European Super League – Are There Any Good Guys?

Old trafford inside

It’s raining outside, so I guess I’m not jogging tonight. Perhaps I’ll do some writing instead. But it’s tricky; has there been anything worth writing about in the world of Football recently?

Of course I’m being facetious. The European Super League proposal involving 12 big names in European club Football breaking away from their national Football associations and UEFA entirely that was pitched early last week was so outrageous that it even got people who don’t usually talk about Football talking about Football. Yet as quickly as the idea raised its head, it got shot in the neck by a horde of arrows fired from several million bows disguised as Social Media platforms. So quick, so clear and so vociferous was the public reaction at this concept that one by one the 6 English-based clubs implicated in the cartel (the appropriate name for this posse) all announced their subsequent withdrawal from the league in the matter of days. Now, the concept hangs as limp as a used piñata.

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Real Madrid’s Marketing Masterstroke

Real Madrid official store

One feature common to many cities across Catalonia is their “Rambla” – a surprisingly complex concept to describe when you stop and think about it. It is little more than a straight road (more or less), usually lined with trees either side that is located relatively centrally in the town in question. A suitable English translation could be something like “avenue” or “promenade”, but it’s a little more complicated than that.

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Spain is Different

Cádiz cf fans

“Spain is Different” is an English-language phrase that our Iberian cousins commonly use among themselves whenever they idly summarise their country’s foibles and idiosyncrasies over an late afternoon drink. Take half an hour to sit and chat to your Spanish host about their customs and traditions over a crisp caña or smooth sherry and you will inevitably be told those exact three words eventually.

As ever at FBTG, we like to look at world cultures through the lens of Football fandom. Is Spain Different when it comes to the way in which their fans behave at games? Oh yes, and we have decided to comprise a small list of the little things you will pick up on at a game in Galicia, an away-day in Andalusia, a cup-tie in Catalonia or Continue reading

The Partisan Politics of the Peninsula

Cadiz CF fans

On the 28th of April, the majority of 47 million people go to the polls in Europe’s next major parliamentary election. After major votes in the Netherlands, Germany, France and Italy, it is the turn of Spain, a country that is possibly more politically divided than any other in 21st century Europe.

While a victory for the PSOE is likely, the right is expected to Continue reading