Football's various and selective lessons from an ugly week

On the pitch, it was yet another exciting and wonderful week of football. Lionel Messi’s spectacular dribbling abilities were on display against Atlético Madrid, while Manchester City continued their dominant romp through the early stages of the Premier League season. But two other events had a more negative tone, and it is interesting to observe the different aftershocks.

This past weekend, the Copa Libertadores final could not start its second leg, as South America’s most prestigious tournament descended into violence. River Plate supporters attacked a Boca Juniors bus, setting off a chain reaction of problems that ultimately cancelled the game on two separate days. The fixture is expected to eventually be played in the coming weeks outside of Argentina.

The scenes prompted a multitude of editorials and “think-pieces” from many websites and publications, condemning what viewers saw. It was certainly a black-eye for Argentine football and cast a dark cloud over what was supposed to be a thrilling meeting between the two biggest clubs in the country.

On Tuesday evening in the UEFA Champions League, supporters of AEK Athens and Ajax clashed in Greece ahead of their group-stage meeting. Scenes of Molotov cocktails being hurled into sections of fans created frightening images. Reports of individuals performing Nazi salutes may have started it all off, dragging the night into an even darker realm. Ultimately, it was a sad evening.

However, right there is where it somehow feels different. The following day did not feature referendums about the future for Greek and Dutch football, asking questions of “how do we fix this?”. Yes, Tuesday was not the final of a major tournament, but it produced the type of imagery that should spark serious debate. This is not an attempt to make either incident look “better” than the other, but it makes one wonder where the role of media falls here.

If Tuesday’s events had involved clubs such as Real Madrid, Manchester United or Bayern Munich, would the coverage and outrage be the same? Absolutely not, and it appears in some ways that the state of football in Argentina was a simpler aspect to question. There are problems throughout the sport, and one continent or country is not the perfect example for everyone. Anytime massive groups are brought together by the passion and tribalism of football, there can exist potential issues.

UEFA will likely hand out bans in some way following Tuesday’s match in Greece, but is there really any lesson learned here? We as fans gave plenty of thought to how River Plate and Boca Juniors have put a stain on the Copa Libertadores. Perhaps there are similar lessons to be found in the Champions League as well.

We are a society that is triggered by others, launching into those who oppose us. It is an area of life that has made politics a taboo subject amongst friends and co-workers and has created an enormous amount of hostility in daily life. Who is right and who is wrong can be a silly topic, especially when all have our flaws. When something happens that should be addressed immediately, we shouldn't have to hope it gains the proper response.

Football and the countries where it’s played is no different. Unfortunate events need to be teaching moments so that the game as a whole can progress and evolve. These moments can pop up almost anywhere, not just in far-off areas where one particular battle grabbed everyone’s brief attention.