A long history of self-control in football
"Look how angry Pep Guardiola becomes when a player receives a yellow card for protesting or trash-talking. The team and players are expected to exercise self-control," says Dominik Döllinger.
Modern football is quite different from the game that was organised in England in the 19th century. However, the ideals of self-control over the body and emotions, along with maintaining discipline, remain evident today, just as they were when the church and the industrial middle class shaped the rules of football. This is according to Dominik Döllinger, researcher in sociology at Örebro University.
"The ideal remains not to lose your composure: you’re expected to show emotion but not cross the line. Look how angry Pep Guardiola (manager of Manchester City) becomes when a player receives a yellow card for protesting or trash-talking. The team and players are expected to exercise self-control. That was one reason why the church and the elite supported the development of football as early as the 19th century,” says Dominik Döllinger, researcher in sociology at Örebro University.
At this time of year, thousands of Swedes head to stadiums across the country to watch football matches in the women’s Allsvenskan (which kick off this weekend) and the men’s Allsvenskan (next weekend), as well as all the other leagues. But the idea that football would become a spectator sport was not the intention when the rules and organisations were established in the 19th century.
Preparing for a modern society
"When football started to establish itself in elite schools in England, it was meant to prepare the children of the upper classes for lives in bureaucracy and business. That's where modern football originated – as a way of shaping individuals for contemporary society. This suited the church, which founded many clubs, including Aston Villa and Everton,” says Dominik Döllinger.
In a recent scientific article, Dominik Döllinger explores the characteristics of football as it first emerged. He uses the term ‘ascetic athleticism’ to describe the cultural shifts that drove the development of rules, organisations, and rational frameworks for the sport. Originally a violent and rough game played on streets and fields, football was rooted in the working class and quickly grew into a major spectator sport. It soon became professionalised.
Children’s football retains traces of old ideals
"I coach my son’s team, and in children’s football, it still largely aligns with traditional ideals: winning shouldn’t be the main priority, you shouldn’t provoke others by becoming overly excited, and understanding the rules is important. The football I teach is probably closer to the principles of ‘ascetic athleticism’ than to elite football,” says Dominik Döllinger.
Dominik Döllinger played top-level football as a young man and planned to continue earning his living as a footballer for a long time. He has played with – and against – many members of the generation of German world-class players who won the World Cup in 2014. He sees several similarities between Swedish and German football.
Similarities between German and Swedish football
“In Germany, football is the major sport and, together with the church, one of the two most influential institutions in society, especially in rural areas. Just as in Sweden, clubs are run by their members, and the level of support in the stands and around the clubs is quite similar,” says Dominik Döllinger.
Dominik Döllinger’s favourite club is Borussia Dortmund, one of Germany’s major member-based clubs, renowned for its standing terrace, ‘the Yellow Wall’, which energises the team during matches.
Text: Björn Sundin
Photo: Jerry Gray
Translation: Jerry Gray