Category: Tournaments
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AFCON 2021 Coverage: Shoddy Sky Sports
At 15:50 today (11 January, 2022), Sky Sports Main Event were showing a show called One2Eleven, featuring Héctor Bellerín. Some people enjoy these shows. Whatever. They’re fine. If this was some run of the mill Tuesday afternoon in January then I could definitely see myself filling up a couple of minutes with this ‘entertainment’. It…
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AFCON Interview EXCLUSIVE with Uri Levy
Arguably one of the most misunderstood and disrespected international tournaments, the Africa Cup of Nations kicks off amidst the all-too predictable swirl of sneers and misconceptions. To help us dissect the meaning and nuances of Africa’s grandest stage we spoke to Uri Levy, founder of Babagol – the legendary football content Mecca – and correspondent…
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AFCON 2021 Round Table: Winners, memories and controversies
The Africa Cup of Nations is upon us again and this year feels like the microscope is prying even closer on this tournament. In the English Premier League, several coaches have voiced their opinions on losing key players to the in-season competition, while the idea of even hosting the competition in January has caused much…
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Euro 2020 Round Table: The aftermath
It’s probably safe to say Euro 2020 has been a tournament like none other for so many reasons, but in the end we got there! Records tumbled, borders were crossed many times over, and Football FINALLY/ALMOST came home… Our panel discussed how our pre-tournament predictions went – some monstrous ones in there – the biggest…
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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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The timeless inspiration of Giorgio Chiellini
Giorgio Chiellini is not a modern footballer – not if we consider a modern footballer to be an all-singing, all-dancing, multi-tool. A modern footballer should be able to play center-back, wing-back, central midfield, winger, number 10 and probably make the half time snacks as well. Technically proficient, ultra-fit, super strong and mega quick, the modern…
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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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England vs Sweden Euro 92 – Lineker Substituted
Euro 92 was one of the more extraordinary championships, not least for the eventual winners Denmark only joining a matter of days before the first match when Yugoslavia were expelled. It was also the last finals with just eight teams before the tournament doubled in time for Euro 96, but one match will stand out…
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Russia, the Euros and Me
When you get rejected by a budget supermarket chain for a shelf-stacking job, you know it’s time to switch focus; that was my position 12 years ago after finishing journalism college, so I looked abroad for opportunities. I knew nothing of Russian culture or the football other than the UEFA Cup wins in 2005 and…
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Euro 2020 Round Table: Winners, dark horses, flops, top scorers, fondest memories
With what will surely go down as one of the more unusual European Championships after the year-long delay due to the global pandemic, not to mention the pan-continental set-up with games played from Azerbaijan to London, we sat down to discuss the key names we expect to turn up. Bryan Moore, Jack Wills, Andrew McAlister,…
Heart of Football 