Okay we’ll come clean. This Aufkleber is not from RB Leipzig, but from some other unknown Ultra group (obviously German) demonstrating against the team’s business model and success. This attitude is common across the Bundesliga, and in our post ‘Why Do Germans Hate RB Leipzig So Much?‘ we explore a cultural explanation why.
Guangzhou Evergrande at home to Chongqing Lifan was next on our CSL itinerary. Evergrande, the current dominant force in Chinese Football, were massive favourites at the Tianhe Stadium in the modern city centre (and won 2-0). Tickets purchased and in we went to explore and take photographs prior to the ground filling. We were next to the Ultra block, so we took the liberty of going beneath it to photograph the banners and sector flags with little opposition to do so. One banner caught our eye quickly; “WE Continue reading
All the other bloggers writing about the rise of the Chinese Super League do it from afar. We wanted to check out the scene first hand. Welcome to your first primary research blog post about Football in China.
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Walking around Beijing, there are no clues that there is a Football club at all. Nobody is wearing the jerseys, there is no colourful graffiti, no Continue reading
After a night of beers we somehow ended up at the Beijing Olympic Park, fortunately with the camera. The National Stadium a.k.a. “The Bird’s Nest” glowed orange as we approached, but the lights suddenly went out. We however much preferred the sight of cold steel weaving in and out, both Continue reading
My guide picked me up at the station and found the bus line needed. It’s one of those adorable post-communist buses with peeling paint and a conductor sat in a high-viz issuing tickets. As we approach Kiev’s Olympic Stadium, quite a sight to see, the vast amount of police becomes apparent.
“Can you ask what’s going on?”.
My guide walks up to a guy in knock-off sportswear and they talk.
“Okay so there is a Football game right now inside that Continue reading
In his article “Why Hertha BSC Berlin is not a German Powerhouse (and Probably Never Will Be)“, published in Bundesliga Fanatic, Max Regenhuber openly discusses the reasons why Berlin’s #1 has underachieved compared to clubs of other major German metropolises.
The historical account is spot on; Hertha have had a turbulent past, frequently Continue reading
The Zionskirche bells chime through the still Berlin sky. 3 workmen take note of the time and finish their coffee, pausing to allow a mid-30s woman pushing a pram past before leaving. The Milanese café owner takes his time to wipe down the table, as a squirrel races across the road opposite him. It’s 8 am in Prenzlauer Berg.
The former residential Bezirk for East Berlin labourers has had something of a makeover in 26 years. Football anthropologist Simon Kuper described Prenzlauer Berg, his former manor, in strong detail back in 1994. In his book “Football Against Continue reading
Simple and stylish from Werder fans. Check out our post Atemlos; Hertha Away at Bremen for a tale of an epic Police – Football showdown at the Weserstadion.
From Boothferry To Germany 