Sports should not be tainted by chauvinism

The Red Devils, the cheering squad for the Korean soccer team, placed a large banner reading, “A people that is oblivious of past history has no future,” as they rooted for the national team as Korea played Japan as part of the East Asian Cup championship at Jamsil Stadium in Seoul on Sunday.

The Ultra Nippon, the cheering squad for the Japanese team, waved the Flag of the Sun, which is used as the military flag of Japan’s Self-Defense Force and is imprinted in the minds of Koreans as the symbol of Japanese imperialism. During the match, the banner was removed and the flag was forfeited. Both acts were committed due to lack of consideration of the other’s position.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, who serves as the spokesman for the Japanese government, protested against the Red Devils’ banner, saying “I extremely regret it,” but stop short of mentioning the use of the Flag of the Sun by the Japanese cheering squad. The Japanese spokesman should know that the flag is a symbol that reminds Koreans and Chinese of Japanese imperialism. The Japanese government recommended its nationals to not take the Flag of the Sun to the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Ultra Nippon may claim that it has been customarily using the flag at its national team’s soccer matches, but they should not use it when Japan plays Korea or China. The phrase in the Red Devil’s banner “A people that is oblivious of past history has no future,” which quotes Shin Chae-ho, an independence fighter during Japan’s colonial rule, is rather mild when compared with belligerence exuded by a military flag such as the Flag of the Sun. But just like use of a military flag implying imperialism is seen provocative in sports, historical expression that could anger other countries is inappropriate as well.

In the World Cup qualifiers in 1970, conflicts between fans of El Salvador and Honduras escalated into a war. Matches between national teams have led to violence and conflict, if not into a full-blown war, in not a few cases. Korea, China and Japan, which are embroiled in hostile relations in the past, should be extra careful to not instigate the sentiment of other people. At the AFC Asian Cup finals in 2007, Chinese fans sang the Chinese national anthem while the Japanese national anthem was played in protest against distortion of Nanjing Massacre in Japan’s history textbooks, an incident that sparked controversy. At the London Olympics last year, the Japanese cheering squad waved the Flag of the Sun at the semi-final match, and Park Jong-woo of the Korean national team staged a “Dokdo ceremony.” A similar incident has happened in less than a year apparently due to deep-rooted antipathy over past history between the two countries.

It is not possible to explain why matches between countries draw keen attention without considering patriotism. But cheering based on chauvinistic patriotism is prone to tainting sports with politics. Sports should be enjoyed as sports. It advised that the Japanese cheering squad waves the Flag of the Sun and that the Korean cheering squad criticizes the act itself. But it would be better to refrain from taking action of their own and polluting sports with politics.