The Times of London in 1985: “A slum sport played in slum stadiums, and increasingly watched by slum people.”
Ian Plenderleith
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Germany’s vibrant second division points the way to a two-tier MLS
It’s precarious, but it’s wild and exciting, as sports are supposed to be. The fans are loyal and loud in hard times.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
VAR’s next step: even more interventions, or plain abolition?
The German Bundesliga discovered yet another drawback to the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) this past weekend.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Refereeing: ‘correct’ analyses of decisions are not always the best ones
Here we are discussing these incidents months afterwards, and still no one agrees what really was the best call.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
European Cups: explaining them doesn’t get any easier
This week, European competitions started in earnest after two months of qualifying rounds to weed out all those bothersome teams.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Beware ‘dynamic pricing’ — the next trend to shame the game
There’s an argument that this is capitalism in perfect working order.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
‘Freed from desire’ for FIFA’s bloated Club World Cup
Gala’s Freed From Desire, one of the most annoying songs of all time, will be the tournament’s official anthem.
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Olympic Soccer: a strange beast in need of reform
Despite the cruel schedule, usually played in mid-summer heat, squads are limited to 18 players.
Posted inSoccer America Daily
Direct to Goal! The case for Marseille’s core philosophy
Droit au but. Direct to goal. Wherever you go in Marseille, there’s no escaping the phrase that adorns the logo of the established top-flight team, Olympique. It’s all over the walls in a city where soccer graffiti seems to be the unofficial décor, a sky blue and white color scheme that peps up weathered Mediterranean […]
Posted inSoccer America Confidential
Refereeing: Germany adopts Euro 2024’s ‘captains only’ rule
The overall result was: quicker restarts, no mobbing of the referees, and an overall improvement in the tenor.