EURO 2024 as a political arena: Protest, power, identity, and cohesion

Abstract

This article examines the use of EURO 2024 for non-sporting purposes, positioning the event within a broader context of geopolitical change, where power dynamics are increasingly complex, and influence is dispersed across multiple nodes. It provides a critical analysis of the diverse forms of opposition, protest, and dissent that act as microcosms of the socio-political dynamics surrounding the event. Through three exploratory case studies, the research draws on textual data from mainstream media coverage, official institutional records and complemented by highly engaging content from the social media platform X. The findings reveal that sporting events remain expressions of conflict and arenas for political contestation. EURO 2024, both on and off the pitch, exemplifies a Europe grappling with its identity, exposing divisions over political, cultural, and social values, while underscoring the unintentional yet revealing tensions between national and regional narratives in a rapidly changing global order.