Football
All topics-
Egyptian football
Sun god, star, Mo Salah
Just weeks before the start of the FIFA World Cup, excitement in Egypt has reached fever pitch. What's causing the mania? The Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, currently tipped as the best football player in the world. By Bachir Amroune
-
Soft power and football
Qatar vs. UAE: The not-so-beautiful game
In the race to buy influence, garner soft power and win over hearts and minds, those involved in the three-month old Gulf crisis are hell-bent on raising the stakes. Commentary by James M. Dorsey
-
The Kurdish football club Amedspor
"Disciplinary measures are unfortunately part of our team identity"
Despite fielding a succession of repressive measures, the Third-League club Amedspor from Diyarbakir is clocking up the sporting victories. For Kurdish fans from Istanbul to Hakkari, the team represents a beacon of hope in difficult times. By Sonja Galler
-
World Cup 2022 and Qatari reforms
So much hot air
In a world where human rights are increasingly being put on the backburner, fears are growing among rights and trade union activists that Qatari promises of labour reform and greater liberalism are just that – mere promises. By James M. Dorsey
-
The UEFA Cup 2016
The Teutonic preoccupation with race
For the UEFA Cup in France, the German national football team bus has been emblazoned with the slogan "Vive la Mannschaft" or "Vive la team". At the same time, members of this team suffer public racist abuse. By Rene Wildangel
-
Football fan protests in Turkey and Egypt
Closed ranks
Battles for control of stadiums and other public spaces in Turkey and Egypt have pitched militant football fans against authoritarian leaders. By James Dorsey
-
Egyptian soccer stadium deaths
Black day for the "White Knights"
Three years after the Port Said catastrophe, Egyptian soccer has again been hit by tragedy. At least 22 fans were killed in a stampede and clashes with police outside a stadium in the capital on Sunday, 8 February. Background details from Karim El-Gawhary in Cairo
-
Soccer as a force for integration
Success through diversity
Mesut Özil and his team colleagues not only represent multicultural Germany: they also serve as popular role models within German society. This shows that football should be afforded greater recognition as a force for integration, says Shohreh Karimian