It is safe to say that Málaga CF is a big club that has fallen out of the company to which it belongs. A deserved La Liga stalwart if there ever was one, a dismal 2017/2018 campaign saw Málaga finish in last place and suffer relegation to La Segunda. Champions’ League quarter finals away at the Westfalenstadion now look like a distant memory, and Continue reading
“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
Round 4 in our “A Gobshite’s Ode” series, and we’re going on our holidays….
In exotically named Sanlúcar de Barrameda, Sevilla Atlético arrived at the Estadio el Palmar confident of three easy points. The outfit that forms part of the Sevilla FC organisation did not assume that local outfit Atlético Sanluqueño CF, embroiled in the relegation battle from their group in La Segunda B, would put up much of a fight. Somewhat surprisingly, a Continue reading
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
One of Catalonia‘s lesser known clubs, but the leftist “Desperdicis” of UE Sant Andreu make for a colourful bunch.
I arrived in Jerez de la Frontera not just to sample some of and learn about the city’s legendary fortified wines, but to also meet with members of El Kolectivo Sur; the only ultra group to have represented their city in all levels of Spanish professional and semi-professional Football. What surprised me however is the way in which the city’s great drinking tradition is so readily visible in the Football culture in this fine Andalusian city.
There exists an enduring myth that the word “Sherry” derives Continue reading
From Boothferry To Germany 