Top of the world, Ma!
Buenos Aires may have the fiercest derby in the world, Glasgow the most bitter and Milan the most glamorous, but Bolivia’s own El Clásico is unquestionably the highest. On April 20, city rivals The Strongest and Club Bolívar meet at the national Estadio Hernando Siles in their native La Paz. Will Fulford-Jones scaled the Andes […]
Resurrection derby
When Parma face Bologna this Sunday, it won’t be any ordinary Derby d’Emilia. The men of the cross striding out against their age-old regional opponents will be playing for a European place for the first time since 2007. Kate Carlisle visits the city of opera, prosciutto and Parmesan cheese to chat to fans in the […]
Take the high road
With the Glasgow and Edinburgh derbies in disarray for 2014-15, further north their Highland counterparts are showing what can be done when supporters come first. Tom Gard treks to Inverness and Dingwall, homes of Caledonian Thistle and Ross County, who face each other this Friday in the last Highland Derby of the season. Scotland’s own […]
Indian summer
In cricket-mad India, soccer has always been a hard sell. Now a revolution is afoot, not in the football hub of Goa but in booming, tech-friendly Bangalore. Paul Dharamraj reports from this business-friendly city where recently launched Bengaluru FC look set on winning the I-League title in their first season. In India’s silicon valley, […]
Winning with kids
Older Manchester United fans may remember Pécs, then Pécsi Munkás, who provided the club’s first European opposition post-Heysel. Despite grave financial uncertainty, Pécs are now challenging for Europe again thanks to a dynamic young side. On the eve of their game at champions elect Debrecen, Peterjon Cresswell visits the club based in the Socialist-era surroundings […]
The grapple for the Big Apple
Three professional clubs by 2015, a fans’ bar that attracts up to 5,000 aficionados of a busy Saturday and a thriving ethnic park football scene – these are exciting times for the game in New York. On the eve of MLS 2014, Red Bulls, Cosmos and NYCFC are highlighted by US-based soccer blogger Ian Thomson. […]
From Camacha to CR7
Cloudy with a chance of meatballs could describe a visit to inaccessible Nacional da Madeira, whose steeply elevated stadium and modest restaurant stand opposite the football academy opened by old boy Cristiano Ronaldo. Peterjon Cresswell visits Madeira with its CR7 Museum, century-long rivalry and unique role in Portuguese soccer history. Oh, and the world’s largest […]
No beer for the Dnipro boys
While their counterparts in Kiev and Donetsk might guzzle Baltika or Obolon by the bucketload, fans of FC Dnipro Dnepropetrovsk eschew alcohol for a fit lifestyle and beer-free support of their favourites. Before Tottenham arrive for their Europea League fixture, Peterjon Cresswell visits the place that used to make space rockets for the Soviet Union […]
Parrillas, piranhas and Lionel Messi
Rosario is home to Argentina’s fiercest fish, fieriest derby and finest steaks. It also produced Lionel Messi. Ruth Jarvis visits his favourite restaurant and checks out a long-running exhibition dedicated to the history of the local game and its cross-city rivalry. The story is still told in his home town of Rosario, Argentina. Lionel Messi’s […]