Fútbol e identidad europea. El deporte como generador de identidad supranacional

Abstract

Apparent! crisis! of! the! nineteenth<century! model! of! nation<state! and! local,! regional! and! national! nationalism,!some!authors!claim;!clear!emergence!of! an!increasingly!globalized!and!interconnected!world;! and! undeniable! importance! of! sport,! specially! football,! to! create,! develop! and! manage collective! identities,! have! lead! us! to! seek a! solid! theoretical! framework!for!the!study!of!the!creation!of!European! identity!through!sports. Results! show! a! European! supranational! identity,! different! from national! identities, actually! exists.! It! has! specific! characteristics: is! weaker,! civic! but! not! ethnic,! and! it! can! be! part! of! a! hybrid! and! complex! identity!coexisting!with!other!personal!identities. Memory! spaces! and! collective! memory,! used! in! combination! with! other! tools,! could! be! perfect! methods!for!analysing!historical!and!social!reality!of! an! increasing! European! identity! and! its! connection! to!sport.! Football! is! a! privileged! arena! to! generate! group! identity.!In!the!foreseeable!future!some!elements!of! Europeanisation in! football! may! become! suitable! tools! for! continent<wide! cohesion! on! a! higher! level! other!than!simply!sport.