About this episode

The episode explores the intersection of religion and football, highlighting how faith influences the sport and its players.

From idolising players to faithfully following a club, football is often described as the world’s secular religion. But religion has long been woven into the fabric of the game itself. From the sectarian roots of Glasgow’s Old Firm rivalry between Catholic Celtic and Protestant Rangers to Diego Maradona’s infamous ‘Hand of God’ goal against England in 1986, faith has repeatedly shaped football’s biggest moments. This year’s World Cup has offered plenty more examples. Players have prayed openly during matches; images of Lionel Messi as a saint have appeared at Argentina games; and Muslim footballers have performed the sujood on the pitch after victory. Meanwhile, following Brazil’s earlier-than-expected exit, some distraught supporters blamed the country’s rapid growth of Protestantism, lamenting: ‘If we pray like a gringo, we play like a gringo.’ So how has religion shaped the world’s most popular sport? And why is Christianity becoming increasingly visible in modern football? Produced by Patrick Gibbons & Oscar Edmondson. Become a Spectator subscriber today to access this podcast without adverts. Go to spectator.co.uk/adfree to find out more. For more Spectator podcasts, go to…

People in this episode

Hosts: Patrick Gibbons, Oscar Edmondson

Topics covered

• football
• religion
• Christianity
• culture
• society

Keywords

• football
• religion
• Christianity
• World Cup
• Maradona
• Celtic
• Rangers
• Messi
• Protestantism

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Celtic, Rangers

Places: Argentina, Brazil

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