Shortly after moving to Germany, my mid-breakfast-Facebook-scroll informed me that Hull City, freshly promoted, were coming to East Germany to take on SG Dynamo Dresden in a friendly a few weeks later. 15.00 on Saturday; easily accessible with a round day trip being cheap. It was on. But in the days beforehand, friends and colleagues had one thing to say;
‘Be careful’
Dynamo Dresden fans are notorious for their aggression and extremism. A Continue reading
Emerging from the ashes of Pompeii is SS Juve Stabia, currently of Italy’s Serie C. Nestled in the tight corner between popular destinations Sorrento, Pompeii, the Amalfi coast, infamous Napoli and Vesuvius itself, Castellammare di Stabia’s close proximity to tifosi hotbed Naples has influenced the extreme behaviour of the Ultras Stabiesi fan group of small club SS Juve Stabia.
Seen on location in London.
Indonesian fans waiting for the 2018 Liga 1 to begin be like….
Yes, that gentleman is sleeping outside of his club’s empty stadium.
In 2018, the Indonesian Liga 1 welcomes big boys PSMS Medan, Persebaya Surabaya and PSIS Semarang among its ranks, and Jakarta and Palembang will together host the 2018 Asian Games, making it a pretty big year for Indonesian Football. But we just have to wait for it all to kick-off again….
One common characteristic of Football matches in China is the extensive police presence. At the Worker’s Stadium in Beijing, each seating block is allocated numerous uniformed officers with more scattered between the fans and the pitch. The officers gather in rank once again after the match outside the stadium in plain view of any remaining spectators still loitering around, a show of force and a clear statement to any would-be troublemakers. Take a brief view at the photo below and you will clearly see many serving officers in khaki uniforms sat in the front row of the stand.
This behaviour shouldn’t seem strange to you. China is very wary of Continue reading
Football is unquestionably Indonesia’s favourite sport. Java is the most populous island in the world’s 4th most populous country with around 56% of the 265,000,000 Indonesians living there. As such, Java is home to some of the biggest Football clubs and wildest Football fans in the country, and we have done our part to let you know which ones you really should know about.
This is the FBTG list of the biggest Football clubs in Java, based on average match attendance figures and general Continue reading
Background Story First, Relevance to Football Second. In this post I define identity as the multiple different groups or circles that an individual can belong to that collectively come together to shape a character. This is not an academic definition of what identity is, but it’s a good enough definition for now.
Small Towns play host to fewer migrants, both domestic or international, and as a consequence, Small Town Folk are Continue reading
Even before we discuss Football, Yogyakarta ticks all the boxes for visitors.
She sits comfortably in the centre of Java, the most Continue reading
This question first popped up when your trusted FBTG crew began to research Indonesian Football. It was phenomenally difficult as a newbie to the scene to browse through social media sites dedicated to Indonesian Football and tell the clubs apart. After having had our feet on the ground, we realised that an explanation behind this phenomenon could make an enjoyable short post.
The answer is remarkably simple.
Let’s take this moment to turn that question around 180 degrees. I remember Continue reading
From Boothferry To Germany 