Sport – like any other epidemic — should be a means of control over the population and an additional tool for strengthening the authoritarian regime. But lately, the tool makes more system failures.
In one of his dystopia George Orwell called serious sport – war minus shooting. This is quite an accurate metaphor finds its expression not only in football massacre by the Russians in the midst of the ending of the European championship, and not even just barely depressed the approval of such activities by the Russian high-ranking officials, but also in the approach of the Russian elite sports and sports politics.
The result of the Russian national football team in France as if specially confirms the conspiracy version of what happened earlier in Marseille – the Kremlin puts “aunts” on the aircraft to ensure that those under the loud screams of the TV propagandists and inadequate Russian officials triumphantly dispersed several thousand English and thereby compensated for the catastrophic humiliation of athletes at the stadium. Of course, this version, despite some strange moments not withstand serious scrutiny. However, it is difficult to deny that this disgusting episode played into the hands of the Russian political elite, giving at least some fuel national “pobedobesie”. Society, over the past two years accustomed through TV propaganda to the feeling of constant victories of Russia – from the Olympics to Syria – hasn’t received more emotional support. With the continuing decline of living standards, i.e. the inability of the authorities to please the Russians material well-being – have to look for a replacement in everything that can feed into the hegemonic fuse.
Political science has long been proved that sport, global sporting events are used in most authoritarian systems, as a way to distract the population from domestic problems.
Dictators using any inherent athletic competition open competition of States and Nations, trying to demonstrate the superiority of their own model of development, associating themselves with the success of the national athletes. The principle of “participation to win” is widespread in the USSR and was entirely inherited by Putin’s Russia. Unfolded in recent months, the anti-doping scandal with the Russian athletes shows that the final result elite is ready to fight by any means. Bet that taste long-awaited victory of our national team, like war – all written off, is justified, despite the fact that more than 80% of Russians believe that doping is an absolute evil. However, the disqualification of the Russian athletes, who usually earn almost BeloVenezolana for the team medals at the Summer Olympics is able to apply soon, another blow to national pride, not allowing the fans to heal the wounds from the recent defeat of the Welsh players in the French field.
Moreover, the desire of the Russian elite to get a quick result from the sport here and now, against big sports competition, a zero-sum game”, has detrimental effect on all local sports.
To build stadiums, develop the infrastructure, to invest in children’s sports – all this for a very long time, much faster as a magic pill, buy Western coach or to pump up athletes doping. Leading Russian football championship teams, usually located on the contents of the state-owned or Pro-government oligarchs, huge funds are investing in foreign players and only residual funds Finance youth teams.
The desire of dictators to be held in his native country of sports mega-events — the Olympics or world Championships is another way to deliver mass sports and mass them a passion for their service. First, here works the same logic – to give citizens the big sporting holiday for a few weeks to give a sense of belonging to something global, placed in the centre of attention of all world media, thereby replacing the emotion of limited material goods. This method is so obvious that they use a large number of modern autocrats over the last 10-15 years bid to host sports mega-events from countries with hybrid political regime has increased significantly. Partly the same and explain the Russian marathon in pursuit of the Olympics and world Championships. In addition to the distribution of government contracts inner circle, the next world Cup, which Russia will host in one year with the presidential election, as planned by the Kremlin needs to strengthen the personal rating of Vladimir Putin.
The feeling of being close to the big football world, beautiful football the Putin majority, of course, be willing to forgive a lot — stagnant economy, the growing tangle of social problems, strangled freedom of speech — but perhaps not all.
Of course, a direct correlation between the defeat of the Russian athletes and the personal rating of Vladimir Putin can not be traced: even the most crushing defeats of our players the President’s rating remains unchanged. But in 2018 the level of social tension, in the absence until that time, serious structural reforms, will grow rapidly, and the failure of the national team in the group stage at home could be another significant public stimulus. Will it be possible for the President to dissociate himself from the problems, as was done after France? How to protect yourself from the negative reactions of society in the case of a new disaster? All these questions and thinking in the Kremlin, where, apparently, for the remaining two years on an emergency basis, will solve the problem as best they can — by “test purchases” and “Neusiedlersee” foreign players.
On the other hand, the risk, which went to the Russian regime, is justified. In addition to distraction from internal problems, sport and mega-events have a powerful unifying potential. Rooting for “our”, the whole country feels a moment of unity, associating himself with those who defend our honor on the football field, ice, or Mat. Such a charge of solidarity and unity, which are amplified during the successful home of mega-events can, in part, legitimize and strengthen the support of the national leader, single leader.
Finally, the mega-event is certainly a way to improve the attitude of a dictator with the rest of the world, get an additional opportunity to build a dialogue with Western countries. The authoritarian leader in such a situation, as it demonstrates your openness, good intentions, hospitality, ability of its economic-political model for the implementation of large-scale tasks, in opposition to the possible reaction of the West in the form of sanctions or condemnation of domestic policy of the country. However, if the big games, even at the selection stage is blackened by corruption scandals – all the positive effects are mitigated. In case of further deployment of the latest scandal in FIFA, depriving Russia of the status of the mistress of the world championship on football of catastrophic risks of the Russian regime. The collapse of such hopes will not forgive Putin nor the majority, nor the pending government contracts inner circle.
The attitude of dictatorial regimes to the sport as a tool in solving the current political problems in the long run can not only generate some serious, lingering problems in the industry, but to make a weapon that can turn against the authoritarian system.
