16th Asian Cup Preview: Group B

  SAUDI ARABIA Group B represents a good opportunity for those nations that have not had great success in the tournament before. Only Saudi Arabia has been triumphant in the continental showpiece, winning three times, the last of which was in 1996 during the country’s ‘golden age’. Unfortunately those days seem quite distant to the … Read more

The 16th Asian Cup Preview: Group A

Preceding the other big international events, such as the Australian Open tennis and the African Cup of Nations, to kick-off the year 2015 is the 16th edition of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Asian Cup hosted by first-time host Australia. With the tournament kick-off on the 9th of January the countdown to the opening game, … Read more

Government and fans battle in court and on the pitch in Egypt and Turkey

Egyptian and Turkish soccer pitches are set to re-emerge as battlegrounds between militant, street battle-hardened fans and authoritarian leaders in a life and death struggle that involves legal proceedings to brand the supporters as terrorists and efforts to undermine their widespread popular base. Egyptian fans, barely a week after storming a Cairo stadium in advance … Read more

Militant soccer fans reassert their key role in protest with storming of Cairo stadium

Militant, street battle-hardened soccer fans stormed a Cairo stadium in advance of the second leg of crowned Cairo Al Ahli SC’s African Confederation Cup final against Ivory Coast’s Sewe Sport in a reassertion of the fans’ key role in protest against the regime of toppled president Hosni Mubarak and subsequent Egyptian governments. The storming constituted … Read more

Angry Saudi Soccer Clubs Pinpoint Gulf Labour Market Contradictions

Mounting anger among Saudi soccer clubs at their subjugation to quotas designed to encourage employment of Saudi nationals and reduce dependence on foreign labour illustrates problems encountered by wealthy Gulf countries in balancing the contradictory demands of labour markets, often lopsided demographics, social contracts involving a cradle-to-grave welfare state that creates unrealistic employment expectations, and … Read more

World Cup Stories – Poles Apart 1980

Poland in 1980 was a country where revolution was growing.  In the grip of a communist regime since the Second World War, and mainly ruled from Moscow, many citizens had begun to fight back.  1980 was the year of ‘Solidarity’ and strikes in various shipyards, namely Gdansk in the north, was frowned upon by Moscow.  … Read more

Youth Football: Too Many Geniuses

Long before summer’s first heat wave, temperatures were running hot among the parents of some Indianapolis, Indiana 8-year-olds. A series of gaffes by the young teenage centre official was perceived to have had undermined the ­credibility of the coach of what was “apparently” a gifted-and-talented program for young footballers. This in turn forced families to … Read more

Sponsorship Of FIFA: A New Front In Gulf Political Rivalry

Lurking in the background of world soccer body FIFA’s talks with Qatar Airways to replace its Dubai rival Emirates as a sponsor is the escalating hostility between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates as a result of their divergent attitudes towards political Islam. Officially, Emirates’ decision to end its $200 million relationship with FIFA is … Read more

Mounting Israeli-Palestinians tensions reverberate on the soccer pitch

Mounting tension between Israel and Palestinians on the occupied West Bank and in East Jerusalem have spilt on to Israeli Palestinian soccer pitches in Israel proper as Israel swings towards ultra-nationalists that make Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu look like the best card in a bad hand. Israeli human rights and legal advocacy group Adalah – … Read more