Cultured Football #150
Betting on a Spanish Outsider. J League Returns. Multi Club Ownership. Fans Win in Germany. Cult Shirts.
‘Our model gives us a 53% chance to win the league’
By Sid Lowe for The Observer
Professional gamblers have already made their mark in English football, using the information systems they’d built to elevate Brentford and Brighton to the Premier League. Now Haralabos ‘Bob’ Voulgaris is aiming to do the same in Spain with Castellón.
Contenders & Pretenders: Ultimate 2024 J.League Preview
By Scott McIntyre for The Asian Game
Given the constant flow of great players coming out of Japan, I’m often surprised why there isn’t more interest in Japanese football especially compared to other ‘newcomers’ like the MLS. Well, time to change all that and get informed on every team lining up for the new J1 season, including that coached by Harry Kewell.
Multi-club ownership in football is on the rise - and it's a financial and ethical minefield
By and Steve Menary for
I have a thesis which I’ve never really taken beyond some back-of-the-envelope calculation that multi-club ownerships do not make sense on a financial level; that the idea a club will be saving money by developing players at a club in its stable is a myth meaning that those who do so have ulterior motives. This piece by Nick Harris and Steve Menary brilliantly exemplifies what those motives might be. A fantastic, must read.
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Bundesliga scraps major investment deal amid fan revolt
By Matt Ford for DW
If you've seen any Bundesliga games these past few weeks, it is likely that you've also experienced an unexpected stop in play as fans engaged in increasingly creative yet peaceful protest over proposed changes to the structure of the German game. This week came the news that they'd won, ensuring that the German game remains a bastion of the people, rather than businessmen.
Step back and ask: who are we?
By for
A few years back, Venezia FC built a cult following thanks to the creativity around the launch of their club kits. The man behind that design was Ted Philipakos who has since taken over as , ex-brand director of Venezia FC and current president and creative director of Athens Kallithea FC. Many dismissed that kit as a publicity stunt but there was much more to it: if it were that simple many others would be doing the same.
Bonus Pick: Don’t know about you but I had absolutely no idea that Wolves had set up a recording label.
Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you should be reading.
Heavy Metal: The History of Jürgen Klopp (So Far)
By Alex Varghese for Game Theory
I know what some of you might be thinking: not another piece about Jurgen Klopp! Not a week has passed since the announcement of his resignation that someone writing about him hasn’t forced their way into Cultured Football. And whilst I do try to keep this as varied as possible, I cannot ignore writing like this one which dives into the often overlooked changes that Klopp has made to his team’s playing styles, evolving way beyond the moniker of ‘heavy metal football’ attributed to him would suggest.