Einleitung

The chapter refers to the question of how far the Cold War has been negotiated by football and its framework. In this context it adresses three aspects in a more detailed manner. First, how and when did European football reach its european dimension? Second, what trajectories have laid the foundations for an increasingly European and transnational orientation, which, apart from conflicts and disputes, characterises European football. And, third, to what extent have these developments contributed to a collective consciousness establishing a framework which can be identified as the collective European football memory or legacy? Collective memory is a representation of the past that is fabricated in the present. In the article the author argues, that sport-related institutions and sport competitions with a high media profile have also played a particular role in the creation of a collective European memory. These key questions will consider both friendly and hostile relationships in European football. Based on a number of case studies, these topics will be explored within three areas in particular with regard to the period from the 1950s to the 1970s: UEFA as an institution, the first club competition at the European level after the Second World War and the creation of the European Nations Cup.