Love wins in Munich

     Leon Goretzka’s 86^th minute equaliser against Hungary during Germany’s final group fixture proved just enough to clinch second place in the daunting group of death, Group F. Whilst the Bayern midfielder’s low-driven strike secured a 2-2 draw and passage into the round of 16, Goretzka’s celebrations sparked more than just a little relief for a game tying goal against lowly opponents Hungary. Goretzka pieced his hands together to create a love heart gesture, directing it toward a cluster of travelling Hungarian supporters behind the goal. Post-game, the 26-year-old shared the image of his celebration with the caption ‘Spread love’, accompanied by the rainbow flag emoji. Goretzka’s brave, and ‘controversial’ celebration was incited by UEFA’s rejection to the DFB (German Football Association) to light up Munich’s Allianz Arena in rainbow colours prior to Wednesday night’s tussle with Hungary. The DFB’s proposal to display the symbolic LGBTQ rainbow colours across the iconic Allianz Arena came in the thick of LGBTQ controversy across both football and European politics.

Hungarian parliament recently passed a law prohibiting the appearance of homosexuality in educational materials within schools and outlawed the appearance of gay people in television shows for those under eighteen years old. Hungary have already banned LGBTQ groups from adopting children or same-sex marriages, this archaic attitude was evident during Hungary’s previous group fixtures where the home crowd in Budapest paraded an ‘Anti-LGBT’ banner. Five days after the first homophobic banner appeared at the Puskas Arena in Budapest, UEFA finally expressed their intentions to investigate what they described as ‘potential discriminatory incidents’. What lights a fuse more, the lateness of the investigation or the word choice ‘potential’ when perhaps ‘blatant’ may have been more apt, is still not quite clear. To pin UEFA against the ropes even further, on Friday 18^th June the European football governing body expressed their concerns against hosting the showpiece final at Wembley stadium unless British quarantine rules could be waived for 2,500 officials to attend the fixture. Where did UEFA have hanging on the line as a reserve to the 90,000 seated Wembley Stadium? Budapest’s Puskas Arena, of course. Three days after the first discriminatory, homophobic banner appeared at Hungary’s national stadium, UEFA announced their willingness to award the venue with the final, estimated to draw well over half a billion viewers worldwide. It’s not only the LGBTQ community that Hungarian football casuals have targeted. Prior to their encounter with world champions France, crowds of Hungarian football supporters gathered outside the Puskas Arena to protest their objection with players taking a knee, a symbol of Black Lives Matter solidarity which has gathered support through the football community within the last year. UEFA continue to tarnish their own reputation by refusing to impose significant repercussions against the hostile Hungarian supporters.

If UEFA’s blind eye attitude towards the bigoted Hungarian crowd wasn’t enough proof for their laissez-faire approach towards discrimination in the beautiful game, their baffling interference with Manuel Neuer’s captain armband confirms things. To celebrate the month of pride and in a show of support for the community Germany captain Manuel Neuer wore a rainbow-coloured armband during his nation’s two opening fixtures, before UEFA intervened and launched an investigation into what they considered a potential ‘political statement’. UEFA’s investigation concluded that the armband was not intended as a political stance, but as solidarity to the LGBTQ community and in was in fact, by their definition, ‘promoting a good cause’, for which ‘the team will not face disciplinary proceedings’. Whilst UEFA’s review returned a positive result the need for an investigation at all earned the governing body even more backlash.

Hungary’s courageous draws with France and Germany in the group of death, and even their stubborn performance with Portugal (0-0 with seven minutes remaining) earned them kudos across the continent, with many neutrals backing them as the fourth worst ranked side in the tournament featuring in undoubtedly the fiercest group. Hungarian backing was bolstered further with the Puskas Arena the only stadium granted 100% capacity at this summer’s finals, naturally, neutrals saw the scores of bouncing home supporters as a sign of progress in the fight against a worldwide pandemic and quickly sided with the enthusiastic supporters. The knee jerk reaction to Hungary’s shock results with both France and Germany are to root for the underdog, understandable with no inner knowledge of Hungary’s inhospitable crowd. But digging a little deeper and discovering that homophobic banners clad the Puskas Arena’s stands, and that groups of Hungarian supporters have condemned not only the rainbow colours but the taking of the knee, this underdog is no longer cute. It would be unfair to cast aspersions on all associated with Hungarian football of course. Although the Hungarian government appear to be on the same antiquated wavelength as the minority of supporters crammed inside the Puskas Arena, thankfully those on the pitch have the knowledge and maturity to understand this everchanging world we all share. Goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi, who happens to play his club football in Germany with RB Leipzig, previously voiced his support for the LGBTQ community on social media. ‘Everyone has the right to equality’ wrote Gulasci, before highlighting the terms, ‘acceptance’ and ‘tolerance’, both of which his country of birth sadly fails to comply with.

Whilst the Allianz Arena in Munich remained bare, white like the German jerseys on the field, stadiums across the country lit up in solidarity with the LGBTQ society and the month of pride. The stadiums of Wolfsburg, Augsburg, Cologne, Frankfurt, Dusseldorf and Hertha Berlin’s Olympiastadion, where in 1936 Jesse Owens sprinted past Adolf Hitler and made a similar statement against oppression, all lit up in rainbow colours to protest against UEFA’s decision. In a country where less than a century ago the notion of an egalitarian society was unfathomable the Germans continue to lead the way for equality. Back in May, Leon Goretzka shared his desire for an active footballer to comfortably reveal their homosexuality whilst he himself is still playing. The Bayern Munich midfielder has been a huge advocate for UEFA’s ‘Equal Game’ campaign, perhaps more so than the governing body themselves. Goretzka’s 86^th minute strike past Peter Gulasci on Wednesday night proved vital for his nations progress in their Euro campaign, but his celebration post was perhaps even more influential. Leon Goretzka’s goal was an equaliser for Germany, but a winner for equality.