« We are football » ... even if we’ve never kicked a ball, even if we’ve never been interested in the sport ?

That’s the idea ! It may be a bit ambitious, but the idea behind the provocative title is that everyone is involved with football; especially those who hate the sport. We cannot ignore the fact that football is the most popular sport in the world : have people already forgotten that more than a billion viewers watched the final of the last World Cup ? The prevalence of football is because it’s much more than just a sport. Rather than talking about the game itself, its rules and its history, the exhibition highlights the value of examining European and Mediterranean societies through the prism of a football. Along the way, we look at passion, religion, the feeling of belonging, violence, gender, politics and economics...

We are all football! And we have had a lot of fun in the exhibition. For example, right at the entrance, the visitor has to pass through an « anti-foot locker » : a cloakroom where we forget our old ideas, in other words all of our preconceived notions about the sport. It is about « washing away old ideas », rediscovering the kid who watched his mates kicking the ball around, and shared the joy of victory with his father ... We are football because football is a universal sport. No matter where in the world you are, it brings people together. When I was a war reporter, I had a fool-proof « password » that I used to break the ice with civilians or military personnel : « I’ve come Marseille, where Zidane’s from ». Just that started the conversation right away ! In Southeast Asia, I asked, « do you support Arsenal, Chelsea or Liverpool ? » In Spain : « do you support Real or Barça ? » Football is a culture that is shared by all the peoples of the world.

How is football a relevant subject for the Mucem ?

For a people’s museum, it’s obvious that we should talk about football. As the philosopher Jean-Claude Michéa reminds us, football is the perfect way to understand the contradictions of modern liberal society. Not only is it a popular sport, it’s also one of the biggest businesses in the world. It is a sport based on camaraderie, but also reflects the social and gender inequalities of our time. It is basically an « amateur » sport, but has become one of the key elements of our entertainment society. Football is therefore a reflection of contemporary society, where everything can be bought and sold, even a player, or a match !

Making football the theme of an exhibition isn’t obvious. Some people will think that football is just an epiphenomenon, unworthy of a museum ... We want to make it clear that this sport necessarily reflects a societal and political reality. As Florent has pointed out, football provides a snapshot of society, and its increasing commodification has clouded our vision, has made us forget the basic emotions it evokes. Our message is that it is necessary to return to these basics, to understand football as a time to share. If we adopt the utopian idea that football is a common good that is needed for the construction of society, we must protest against the commercial and financial appropriation of popular passions.

It is specifically in order to « get back to the basics » that you have gone « into the field » in several Mediterranean countries to carry out collection-surveys and meet people who live this passion on a daily basis ?

The aim was to show that « supporterism » is a leisure activity practiced by many people. We needed to take this « football culture » seriously, to consider it as a social fact, to investigate it, to document it, and to collect objects and testimonies. Four researchers (Abderrahim Bourkia, Christian Bromberger, Sébastien Louis and Ljiljana Zeljkovic) went to meet supporters in several countries (Algeria, Tunisia, Israel–Palestine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, France and Spain). We also contacted all of the groups in Marseille, and we quickly came into contact with the Commando Ultra 84 and the « Old Guard », the old guys, the ones that started supporterism in France. We collected scarves, flags, banners, stickers, fanzines, T-shirts, photos ...

Everything that represents the material culture of supporterism and the « ultras » movement. Among one of the most remarkable pieces is a box of horns, made in 1972 by an Italian ultras group (Ultras Latina 1972). It was equipped with two car batteries, connected to eight Fiat 500 klaxons ! What a way to wake up a stadium! Another remarkable object is the banner belonging to the Ultras Verde Leone who are supporters of Mouloudia in Algiers ... And the hundreds of photographs taken on the ground. As for the « hooligans », we collected an iron bar used by Russian and English supporters in the rue Fort Notre-Dame in Marseille, during the fighting that broke out in the margins of Euro 2016.

In the relationship that supporters have with their passion for football, are there characteristics that are specific to the Mediterranean ... and Marseilles ?

If there is a particular Mediterranean characteristic, it is undoubtedly the ultras movement, the counterculture that was formed in Italy in the 1960s and spread very quickly throughout the rest of Europe. In France, the first association was founded in Marseille in 1984. At the end of the 1990s, the movement jumped across the Mediterranean and began to expand into Tunisia, Morocco, Algeria, Libya, Egypt, Israel and Palestine.

It is true that in Marseille, football is experienced more intensely than elsewhere. There is this famous 44th minute, on 26 May, 1993, when the city capsized in emotion as it planted its flag on the European planet. Beloved Marseilles was at last recognized when it reached the European summit. Olympic Marseille and its fans will remain « always the first » to have won the Champions League. The other specific characteristic of Marseille is the anti-fascist and anti-racist claims of supporters.

How is the exhibition organized ? What are its main themes ?

After the introductory « anti-foot locker », the visitor literally enters a football stadium, under the terraces; the scene was designed by the artistic directors Democracia. The first part addresses the theme of « Passion », in all its dimensions: from close-up, through the city, to the nation. We are interested in the relationship between football and religion—we try to understand ultras culture and what sets it apart from hooliganism. The theme of the second part is « Commitment ». Here, we present the links that unite football and politics. We want to understand how this popular culture has been used in recent political history and how, on the other hand, players have been able to seize the power of football to put forward other ideas. Here, the visitor enters what we call the « agora », a miniature stadium that we hope will provoke a debate—reminding us that the stadium is also a public place.

« The transfer market » is the theme of the next part. Here, we continue to trace the history of football
from an amateur to a professional sport, up to the transfer market. There is a room where marketing posters
are displayed next to posters advertising films, and 45-inch records. The idea is to show how football merchandise
was born, manifested in the manufacture of these objects. The exhibition then exposes the visitor to
the dark side of present-day football : corruption and financial interests. Here, we ask the question of whether
football has to win at all costs ? The last section offers visitors a more positive view of football, by reminding
them that it can still be a world where camaraderie and citizenship are important. Its future only depends on
what we decide to do with it.