Do events encourage toxic ideas?

When an opinion isn’t just a slip of the tongue

First and foremost, this is not a column defending France. In recent World Cups, I’ve always rooted for the wonderful La Roja—a generous, young, and fast team—as opposed to a France that’s far too calculating. Nor is this a political commentary. Surely people from many political parties could say things like this. No. This is about understanding what phenomenon leads a very experienced politician to write openly racist ideas when he has no history of doing so. Be warned: these aren’t words that simply slipped out during a conversation. This was thought out, written, edited, approved, and published. And a publication deemed it acceptable to publish a text that makes a statement that is legally false and morally repugnant.

Who can be considered “one of us”?

To write that the French team “has no French players” is to write, literally, “if you’re Black or Arab, you’re not French.” I suppose that means you’re not Spanish either. We’ll have to tell that to Yamal and others… It means that your origin or skin color carries more weight than your current feelings, than what you do for your country, than the immense national pride you feel when wearing the jersey, and, above all, than your nationality—that piece of paper that tells you, in theory, “you’re one of us, one hundred percent.” It amounts to telling everyone who isn’t white—or perhaps anyone who hasn’t been Spanish for a certain number of generations (I don’t know what Mr. Rajoy’s rule is)—that they aren’t Spanish (even though they are). First- and second-class citizens, the whole shebang.

This isn’t the only racist incident. There are the comments directed at YouTuber IShowSpeed, the exclusion of the Somali referee—whose only “crime” was his nationality—and the bananas and racist insults.

Sports Events as Tribal Arenas

Do these events contribute to this? Not on their own, but they can fuel it. Sports events—especially those pitting different nations against each other—are moments when tribalism, nationalism, and the “us versus them” mentality run rampant. Anyone who doesn’t support their country is a traitor, as I’ve seen for myself. It’s a time for the sworn enemy—who is demonized—and for the rebirth of the tribe. That’s why all dictators, from Mussolini to Videla, have sought to host these events and pay close attention to their teams’ performance.

Nationalist pride, with its exclusionary aspect, is expressed more clearly now than at any other time. Would Mr. Rajoy have said this about an executive, a journalist, or a politician? Probably not. But in the face of a competition between tribes, where the struggle is almost sacred or existential, we do allow ourselves to demonize the opponent and resort to comments of questionable intelligence and humanity.

A Deliberately Biased Accusation

CAUTION: This article is a somewhat biased critique. It tends to overlook the many wonderful aspects of this sport—a sport that promotes integration, diverse teams, and gestures of tolerance and respect—and in which many organizations and clubs have always fought against racism and hatred. The benefits of sports are undeniable, but I want to draw attention here to the negative aspects—to this dangerous slope leading to the harmful ideas we’ve read about this weekend.

The power of events can also be used for good

Events can make the world a better place and foster solidarity, understanding, and acceptance. There are many examples that show how events can contribute to a better world.

Artículo eventoplus

Ocho acciones que contribuyen a un mundo mejor

Descubre iniciativas que demuestran cómo los eventos también pueden generar impacto positivo.

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A powerful tool—for better or for worse

But, like any powerful weapon, they can be used for good or for evil. The temptation to exploit them to exclude, demonize, and build a racist clique is dangerous. Think about whether you’ve ever felt, during a tense moment in a game, a kind of absurd tribal hatred toward an entire nation…

The great causes have not yet been won

The other interpretation—less focused on events and more on social analysis—is that anyone who thinks the great causes will already have been won by 2026 should think again. Homophobia, misogyny, and racism are still so rampant that, in 2026, a former prime minister can write that “people of color, even if they have citizenship, are not one of us.”

Let’s make sure our events promote what’s good. Always.