football
Euro 2012 Warsaw stadium: once a bazaar hosting pop star popes
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
football, solidarnosc, best of cafebabel.com, poland, society, travel, city planning
Odd ode to Eric Cantona
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'
football, money, economical crisis, 'indignant citizens' movement, economy, housing, france
Roller hockey, tennis and basket ball wins: golden age for Spanish sport
Not everything is in crisis in Spain. Football, basketball, tennis and even roller hockey: Spanish sport seems to be experiencing a golden age
football, sport, europe, hockey, competition, juegos olímpicos, european football championships
Barcelona extends football school to Warsaw
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
‘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
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
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
football, sport, civil society, society, turkey, citizens, istanbul
EU culture capital 2016 Wrocław: 'Bermuda' triangle between Germany, Ukraine and Poland
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
football, cinema, poland, culture, european capitals of culture, wrocław
Belgrade's youth explain homophobia and violence
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, belgrade, corruption, nationalism, kosovo, serbia, politics
Football viewing rights: Europe 1, Premier League 0?
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
football, tower of babel, entertainment, greece, united kingdom, european court of human rights
European sport gay-rometer: spanning the fear
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?
‘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?
football, protest, homosexuality, slobodan milosevic, serbia, politics
Interview with psychic Paul, the German octopus
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
football, world cup, sport, netherlands, germany, best of cafebabel.com, animals
Warsaw wannabe
Dare we call it the new Berlin? The Polish capital's showing off with its edgy art and theatre expos, amidst fancy glass towers which spring up like mushrooms in the otherwise socialist scope of the city. Euro 2012, which Poland co-hosts with the Ukraine, assures a further polishing-up of the international reputation of the eastern metropolis. Meanwhile there's only one neighbourhood to be on the other side of the city on the Vistula; the Amy-Winehouse-statued 'Praga' is an artist and party people hotspot. Five pan-European cafebabel.com journalists analyse 'WaWa' - as the locals affectionately call their city -in the antepenultimate city special edition of our monthly series
Spanish smacker: Netherlands beaten to world cup 2010
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'
football, world cup, netherlands, press review, sport, spain, southern africa
Uruguay vs Europe: what world cup identity?
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?
football, european identity, world cup, italy, sport, identity, netherlands
Why do Germans sing 'Schland'?
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?
football, england, world cup, tower of babel, germany, paris, eurovision
Porn, drugs and Domenech: a Eurovision of World Cup songs
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
football, world cup, italy, raymond domenech, sport, netherlands, germany
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