Im Schatten der Vergangenheit: Fußball in den britisch-deutschen Beziehungen

Abstract

The 2002 Football World Cup Finals, described as the most viewed event in television history, raised yet again questions about the realism of continuing to write sport out of International Relations research, and particu- larly to ignore its role in international relationships, such as Britain's relations with Germany. The football field proved another important British-German battleground throughout the 20 th century, and hence the game articulated, mirrored, influenced, and reinforced British perceptions of Germany, especially at the popular and media levels. This trend con- tinues in the 21 st century. Already, three high profile inter- nationals played during 2000-2001 as well as rivalry to host the 2006 World Cup tournaments have illuminated the problematic state of the British-German relationship, in- cluding the manner in which history, most notably world war imagery, imparts an enduring extra-sporting sub-text for the British media coverage of England-German foot- balling encounters.