Cultured Football #217
Offside Rules. Hope League. Clubs To Go Long. Centre Back Factory. Dane in Verona.
The Third Man
By David Owen for The Blizzard
Offside was once a straitjacket that suffocated football. Then came a bold change in 1925 that handed the initiative to attackers, reshaping tactics, inflating scorelines and sparking a scramble for defensive reinvention. Yet, what followed was not chaos but a compelling tug-of-war between innovation and tradition. For all the angst that it might generate, football would be much less enjoyable had that rule change not come to be.
Bonus Read: Offside law changed after Swedish third-tier club’s pressure pays off
[Paul MacInnes x The Guardian]
This is a lovely story; that of how a small Swedish club that noticed a loophole in the offside law and eventually got FIFA to change it.
More Than a Club, More Than a Game: FC Barcelona, Kurdistan, and the Hope League
By Sukhman Singh for Breaking the Lines
Hope can take the shape of a football. FC Barcelona’s newest initiative brings that idea to life by opening youth academies in Kurdish regions of Syria and Iraq not just to train players, but to foster peace, identity and belonging in communities scarred by conflict. Woven into the project is a quiet recognition of shared cultural aspirations between Catalonia and Kurdistan, and a belief in football as a force for renewal. I’m always wary when any club embark on social ventures and on their ultimate objective but this seems to be a genuine example of how sport can strengthen ties far beyond the pitch.
Why Premier League Teams Might be Happy to Go Long More Next Season
By Ali Tweedale for The Analyst
Football is constantly changing, as coaches adapt to the tactics used by the stronger team. With pressing intensifying and mistakes mounting, Premier League teams may be rethinking their devotion to short passing near their own goal. Data from last season reveals a clear link between playing out from the back and errors that lead to opposition chances, particularly for teams without elite ball-playing defenders. The result could be the adoption of more pragmatic solutions. HOOF!
Bonus Read: The myth of 40 points in football to avoid relegation.
[ x Sports Can Make It Wisely]
Is the 40 point mark truly that which guarantees safety from relegation?
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The Centre Back Factory: Behind the Rise of Ecuadorian Defenders
By Tom Robinson for Hudl
Centre backs aren’t the first exports people associate with Ecuadorbut that may be changing. A mix of improved youth development, accessible video scouting, and cost-effective talent is turning the country into an emerging hub for defensive prospects. Players like Pacho, Hincapié and Ordóñez are proving that Ecuadorian defenders can thrive at the top level, while a new generation is already coming through. Beyond the talent, what is truly fascinating is how quiet revolutions like this come about.
Bonus Read: The players we’ll be watching at UEFA U-21 EURO 2025
[Luke Entwistle & Llew Davies x Scouted]
This is pretty much what it says on the tin: a look at the most interesting prospects at the U21 Euros.
Elkjær: I should have won the Ballon d'Or
By
for Jacob’s Substack
No one expected Verona to win the Scudetto in 1985, not even their own players. But with a mix of tactical clarity, fierce team spirit, and a squad full of players with something to prove, they defied the odds to claim one of Italian football’s most remarkable titles. In this wonderful interview Preben Elkjær, the Danish striker at the heart of it all, recalls a season shaped by quiet leadership, unshakeable camaraderie, and raw determination.
Every Saturday, Cultured Football brings you five great football articles you will enjoy reading. And you get a free copy of the book Master of the Azzurri when you join.
In Case You Missed It Here’s Last Week’s Most Read: The fridge magnate and the football club
By Archie Willis for The Glasgow Bell
For me Queen’s Park FC, Scotland’s oldest league club, will forever be famous as the last amateur club playing in the Scottish professional leagues. To be honest, I had no idea that they’d turned professional. So this story of why they did so, how they were propelled up the leagues and the turmoil they now find themselves in was simply extraordinary. This is a weird and fascinating tale from a club where even a pub quiz can shake the foundations.
Thank you so much for sharing, Paul. Appreciate you.
And nice piece of work, wonderful....