Category: Stories
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André Onana: A headache, furosemide and a 12 month drug ban
AFCON 2021 boasts a number of high profile names; Mohamed Salah, Riyad Mahrez and Sadio Mané being some of the major headliners. You don’t need to look too far down the list of stars to see the focal point of this article. André Onana is the Cameroon goalkeeper, notably guarding the nets for European powerhouse…
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La Roja – The Rover
There is absolutely no reason for me to have any affiliation with Chile. The north-west of England bears no resemblance to the south-west of South America. A Chilean’s English may be no better than my Spanish, though it probably is. However, at the tender age of 12 with a VHS on my television highlighting the…
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Interview: CPL Fever
For those who aren’t aware, Canada is possibly the friendliest, most welcoming and inclusive country on Earth. Across the world, football – or soccer – is followed relentlessly and often aggressively. From partisan crowds and hooliganism to vile abuse, the darker side of the beautiful game is not to be celebrated. But, in Canada, the…
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Big Jack: Revered on both sides
On the eve of England’s first major final since Big Jack took to the pitch in 1966 and a year to the day since he died, there is no better time to look back and honour a man revered on both sides of the Irish Sea. With a glint in his eye and a wry…
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When Greeks became Gods: Euro 2004’s epic final
Euro 2020 will go down as one of the more unusual tournaments; spread over 11 host cities from Baku to Glasgow, delayed a year due to the coronavirus pandemic, and countless records tumbled. It certainly wasn’t the first to shock fans though; today we look back at the final of the 2004 edition in Portugal,…
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Allsvenskan Lowdown
The Allsvenskan is not often recognised in Europe despite being the elite division in Sweden, so we decided to outline the format and history of the league, looking at the European history of the teams and notable players to ply their trade in Sweden. Format The Allsvenskan is the top tier of Swedish football and…
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Football’s Coming Home: The swirling enigma of England’s iconic football song
Rose-tinted glasses are wonderful. Those heady days of legging it up from football practice into the playground, desperately scrabbling through the parked cars and wondering faces for a sign of Spain’s penalties; Psycho’s bulging arteries; Uri Geller; back when we actually thought peroxide was the height of fashion, and Karel Poborsky’s wavy unkempt curls most…
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Canadian Premier League profiles: HFX Wanderers
There is an old saying that goes “build it and they will come”. I think Kevin Costner said it best – or words to that effect – but whether it is a field of dreams or a football club, the theory remains the same. It does not always work that way of course. Sometimes you…
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An Ode to Benítez: How do you know, when you know?
How do you know, when you know, how to cook an omelette? It is a question that can raise eyebrows, scrunch noses and help label yourself a nutter if you were to ever utter it to anyone. But it was one that was posed, rhetorically, on day one of Intro to Philosophy and one that…
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Eliteserien Lowdown
Eliteserien is Norwegian football’s first division but is one of the lesser known leagues, so we decided to outline the format and history of the league, looking at the European history of the teams and notable players to ply their trade in Norway. Format The top flight in Norway, Eliteserien has been a 16-team league…
Heart of Football 