The Azerbaijani was his generation’s greatest player – now he wants to be its greatest coach.   For football-loving Azerbaijanis, Gurban Gurbanov is best remembered as a footballer for his double strike against Serbia and Montenegro in Podgorica in 2003 and was named the best player of Azerbaijan in that year.    His persistence as…

August is here, beautifully prepared turf at stadia across countries, clear blue-sky mixes with sizzling hot temperatures and long summer evenings. It’s the time of year again when the European football season rolls into town after a summer’s break.   New signings, new managers, new targets & new expectations fill stadia everywhere amongst fanbases. Pre-season…

The English league pyramid is a beautiful thing. All it takes is for a group of dedicated, loyal individuals to create something so special that works its way up from the local park to the oldest cup competition in the world.    Hilltop Football Club have done just that. What started as a group of…

In January 2015, The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe published a report by Michael Connarty titled, ‘The Reform of Football Governance’. This report sought to both examine and expose the alleged corruption which led to Qatar’s successful bid in December 2010 to host the 2022 World Cup.   That success caused consternation amongst…

It has been over a decade since Rangers hit their lowest of lows; the club’s financial mismanagement had finally come back to haunt them and The Rangers Football Club Plc was liquidated, relegating the Gers to the fourth tier of Scottish football with seemingly no path back to the top.   Yet on the 17th…

Nilton Santos, Garincha, Jairzinho, Alemao, Didi and more. What do you think of when those names come up? Obviously Brazil, but which club did they play for? During various times throughout history, they have shone for arguably the best or at least the most decorated National Team in football history. But who did they shine…

Just this week, Liverpool blocked Mohamed Salah from participating in the eagerly anticipated Olympic games in Tokyo, leaving the Egyptian FA frustrated. Despite Shawky Gharib, the Egyptian national team manager, claiming that Salah wanted to play but it was just Liverpool who refused. “Salah was a key player in my plans but the club refused…

On Friday, April 30, 2021, FC Istiklol became the first-ever Tajik club to reach the knockout stages of the Asian Champions League. This capped off a dream debut in the competition for the Dushanbe-based side on a night of confusing and conflicting emotions; Istiklol were beaten on the night by Uzbekistan’s AGMK in a frustrating…

In the last couple of years, Ghanaian football has endured a challenging rebuilding process. Local football structures are being closely examined and changes are being made in order to ensure a more robust footballing ecosystem for the future. Although a majority of the restructure has occurred at the national federation level, there have been quite…

There are millions of young boys and girls all over the world who dream of becoming professional footballers. They want to play the sport they love, and they want to earn the wages that being a footballer brings so they can provide for their families.    Some people see those dreams as a money-making opportunity.…