cruising to an undreamed victory which was less than one-minute away.

The champagne was ready for popping and the Italians had generally assumed that they were home safe and dry.` With a few seconds to go and the French not having shown any real threats to the Italian defence,` there was however a rude awakening to reality and a turning of the tables which will long be remembered in the annals of football.

Is this not symbolically close to what actually has been happening on the EU scene` With Romano Prodi at the helm of the EU Commission the Italians have long been feeling securely in control of the European enlargement process.

As the Portuguese were handing over to the French the Italian led Commission had every reason to feel secure that during the French Presidency the Inter-Governmental Conference (IGC) meant to change the way EU institutions work will be brought to a close.` This is an essential prelude to enlargement. It will re-dimenionise the voting powers of the members of an enlarged community rendering most decisions to be taken by qualified majority reflecting the size of the respective populations represented by the member states.

Right when everything seemed to be sailing at cruising speed towards the Nice Summit next December, the French with the assistance of the Germans (could they be symbolised with the Swedish referee who gave an extended injury time to the match) came out with the rally cry that enlargement is not their top priority. That re-structuring of the EU institutions had to go much deeper than what was on the agenda at the IGC. The French envision that an EU constitution would be necessary and this should be put together by a secretariat of the countries who opt for enhanced co-operation, outside the EU Commission structures.

Is the Prodi dream of an early Italian-led enlargement heading for a rude awakening to reality similar to the shock treatment` the Italian national team was subjected to late last Sunday`

The involvement of politics in the football game is not strictly a Berlusconi affair.