Football, Propaganda and International Relations under Francoism: The 1960 and 1964 European Nations Cup and Their Impact on the International Press

Abstract

The image projected by Franco’s regime during the 1960 and 1964 European Nations’ Cup via the international press, showed the strong internal contradictions that existed within his governments. In addition, the role played by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs in this process and the importance of football in Franco’s foreign policy were part of a new diplomatic policy initiated in the early 1960s. The negative impact on the international press of the regime’s decision to refuse to play against the Soviet Union team in the first edition of the 1960 European Nations’ Cup, impaired the political interests of the dictatorship. Four years later the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was able to convince Franco’s government of the benefits that holding this tournament in Spain would offer to the foreign image of the regime. The new strategy of using the politics of sport served Francoism as a counterpoint to the fierce criticism that the repressive policies of the dictatorship were receiving from certain areas of international popular opinion.