This article shows how German players are reaching the pinnacle of their careers just as the World Cup is coming around again. Neurer’s upsetting of Spanish icon Iker Casillas’s five year reign over the award demonstrates how Spain’s aging national team is losing its grip on the world stage.
This TIFO focuses on Football Against Racism in Europe or the FARE Network. The FARE network is a dedicated group of NGOs, player Unions and Leagues which act to erase racism from soccer through campaigning and events throughout Europe. FARE focuses many of its efforts in Central and Eastern European countries where racism at football events has become an increasingly prevalent issue.
Here is the article, “More than ever, Barca more than club for Catalans.”
I chose this article because I want explore the tensions between the distinct regions of Spain, specifically Cataluña and Paìs Vasco, and the central government as seen through soccer. This article does a great job of explaining the history of the Barcelona football club and the relationship it has had with nationalistic tendencies for the Catalans. In the past, it has been used as a catalyst of the Catalan movement, like how they used the stadium as a place to speak Catalan while under the regime of Franco. It’s really cool to see that this relationship has continued, as seen through this quote from the article, “tens of thousands of Catalans in the city at the heart of their separatist movement chanted in unison: “Independence!”” (AP)
This article I found discusses the player Eusébio da Silva Ferreira who was born in Mozambique before the country was independent and played soccer for a Lisbon club team along with the Portugal national team.
Also despite being from Africa he was voted European player of the year in 1965. The article discusses the impact he has had on soccer in Mozambique and Africa and how his career blazed the trail for African players to play for European clubs.
This TIFO shows one of the many commercials used in the ‘Stand Up, Speak Up’ campaign launched in 2005 by Footballer Thierry Henri and Nike. The campaign fights to bring attention to racism in professional soccer and calls upon fans to help fight against this increasingly growing trend.