Soccer and Democracy

Prof. Asep Saepudin Jahar, M.A., Ph.D.

Rector of UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta

On Sunday, January 28, 2024 became a historic day for football in the country. For the first time since the Asian Cup event since 1956, the Indonesian national team managed to qualify from the group phase and tread in the round of 16. Although at that moment we failed to beat Australia, the public was quite happy with this achievement. It felt like we had grasped the Asian Cup itself. 

It is undeniable that the achievements in the Asian Cup cannot be separated from the seriousness of the relevant parties in advancing the country's football. Of course, this is not the sole work of Shin Tae-yong, coach of the Indonesian national team, but also the skillful hands of the figure behind football management. The coach becomes the conductor in leading the players to create a structured gameplan to be oriented towards reaping victory. The system runs well when the government parties, including the public, participate in mutual cooperation, both directly and indirectly, in overseeing the work of the elements incorporated in this team. 

Indonesia's achievement on the Asian stage feels special, because in the not-too-distant future, Indonesia will also face a democratic celebration in the form of state elections that will take place on February 14 this year. Although these are two different domains, they are united in one knot, namely in terms of warmth, togetherness and popularity. The paradigms of politics and soccer have an inherent intersection for our country's context, that is currently building a civilized nationhood.

Building a strategy 
Just as a soccer player enters the field with a well-thought-out strategy, a politician also enters the political stage with careful consideration of the surrounding political climate.

This analogy shows how close the relationship between soccer teams and political strategy is. Soccer players observe their opponents, predict moves, and adjust strategies to achieve victory. Similarly, politicians monitor public opinion, gauge political support, and strategize to achieve success in order to gain the support and political position for which they are designed.

When a soccer team competes, they not only rely on the individual skills of the players, but also rely on a pre-prepared strategy. Similarly, politicians do not only rely on their charisma or leadership, but also rely on political strategies learned from previous experiences. They understand that in the game of politics, just like soccer, requires decisions that can change the course of the game.

Also, in a soccer team, there are roles assigned to each player according to their expertise and capabilities to win the game. This is similar to the political structure where politicians have certain roles and responsibilities according to their positions and expertise. Leadership, strategy, communication and execution are key for both entities to achieve victory.

However, political games and soccer matches are also both influenced by external factors that cannot always be predicted or controlled. Field conditions, weather or refereeing decisions can affect the course of a soccer match, while changes in public opinion, government policies or political dynamics can affect a politician's political strategy.

The deadly stab into the heart of the opponent's defense shown by Yacob Sayuri, one of the national team players, when he managed to outwit the Iraqi defenders in the group phase, for example, is a sight that is also often found in national political strategy.

Genial politicians, of course, have unexpected methods in building negotiations with their political opponents who are not always placed as opponents, but sometimes as friends. There will be unexpected possibilities that arise and this is often considered a misstep that may be fatal, because it leads to the defeat of certain political parties or groups that fail to achieve their political goals. 

As good as politics is, it must lead to humanity. We certainly remember the Latin proverb homo homini lupus, which states that humans can become wolves that prey on other humans. A good democracy is not a wild democracy, where hungry wolves prey on each other and kill to survive. 

Political civilization
Ignacio Lago and friends conducted research on the relationship between soccer and democracy and published the results in an article entitled Football and Democracy (2016). They conducted research in almost 50 countries in Europe that have good soccer league management and found that there is an integral relationship between the democratic climate and the passion for soccer league competition. The higher the spirit of fostering democracy, it will encourage good league management and lead to regional and global achievements.

This year's election celebrations are likely to generate euphoria and enthusiasm similar to that of the national team's last-16 achievements. Both events mark important moments in the life of the country and provide an opportunity for people to unite in a spirit of unity and national pride. 

During the election celebrations, Indonesians came together to show their support for democracy and the political process. They come to the polls in high spirits, wearing paraphernalia or using social media to express their support for their favorite candidate or political party. Similarly, when the Indonesian soccer team made it to the last 16 in an international competition, people flocked to support and celebrate the achievement.

On both occasions, a sense of togetherness and unity was felt among the people. Although they may have different preferences or support, at such important moments, these differences are often overlooked in favor of a greater interest, namely the success of the country or the Indonesian soccer team. People unite in the spirit of nationalism, pooling their voices and strength to achieve a common goal.

This year's election is the responsibility of all the nation's children to make Indonesian democracy tested and dignified. Therefore, the election event needs to be supported by all levels of society, both the government and the community. First, the government needs to ensure that all officials work professionally and uphold the concept of direct, general, free and secret elections. 

Second, the community must be actively involved in giving their voting rights in accordance with their beliefs and expectations so that the parties and leaders elected will be able to bring this country more democratic, prosperous and just. The active involvement of the nation's citizens in this election determines the direction of democracy and the success of elections that will be recorded in the gold ink of historical documents. The involvement of all citizens is part of the inherent responsibility of citizens and affects the quality of elections.

Reflecting on football and elections, sportsmanship and honesty have always been the values of national civilization. This year's democratic party is an important momentum in our statehood journey for peace and justice. A flawed democratic party will be a stigma that is always remembered, even sued.

Likewise in soccer, winning by unsportsmanlike means will go down in sporting history. As Ignacio Lago pointed out above, the overall success of our sports is determined by how clean we are in our democracy. The cleaner, more honest and civilized our democracy is, the more successful our sports will be. May the democratic party in 2024 be a winning momentum for the Indonesian people towards equitable prosperity.

(This article was published on https://mediaindonesia.com/opini/651131/sepak-bola-dan-demokrasi on 13/2/2024 13:00)