Latest in Tag: Football Highlight
Latest in Tag: Football
Egyptian football fans put youth disillusion with elections on public display
As Egyptian general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi struggled this week to get Egyptians to cast their vote in parliamentary elections, militant football fans put widespread youth disillusionment with the presidentâs autocratic rule on public display. More than 10,000 fans rushed in response to a call by Ultras Ahlawy, the militant support group of storied Cairo club …
New Zealand reach fourth Rugby World Cup final
Like Bayern Munich in football, New Zealand keep setting records in rugby. In a tense semifinal against South Africa, the most successful rugby nation of all time secured the win and a spot in the 2015 final. New Zealand overcame archrival South Africa 20-18 in the wet at Twickenham on Saturday to advance to a …
Slush fund revelation bad news for Germany, FIFA and football
Revelations that the World Cup 2006 organizing committee had a secret slush fund have rocked Germany, UEFA and FIFA – all for different reasons. DW’s Jefferson Chase discusses the fall-out of a burgeoning scandal. One indication of the sorry state of FIFA is the fact that almost everyone sees the circumstantial evidence produced by news …
Syrian football: Succeeding against the odds
By James M. Dorsey Syrian President Bashar Al-Assadâs political fortunes are looking up on more than one battlefield. Even as Russian military intervention appears to have given Al-Assadâs government a new lease on life, sending its football team out to play World Cup qualifying matches allows it to project an image of normality, despite four …
Staunch Al-Sisi supporter calls for opening of stadia and dialogue with ultras
A staunch supporter of general-turned-president Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris has called on the government to allow football fans, a pillar of anti-government protest, back into stadia that have largely been closed to the public for nearly five years. Sawiriâs request on the eve of two African Confederation Cup semi-finals in Cairo in …
Neymar has millions in assets frozen in Brazil
A Brazilian court has accused international football star, Neymar, of evading millions of dollars in taxes. Now the Barcelona forward could face fines worth even more than that.
Middle Eastern conflicts spill onto Spanish football pitch
Inevitably, the mass exodus of refugees from conflict areas was going to provoke the spilling into Europe of multiple disputes in the Middle East, Central Asia and Africa. Spanish football is the first to feel the weight of the baggage that has turned vast numbers into destitute refugees. Kurdish rebels have accused a Syrian coach …
Religious support for Qatari labour reforms puts Gulf states on the spot
A panel in Doha of religious scholars, officials of Qatar’s government-sponsored human rights committee, and international labour activists has called on Qatar to radically alter its controversial labour policies. The call serves to support Qatari government promises of labour reform in response to World Cup-related international criticism, and increases moral pressures on Gulf states …
Militant football fans are on a roll across Eurasia
Militant football fans are on a roll in the Middle East, Europe and Southeast Asia. Fans in Turkey and Egypt have defeated legal efforts to criminalise them as terrorists while Malaysian ultras are tackling corruption in and mismanagement of their country’s football association. In Germany, the pitch anticipated the government’s shift in policy towards the …
Al-Ahly, Al-Zamalek continue road towards CAF title
Al-Ahly, the champion of the first group, will play against South Africa’s Orlando Pirates, ranked second in the second group.
Champions League: Gladbach pushes self-destruct, Draxler fires Wolfsburg to win
Borussia Mönchengladbach’s troubles continue after a 3-0 defeat in Spain to Sevilla. Meanwhile, German Cup winners Wolfsburg picks up three points at home courtesy of a first goal from their big summer signing. Sevilla 3-0 Borussia Mönchengladbach (Gameiro 47′ pen, Banega 66′ pen, Konoplyanka 84′) Confidence is scarce in the Borussia Mönchengladbach camp after four …
Israel’s fault lines spill onto the football pitch
Israel’s multiple fault lines – secular vs religious, Jewish vs Palestine, and controversial calls for a boycott of the Jewish state – are exploding on the football pitch. The spill-over comes as President Reuven Rivlin warned in a recent speech that Israel was being fragmented by four tribes that view each other’s worldview as a …
Wolfgang Niersbach: ‘A pilgrimage site for fans’
In October, the German football museum will open in Dortmund and for German FA President Wolfgang Niersbach, it’s a project close to his heart. In an interview with DW, he revealed just how excited he was. DW: Wolfgang Niersbach, what does this museum mean to you? Wolfgang Niersbach: This is the realization of a great …
Germany projecting cool ahead of Poland showdown
There is a lot at stake in Germanyâs clash with Poland on Friday, to qualify for next year’s Euro 2016 Championships
Bundesliga clubs step up in refugee crisis
The refugee crisis is sweeping across Europe, and while many governments stall in their search for answer, German football clubs have shown incredible generosity in their attempt to help those searching for a new home. German football has long been hailed as one of the few remaining leagues where the focus is still put on …
Turkish football supports Erdogan’s war against the Kurds
The Turkish Football Federation (TFF), in a demonstration of the inseparable ties between sports and politics, has effectively declared its support for renewed Turkish-Kurdish hostilities designed to enhance the prospects of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling party in forthcoming snap elections. With armed Kurdish youth effectively taking control of at least one predominantly Kurdish city …
Bundesliga: Bayern walk over Leverkusen, Frankfurt deepen Stuttgart’s misery
Frankfurt piled more hurt on Stuttgart with a 4-1 win, while Cologne overcame Hamburg. And Bayern Munich showed Leverkusen who was boss with a 3-0 home victory that wasn’t as close as the scoreline suggested.
Blatter defends FIFA record, says he is clean
FIFA president Sepp Blatter has defended his organization’s bruised reputation. In a television interview, Blatter said he is clean and there is no organised corruption at world soccer’s governing body
Court acquits 5 defendants in âPort Said massacreâ trial
Over 70 young football fans were killed in clashes back in 2012
Harding’s harte Thesen: Late Bayern, direct Darmstadt and goal-getter Ginczek
With so much happening on matchday two of the Bundesliga, Jonathan Harding decided to wrap up the issues that struck a cord with him in his ‘harte Thesen’ (hard opinions) on the latest happenings in Germany’s top league.
Werder and Hertha miss chance to win
Both Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen had to share the spoils on Friday night, but based on the chances the opening game of matchday two in the Bundesliga could have been won by either side.
Charles Aranguiz ruled out for several months after suffering training injury
Before even making his Bayer Leverkusen debut, Chilean international Charles Aranguiz has been ruled out for several months through injury. The midfielder was hurt during evening training on Thursday. Bayer Leverkusen’s new signing Charles Aranguiz has been sidelined for several months after tearing the Achillies’ tendon his left leg in training on Thursday evening, the …
Champions League: Malmo rescue tie against Celtic, Rapid lose to Shakhtar
Celtic was on course for a crucial first leg win in Glasgow with a two-goal lead, but a late strike means the momentum lies with Malmo. Rapid Vienna’s hopes of qualification have taken a blow with defeat to Shakhtar. An injury-time goal from Jo Inge Berget has kept Malmo’s dream of qualification alive despite losing 3-2 to Scottish champions Celtic.
History answers the question: When will the EFA be held accountable?
It is the third consecutive time for Egypt to exit the qualifiers of African Cup of Nations. The Egyptian Football Association (EFA) has not been able to organise regular local tournaments. The last tournament it organised was the premier and Egypt cup, both held in 2015and throughout a period of nine months, despite the absence …
Messi vs the world
It is widely known that there are two ways of stopping Argentine Lionel Messi, arguably the best soccer player in the world, from making a play: either put a German tank in front of him or hit him repeatedly on his legs. Since the first option is not allowed on a football field, it is …
Al-Ahly to boycott local competitions in protest of playerâs suspension
Ahmed El-Sheikh is said to have signed contracts with more than one club
Champions League: Lazio beat Leverkusen, referee aware of racist chants
Bayer Leverkusen will need to win at home in the second leg to reach the Champions League group stages after defeat in Rome. Lazio could be on the receiving end of disciplinary action by UEFA for racist chants.
Israel and Palestine play high stakes football
Israel and Palestine are playing political football, with Palestinian football as the ball. It is a match which Israel is unlikely to win and that could prove to produce a bruising loss. The stakes for Israelâ are far higher than for Palestine. Israel is effectively on probation as it seeks to definitively defeat Palestinian efforts to …
Twitter, NFL intensify business ties
Short messaging service Twitter and the US National Football League have agreed on a longer content and advertising deal. It goes far beyond the contracts the two sides have shared so far. Twitter and the NFL on Monday announced a partnership accord, which they said would take previous cooperation contracts in 2013 and 2014 to …
Israel struggles with racist underground
Israel is struggling with how to deal with groups, some of which are underground, that are linked to a banned nationalist political party that has emerged at the core of recent racist, anti-Palestinian incidents and include a militant football fan group that was responsible for last month’s violent clashes during a Europa League qualifier in …