YOU CANNOT blame Newcastle United fans for being over-excited – the Mike Ashley era is over, the prospect of unprecedented success has arrived on Tyneside and the Toon may finally join the elite band of clubs that currently dominate Europe. … Continue reading Newcastle United and Saudi Arabia: Football is only part of the problem
FOOTBALL continues to be divided over the timing of fans’ return to the stadiums. From a business perspective, no paying spectators is a disaster for most clubs, but the game still suffers from the ingrained perception that it is not … Continue reading Covid-19: It’s a political football
BARCELONA fans may be in denial and hoping Lionel Messi stays with the club, but the wheels are already in motion and there will be a host of Messi discussions going on in the boardrooms of the world’s biggest – … Continue reading Lionel Messi and Barca approach a fork in the road
WE LIVE in interesting times. This is often a phrase used to disguise crisis, restrain panic and, invariably, to paint a picture that, despite the rising tide of discontent, “everything’s ok”. Translated, “interesting” means “we are in the deep do-do”. … Continue reading Is it unfair to ask football to entertain and be held to task?
LEICESTER CITY’s 2015-16 Premier League victory was remarkable in many ways, it was a rare moment in time when the status quo in English football was challenged and the most surprising title win since Nottingham Forest won the old first … Continue reading Big city clubs remain dominant
WHEN Russia and Saudi Arabia kicked-off the World Cup, the game was not just between the two lowest ranked countries in FIFA’s rankings, it was also a meeting of the two nations with the worst rating for political freedom among … Continue reading Democratic football party
