On Friday afternoon, BILD broke the news that Ralf Rangnick was set to become Schalke’s Sporting Director for the 2021/22 season and plan for life in 2. Bundesliga as their inevitable relegation looms large. The report highlighted his plans and desire to help Schalke on their way back to the Bundesliga and subsequent success. The…

As made in no uncertain terms by FIFA in their 62-page didactic handbook, for football to remain such an entertaining, fair and accessible sport, integrity must remain one of its cornerstones. In what might be received as somewhat rich due to their own internal history of corruption scandals, football’s international governing body maintain in their…

As far as football fans are concerned, every player is either underrated or overrated, and it’s safe to say John Obi Mikel falls in the former category. The Nigerian midfielder is one of those that were never really appreciated as much in their prime, Mikel’s best years were with Chelsea and even now he’s only…

ښې چارې! ته څنګه يې؟ (Khe chare! Ta tsanga ye?) This is how we greet in Pashto, one of the two official languages in Afghanistan (the other one is Dari, actually a version of Persian). I hope you are fine. Let’s go to Central Asia, in this theme of February, with football topics starting with…

Since it began with Greeks playing pick-up games in the neighborhoods of Istanbul during the Ottoman Empire, football had been and still is the most popular sport in Turkey. As years passed football became a national phenomenon with the foundation of a national league in 1959. During the early dates of the league football fans…

Chelsea youngsters and loan moves away; a story as old as time. A forgotten man in many regards, Gaël Kakuta epitomised Chelsea’s extensive loan policy, and for someone who promised so much, his career nosedived before it had really even begun.   Before their recent transfer ban and the appointment of Frank Lampard as manager,…

你好！你好吗？ (Nǐ hǎo! Nǐ hǎo ma?) This is Mandarin Chinese, the most widely spoken language in the world. I hope you are OK. The last time we officially went to North America, but our destiny was the non-contiguous states conforming the American Union and why they were neglected in US professional football.   This week…

Last Sunday, Tigres de Monterrey defeated Palmeiras (1-0) in one of the FIFA Club World Cup semifinals. They made history by becoming the first club from CONCACAF to reach the final match of this tournament. This was a massive frustration for the ‘Verdaõ’, but most of all was a big disappointment for CONMEBOL. Brazilian football…

Italy’s failure to qualify for the 2018 World Cup under the ill-fated tenure of Gian Piero Ventura is something many Italian football fans won’t forget. Yet it was not the first time they felt the bitter pain of missing out on the world’s premier tournament. That came on a wintry day in January 1958.  …

From Paris to Marseille, the biggest cities in France have perennially been the producers of some of the nation’s greatest footballers. Though the cities themselves get the plaudits, it is mostly the socially and economically forgotten suburbs of these cities where the talent can be found.    The suburbs have harnessed the greatest footballing talents…