Cultured Football #16
Cultured Football #16
The names that grace Italian football stadia
As I write this, all of English football is boycotting social media to protest on the racism that goes on virtually unchecked on those platforms. Whilst I am supportive of the initiative, I have my reservations about how much good it will do. The platforms clearly have the mechanisms to handle this but they seem to lack the desire to fully do so. At the same time, I know that simply blocking racist comments – while of huge benefit – does not solve the underlying problem.
Aside from this utterly sad and depressing situation, there have been plenty of great articles published this week. Hope that you enjoy.
When we come together it's powerful
As I said above, I’m not too sure what impact the social media blackout can have but Thierry Henry feels differently particularly of such a concerted and united action by so many clubs. This is, as you would expect, a very intelligent and reasoned interview with someone who has repeatedly proven capable of succinctly analysing problem issues.
A man in demand
Andre Silva was deemed damaged goods after a disastrous year with AC Milan early on in his career but he has found redemption at Eintracht Frankfurt, a club with a rich recent history for developing attacking talent. Now another big move seems likely even if that will have to wait until a European championships in which Silva will lead the lead for Portugal.
The Big Eliteserien Preview
This is, I have to admit, something a bit different than usual. I don’t consider myself to be a huge fan (or even an occasional one) of Norwegian football but I was thoroughly fascinated by this preview of the league that kicks off in a week’s time. This is, for me, the beauty of the internet which allows you to learn so much about so many aspects of the world. And it is the beauty of football that compels someone to write such an in-depth analysis about a smaller league.
How Motherwell Is Leading the Way for Fan-Owned Football
Over the past few days a lot has been written about the need for fan representation and ownership in football. This interview with Derek Watson - board member of the Well Society, the fan group that owns over 76% of Motherwell FC shares – goes over what this truly means and is brilliant because of its brutal honesty. "I think if you want fan ownership you need to realise that there is going to be pitfalls as well....the ultimate failure in my eyes isn’t finishing 7th or 8th in the league, it’s not having a club for the future."
The names that grace Italian football stadia: from the Pope to Maradona
As someone who has written a fair bit about the history of Italian football (shameless plug for my book The Forgotten Genius of Italian Football), it always brings me joy when during my research I come across the life of someone whose name I previously only knew by the stadium named after them. So this article looking at the people for whom Italian stadia are named was always going to be a delight for me.
Last Week’s Most Read
Fan ownership was a hot topic last week even on Cultured Football and this came through in the number of people who opted to have a read of the piece on the 50+1 rule that the majority of German clubs are governed by. If you did not get round to it, here’s another invitation to do so.