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Football is rooted in the social fabric of our everyday lives, past and present, giving it a strong ability to aid political agendas.
Referee Michael Oliver (in blue) is abused by Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon during a 2018 Champions League tie. Afterwards, Oliver and his wife were sent abusive emails and texts, including death threats.
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As Euro 2024 kicks off, the governing body of European football is urgently trying to recruit thousands of new grassroots officials. Is football really in danger of running out of referees?
Volunteers load up a van with food for the next ‘mobile pantry’.
@SFoodbanks
Researchers spent months volunteering with Fans Supporting Foodbanks to see how left-behind communities were fighting food poverty.
Joseph Fiennes Gareth Southgate in Dear England.
Marc Brenner
The play captures the light and dark sides of the beautiful game.
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Racism in football is a reflection of prevailing societal attitudes. When a prominent footballer is racially abused, the impact reaches far beyond the individual.
Declan Rice playing for England.
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The signing of homegrown talent, Declan Rice, will help Arsenal with registration criteria for both the English Premier League and Champions League.
Vinícius Júnior during the game between Valencia and Real Madrid which saw him receive racial abuse and a red card.
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The extent of the abuse suffered by Real Madrid’s Vinícius Júnior shows how enduringly unresponsive the country’s legal system, sporting officials and media have been.
Manchester City on the Premier League winner podium.
EPA/Peter Powell
City have become ‘hybrid monsters’, who can play with any formation and any player combination and still consistently challenge for European honours.
Vinícius Júnior is making the point, but are soccer’s governing bosses getting it?
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Anti-racist programs and fines have failed to end racism in European soccer. Part of the problem is that Black players have little representation higher up the sport’s hierarchy.
Rob McElhenney and Ryan Reynolds in celebratory mood.
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It’s not just Premier League clubs that enjoy the benefits of being in the spotlight.
Red Devils.
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Football club ownership is risky, but the Glazer family have played by their own rules.
‘Cradle-to-grave indoctrination’: West Ham United fans before an FA Cup match at Kidderminster Harriers in February 2022.
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Where once religion was a dominant force in society, now many more people reserve their faith for sport. But could the church use this to build a new following?
Record breaker: Harry Kane celebrates a goal during the 2022 Fifa World Cup.
Rolex Dela Pena / EPA
One psychological explanation for Kane’s successes can be found in the concept of challenge and threat states, which explains why some athletes perform better than others under pressure.
France’s goalkeeper #01 Hugo Lloris (C) jumps for the ball during the Qatar 2022 World Cup quarter-final football match between England and France at the Al-Bayt Stadium in Al Khor, north of Doha, on December 10, 2022.
Jewel Samad/AFP
After Brazil’s exit, who might be on course to win in 2022? Experts crunch 150 years of big data to predict the winner.
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Most boys in football academies do not make it to the Premier League.
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Sport has long been an unsafe place for LGBTQ+ players, but Jake Daniels’s coming out could change things for men’s football.
The documentary fails to accurately portray Sheryl Gascoigne as the victim of domestic abuse perpetrated by her then-husband, Paul Gascoigne.
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
Contemporary fiction on screen increasingly tells the stories of abusive men in a realistic way. This documentary does not.
Bolton Wanderers celebrating promotion to League One in 2021.
Shuttterstock/Jake Kirkman
The fan-led review into the English leagues could be a game changer.
Players from two football teams link arms on the pitch as a giant poppy is displayed by members of the armed forces.
PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo
On-field demonstrations of remembrance and protest are able to harness potent political power.
Ronaldo in 2008. Glory days again?
EPA-EFE
Big names, big gains?