The recent victory by 'Team Europe' against 'Team USA' in the 2012 Ryder Cup which was played out at the end of September, was leapt upon by Jose Manuel Barroso and the European Commission, who tried to politicise the event by talking of European harmony as the key to success, even as the EU project itself cracks under the weight of its own inconsistencies.
The Ryder Cup was started in 1927 by a British entrepreneur, Samuel Ryder, who bought a cup and helped arrange for a contest to happen between the USA and Britain/Ireland. Unsurprisingly, the US tended to win most of the contests, but in 1979 the British team included the best players from Europe, both from Spain, in order to increase the competitiveness of the Team. And thus, Team 'Europe' was born.
The Commission’s ability to interfere in Sport is based on the Treaty of Lisbon, on Article 165 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union. Lisbon states that the EU shall help develop cooperation between Member States, and that the “Union shall contribute to the promotion of European sporting issues…”, which Barroso has interpreted as trying to use the Ryder Cup for ulterior motives.
However, 'Team Europe' has often seemed to reflect the general situation in the European Union, and especially today: in order to compete in the world, Europe needs Britain. In Germany’s Die Welt newspaper, Michael Stuermer noted correctly that without Britain, Europe would be a “knife without a blade”, and transferring to golf, of the twelve players who went to Medinah in the US, seven are from England, Northern Ireland or Scotland, with the remaining players being drawn from Italy, Spain, Sweden, Germany and Belgium. In other words, including Sweden, Team Europe consisted of eight players who are from countries on the periphery, where the European Commission has least influence.
The Commission's handling of the victory raises numerous questions. The first and most primary is related to why the Commission is trying to politicise a sporting event and use it for cheap public relations? Barroso stated that, in his message to the Team Captain, "You have brought together under the European flag a team of players with many different nationalities, languages and cultures from many different parts of Europe."
Clearly, Barroso does not seem to be aware of the composition of the team, but he then goes on to state "Your victory will be an inspiration to so many people in Europe." Indeed, surely the people of Europe, jobless, unable to buy homes, and faced with having their benefits and social security pulled back permanently, will be deeply inspired. Barroso seems to be unaware of the suffering of the people of Europe, and rather than deal with the real problems of putting food on a table, he and his Commission have sought to try and capitalise on the moves to unite Europe further as a response to the crisis.
These moves are seen in the suggestion that the "…unity of the European team" was a critical factor in the victory, a fact further underlined by Androulla Vassilou, Commissioner for Sport, who added "…Team Europe stuck together in the face of adversity…" If we were to replace the context of 'Golf' with 'financial crisis and debt', then the underlying meaning becomes crystal clear.
And just to finish, Barroso shows his diplomatic tact by highlighting that the victory was against "…such a talented US team…on American soil…" Putting the knife in your great ally is one thing, but Barroso has revealed the driving heart of the Commission: America is a rival the Commission wants to emulate and beat.
