“Cultural genocide.” Those were the words of Jean-Marie Tjibaou, leader of the Kanak Independence Movement, after the French Government introduced a controversial statute in the territory of New Caledonia in 1988. The law,…
Month: July 2018
Many years later as he faced the firing squad, Commander Andrés Urrego was to remember that distant afternoon when he and his unit had played football with a severed head. That distant…
The date of 16 March 2008 – a cold, dreary day in London – will mean little to most. Thankfully, though, the Premier League was on. With a 2:30pm start time, Fulham…
The namesake of the beach where its first stadium was built, Levante UD is a Spanish football club from the Mediterranean city of Valencia, with over 103 years of history. Although the club…
The rain finally ended and the first players made their way onto the football pitch. The grass field is at least 50 percent dirt, with goals secured to the ground so that…
Much has been written about the Dutch foundations upon which the modern Barcelona has been built. The presence of the great Johan Cruyff remains palpable around the Camp Nou and La Masia.…
Matheus Toscano, a Brazilian art enthusiast and self-taught football artist, is the man responsible for the wildly popular minimalist art project 8bit Football. What began as a self-confessed amateur hobby has, over…
There are two enduring emblems of Leeds United’s title win in 1992. Alongside the quiet authority of Howard Wilkinson, there’s that epochal midfield of Gordon Strachan, Gary McAllister, David Batty and Gary…
A mix of sun and cloud welcomed the thousands of football fans in the hours leading up to the World Cup final in Moscow. France and Croatia supporters exited the Sportivnaya metro…
There have been few images more powerful at this summer’s World Cup than that of Lionel Messi, standing forlorn, disconsolate and alone after Argentina’s chaotic second-round exit to France. Many were quick…
In 2016, Maurizio Sarri memorably said: “If I saw my team defending and counter-attacking after 30 minutes, I would get up and return to the bank because I would not be having…
Moscow and Saint Petersburg are two cities in the same country that have traditionally been rivals. Ask an ordinary Muscovite which city is Russia’s most important and you’ll almost always get the…
Winning the World Cup is a matter of pride for many, but the individual glory is arguably the next best thing when heading out to the finals, and the Golden Boot award,…
Russia’s epic World Cup victory against Spain in the round of 16 unleashed celebrations throughout Moscow that stretched across this massive country of nearly 145 million people and 11 time zones. The…
Since 2013, Zürich-based fine artist David Diehl has been steadily contributing to a passion project of his named Icons, a painted series featuring large and illustrious portraits of many of the beautiful…
Croatia wrestled their independence from the iron grip of Yugoslavia on 25 June 1991. Just short of a month before, on 29 May, one of the early Croatian stars in the era…
Leonardo Da Vinci once said: “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Life is full of complexities, yet success often derives from the simplest of acts. For Kevin De Bruyne, that simple act was scoring…
The World Cup is a stage for players to perform. The greats have all shone there: Pele, Maradona, Romário and Baggio. These names are esteemed champions, although not all have won the…