cafebabel.com

Euro 2012 Warsaw stadium: once a bazaar hosting pop star popes

('Catrin',) — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:58:42 -0000

With its roof looking like a waving Polish flag, the national stadium became the newest addition to the Polish capital's fantastic skyline on 29 January. It opened seven months later than planned on the historic banks of the Vistula river but still in time for the 2012 European football championships this summer

Odd ode to Eric Cantona

('Andrew Burgess',) — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 19:21:04 -0000

The Olympic Marseille football club is beginning to form a reputation as the starting block for 'wannabe presidents'. Following in the footsteps of George Weah and his candidacy for the presidency in Liberia, it’s now the turn of Eric Cantona to make his ambitions for high office known, writes one French blogger, 'ASL'

Roller hockey, tennis and basket ball wins: golden age for Spanish sport

('Silvia Alexe',) — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 16:55:25 -0000

Not everything is in crisis in Spain. Football, basketball, tennis and even roller hockey: Spanish sport seems to be experiencing a golden age

Barcelona extends football school to Warsaw

('Annie Rutherford',) — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:45:00 -0000

A year away from the 2012 European football championships in Poland and Ukraine, Warsaw’s city sports director has convinced the football club Barcelona to open the club’s first European football school outside Spain. Young Polish talent will train at the ‘FCB Escola Varsovia’ from the end of October. Barcelona is giving the Poles the ‘know how’ but not the money

‘Allez Calais!’ Historic French football match replayed in theatre

('ZoeBBee',) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:00:00 -0000

‘Come on, Calais!’, a theatrical monologue written by the Italian journalist Osvaldo Guerrieri, tells the story of the amateur football team who played FC Nantes in the historic French cup final in 2000. It’s one in the back of the net for football, as the epic tale of the underdog takes to the stage in Paris

Fenerbahce, Besiktas, Trabzonspor: playtime over for Turkey's big football clubs

('Culturissima',) — Fri, 09 Sep 2011 18:02:06 -0000

For more than a month now a new broom has been sweeping clean the streets of Istanbul – as well as the country's football and armed forces. But who’s wielding the broom? What ‘rubbish’ are they trying to get rid of? ‘Turkey eats dirt’ is cafebabel.com's response to the summer ‘dust up’ by the Turkish authorities. Read the first of three articles in a series on the shake-up of the nation’s football

Being a Beşiktaş football supporter in Istanbul

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:00:00 -0000

There are three big football teams in Istanbul: the aristocratic Galatasaray, the Asian Fenerbahçe and the self-proclaimed ‘people’s team (‘halk takim’), Beşiktaş. The fans of the latter are known to be politically active. The Beşiktaşli, as they are called, stand up for social progress and football integrity

EU culture capital 2016 Wrocław: 'Bermuda' triangle between Germany, Ukraine and Poland

('Peter Robbins',) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 11:14:32 -0000

A snapshot from the Kino Lwów cinema, reflections on a city with various historical names and looking forward to the country's Euro 2012 football championships - debriefing on Wrocław

Belgrade's youth explain homophobia and violence

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 19:00:36 -0000

In a city where more than two-thirds of students harbour dreams of going abroad after graduating, the empty discourses of corrupt politicians can be an efficient detonator for discontent. It’s a capital whose people’s hearts are irremediable divided between Russia and the EU, where violence raids its stadiums and streets

Football viewing rights: Europe 1, Premier League 0?

('Anj',) — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:44:32 -0000

UK LANDLADY USED GREEK SATELLITE FOR GAMES! screamed the headline; a British woman convicted of using a cheap European channel to let her customers watch football. Now the European court of justice is 'on the ball'. Read the story in football expressions

European sport gay-rometer: spanning the fear

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:00:00 -0000

Twelve years after the death of gay British black footballer Justin Fashanu, who committed suicide at the age of 37, homosexuality in sports is still a taboo. European case studies from the no-go area of football to the changing image of rugby and gay-friendly status of tennis

Serbia: football violence, gay pride violence, anti-west violence?

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 11:30:21 -0000

‘The Serbs are experts at shooting themselves in the foot,’ said interior minister Ivica Dacic, after the world watched Serbs riot in the streets of Belgrade and later, Italy. Is it all down to an extreme right burgeoning fear of the west?

Interview with psychic Paul, the German octopus

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 16 Jul 2010 16:15:00 -0000

A slew of tanned, ageing football commentators aside, he was the only one to correctly predict Spain's glory and Germany's shock defeat at the 2010 world cup. He's also an octopus, hatched in 2008, who lives at the Oberhausen aquarium in a North Rhine-Westphalia zoo. Three questions for the eight-armed prophet

Spanish smacker: Netherlands beaten to world cup 2010

('eurotopics',) — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 15:45:16 -0000

They were in the final three times, they lost three times - the Netherlands conceded the Fifa championship to La Roja, who won their first ever title on 11 July. The Spanish, Dutch, Czech and Swedish press urges politicians to learn from the harmonious play of the Spanish team: 'at least in football, Europe is on top'

Euro 2012 in Warsaw: hanging around the stadium

('Emilie Prattico',) — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 16:00:28 -0000

The UEFA football championship kicks off in Warsaw’s brand new national stadium on 8 June 2012. While it prepares to host over 100, 000 fans and tourists, the Polish capital is abuzz with excitement about revealing how far it’s come to the rest of the world

Uruguay vs Europe: what world cup identity?

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 18:41:44 -0000

28 countries out, four left. Uruguay aside, the football championship final will definitely feature either Germany or Spain, one of whom could be facing the Netherlands to contend for a title currently held by Italy. It's not about football anymore though – does this bridge a stronger European identity for those of us on the continent, supporters or not?

Why do Germans sing 'Schland'?

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 11:59:53 -0000

In a week looking to Germany appearing in a world cup semi-final (and maybe a final), the new phenomenon comes in the form of an incomprehensible chant which drops the 'Deut' out of 'Deutschland' – are the Germans too drunk to hail their country?

Porn, drugs and Domenech: a Eurovision of World Cup songs

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 18:29:04 -0000

As the World Cup moves into the next phase – sixteen of the best battle it out for the second round from 26 June – we follow the 2010-featuring European teams in song. Spain, Holland and Germany are EU favourites as runners-up on 11 July, with Brazil or Argentina to win, according to betting agencies

2-0 in Spain-England friendly friendly, but who is more racist?

('Chriomford',) — Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:00:00 -0000

Spanish racism or Spanish humour? Slitty eyed gestures - is it something the Brits fail to get? Anglo-Spanish relations are far from perfect: accusations, aggression and insults fly in both directions. Even before kick-off the bad press Spain has received affected the friendly between England and Spain on 11 February

Brazil vs. Italy and ex-terrorist Battisti: will politics meet football in London?

('Gemma Turner',) — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 10:30:00 -0000

From the front pages to the football pitch. After the controversy surrounding the Italian former terrorist Cesare Battisti, previously a member of the Armed Proletarians for Communism, a political refugee in Brazil, the two countries involved now face each other on the pitch. Two journalists from either side of the Atlantic answer our questions

A Spanish Señorita at the Super Bowl: 'The best part? The adverts!'

('Darren Thompson',) — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:54:19 -0000

The greatest event in American football has little cause to envy its European counterparts: showbiz steals the limelight from sport, seconds are worth a fortune, and tapas are replaced by nachos with cheese. The opinion of a Spanish girl in the States

Football: Iran vs Basque ‘Selección de Euskadi’ or Basque ‘Euskal Herria’?

('Andrew Christie',) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 11:07:08 -0000

The traditional Christmas fixture takes place on 23 December, but which name will the Basques play under? Nationalism, politics and differing takes on history mix with polemic views in a time of sporting crisis

F1, Premier League football and London Olympics hit by crisis

('Tuesday Gutierrez',) — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 17:00:08 -0000

Whilst the NBA acts coolly across the Atlantic, it’s getting a bit hot under the collar in Europe’s traditional sporting industries and upcoming event. Overview

Why boo the French national anthem at a football stadium?

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 10:27:03 -0000

Will revolution soon hit the grandstands of France? After the Marseillaise was booed during a match against Tunisia in October, several politicians expressed their rage. It's a problem which says a lot about society in general

Sweden: Allsvenskan, the last football amateurs

('Waldemar Ingdahl',) — Fri, 19 Sep 2008 15:41:14 -0000

As Europe's footie season kicks off in September, Sweden's premier league winds down

Football: more local players

('David Robinson',) — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 15:07:54 -0000

On 30 May FIFA passed a resolution requiring clubs to have at least six national players on the pitch at the start of a match. There has been an outcry from MEPs in defence of the freedom of movement of workers

Videos: soundtrack to Euro 2008

('Erin Woycik',) — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 07:08:43 -0000

A party is nowt without music, so Euro2008 shouldn’t go without! The creation of music is a powerful tool to encourage teams and ensure a good time is had all year round

Football: fans take over in UK, France and Germany

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 12:00:00 -0000

Faced with Russian oligarchs or American magnates buying out their clubs, some supporters are trying the same tactic out of sheer desperation

Zidanean gods and heroes

('Francesca Reinhardt',) — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 00:00:00 -0000

Football is well known to be the younger brother of classic literature, complete with all-mighty gods, bloody battles, and fallen heroes. One need only think of the last world cup final, when the god of football Zinedine Zidane head-butted the churlish Italian defender Marco Materazzi with the grace of a dying steer, abruptly ending his career right before its pinnacle