Twentytwo13

John Lennon’s Imagine heals, but once it’s over, football tribalism returns

In recent weeks, the Italian Serie A league has put together a series of initiatives to show its stand against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as the conflict enters its second month.

The biggest initiative was reserved for the Derby d’Italia between Juventus and Inter Milan on April 4, at the Allianz Stadium.

After the pre-match formalities were over, players and match officials from both teams huddled as Italian-Brazilian singer Gaia, and Ukrainian star, Kateryna Pavlenko (the frontwoman for the band, Go_A) walked to the centre of the pitch.

Holding each other’s hands, the duo gave a heartfelt rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine, accompanied by the haunting piano background music.

As the Juventus and Inter players watched the singers perform, my mind drifted to the footballers who had experienced the harsh realities of war when they were children – Inter’s Edin Dzeko, Ivan Perisic and Marcelo Brozovic. They lived through the ravages of the Yugoslavian wars throughout the 90s.

One player experiencing the current conflict in Ukraine is Juventus goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny, who was seen fighting back tears. His link to the war comes through his wife, Marina Luczenko-Szczesna, who is Ukrainian.

The song and lyrics to Imagine were beautiful, and both performers did justice to it, but the cynic in me felt frustrated.

It was nothing more than just another song, another piece of entertainment; something you play to show your support against the war. If the powers-that-be really cared, there would not have been any wars since Lennon released the song in 1971.

The harsh reality is that while the four-minute performance may have touched some hearts, it would have had very little impact on those who ruled nations.

If there was to be an end to this conflict, the world’s leaders should have risen against it, the moment it happened. As usual, it is the citizens who have to suffer, either directly in the line of fire, or as the daily, and economic consequences take hold and rip apart their lives.

As for football, the moment the song ended, football tribalism once again took over.

For the unacquainted, the Derby d’Italia is one of the most intense affairs in the world of football. This was a game neither side could afford to lose in terms of the league title. Neither set of fans wanted to come out on the losing side, either. For the record, Inter edged Juventus 1-0 in the match.

It was ironic that while the performance by Gaia and Kateryna Pavlenko was “embraced” by fans of both teams, the moment the song ended, a different animal took over as Juventus fans wished “death on Inter”. Inter fans responded in kind.

That’s just football, I guess.

This is the personal opinion of the writer and does not necessarily represent the views of Twentytwo13.