There was a time when the Football World Cup was a celebration. Families gathered in front of the TV, neighbors celebrated together in public areas, children wore the jerseys of their idols and dreamed of one day standing on the big stage. For a few weeks, it seemed that political barriers, social tensions, and everyday life problems all took a back seat. Football created community unity.
Today, people seem to prepare for major events as if dealing with a natural disaster.
When a city imposes a curfew for teenagers a few days before a world championship, restricts public gatherings, bans fan zones, controls alcohol, prohibits barbecues, and mobilizes additional security forces, it is not the program for a folk festival. That is the scenario of an emergency.
How far have we come?
The irony could hardly be greater. A tournament attracting billions of people worldwide now forces the authorities to implement protective measures as if a hostile army were besieging the city. Instead of eager anticipation, people focus on security plans. Instead of flags and flowers, barriers are erected. Instead of shared excitement, there is debate over curfews for children.
Of course, we are told that the majority are peaceful. Perhaps that is true. But this assertion does not help when a shrinking minority is enough to paralyze the entire city center, vandalize shops, set cars on fire, and attack the police. In the end, others have to pay the price for those damages.
The most bitter thing is that it is the teenagers themselves who have to pay this price. Thousands of decent young people are viewed with suspicion just because a few hundred troublemakers take every opportunity to escalate tensions. Those who want to watch a game peacefully with friends at night are treated like potential troublemakers. A society locking up teenagers to protect other teenagers from their own peers shows a remarkable picture of its condition.
And yet, it is hard to blame those responsible. What should the mayor do when every major event carries the risk of riots? Ignore it? Hope for the best? Wait and see? Political leaders now no longer react to sports but only to the violence that accompanies it.
Perhaps this is the real tragedy. The curfew is not the problem. It is merely a symptom.
The problem is a society that has succeeded in turning an entire football match into a serious security issue.
In the past, before the World Cup, people asked: “How far will our team get?” Nowadays the question is: “How many forces need to be mobilized?”
That alone says a lot about the state of modern times more than any police statistics.