European Championships?

Every time a World Cup or European Championships comes around, most discerning football fans (that is, the obsessed types that can recite Tottenham Hotspur’s squad number list or the England starting line-up from the 1990 World Cup semi-final) hope for a bit of glory for their team, or at least some memorable moments. Viewed from Lebanon, Euro 2012 is providing the excitement in waves, like the unstoppable German through ball, run behind attack. I am but a Greek defence to resist it.

Seeing the Danes defeat the Dutch with friends from Aarhus in an empty theatre in Hamra and the lengthy taxi detour that made us late for kick-off; learning how to say ‘corrupt referee’ in Italian. England’s comeback against Sweden and Steven Gerrard's Indian summer. Rain drenching and delaying the Ukraine vs. France game while the sun beats down outside. So far, it's been one to remember. The Lebanese, meanwhile, have made the tournament their business in a way unlike any I have seen before.

Shortly before the tournament began, German flags began to proliferate around Beirut, hanging from balconies, flying from shop fronts, stuck to car doors. Some truly enormous examples can be seen draped over electrical cables between buildings. This is not a phenomenon limited to one district; all over town the Lebanese are leaving no doubt as to whom ‘their’ team is. Neither can it be called surprising from a footballing point of view; it’s natural enough for the locals to pick the best, most famous team to support in the absence of their own. Barcelona are by far the most popular club team, the Spanish World and European champions the second-best-supported national team.

 

The intensity of the support for Germany, though, is misguided. Wearing a Germany replica top or flying a flag without being able to name a single one of their players is one thing. Doing it because you think it’s synonymous with being anti-Israel is another which shows a near-comical lack of understanding of European history and an entirely messed up perception of what Germany stands for as a nation. While it’s wrong to say this is the only or even the main reason for the fervent support for the German football team on the streets of Beirut, it undoubtedly plays its part. The Lebanese have had more pressing things to worry about in the past than properly educating themselves about the Second World War, but as a European you can’t help but find the whole thing slightly bizarre.