Supervisors info:
Μητροτάσιος Μ., Λέκτορας, ΣΕΦΑΑ, ΕΚΠΑ
Summary:
The purpose of the present study was to investigate the impact of socio-political influences on Cypriot football through anecdotal studies of Cypriot literature and how they influenced its evolution. For the purpose of this study, a bibliographic review of historical, social and political articles was made on the internet, but also through scientific articles. The results of the study showed that the global socio- political circumstances, such as the October Revolution in Russia (1917), the Second World War (1939-1945), and the Cold War (1947-1991) influenced the socio - political developments in Cyprus and then on football. In addition, the many splits that took place on the island throughout the period were also important, with the first split being recorded in 1947, mainly due to the localist differences in Cypriot football.
The second and most important breakdown of Cypriot football took place in 1948, when the political upheavals between right-wing organizations and left-wing organizations in Greece were transferred and penetrated into the political life and sport of Cyprus.
Therefore, by the term "right" or nationalist club in Cyprus we mean the group of people ideologically prefiguring the Greekness of the island and the Greek identity of its inhabitants. On the other side, the term "left" defines the clubs that have the struggle of the working class at the core of their ideology.
The third split occurred in 1955 due to the E.O.K.A struggle, where the C.F.A decided to temporarily suspend the participation of Turkish Cypriot teams in its championships.
In conclusion, the study clearly demonstrates how political-party structures, particularly conservative and progressive perceptions, have used the dynamics of football as a means of consolidating collective identities and the rule of one political force over the other.
This phenomenon is not going to be fully eliminated, but it can be drastically reduced, mainly by systematically cultivating critical thinking, starting from kindergarten and continuing at all levels of education.
