The unlikely success of a Ukrainian football team, with Adam Crafton
Shakhtar Donetsk has been unable to play at home since 2014.
Football
Dive into the world of football with our collection of columns from Jonathan Liew and Hunter Davies, as well as longer-read features from guest writers.
In Qatar’s paranoid parallel universe, the World Cup is just a prop in a theatre of war
This is not just “sportswashing”: it’s very real power play.
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The tragedy of English football
The miracle of 1966 aside, Paul Hayward’s “biography” of England’s national team is a story of sorry failure.
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Strength, lovely lips and superhuman skill: why Erling Haaland can’t be stopped
The wonder striker at Manchester City has scored 23 goals in his first 15 games for the club. Incredible.
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Why have so many of England’s golden generation failed as football managers?
As Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard have learned, coaching is a specialist vocation, not an appendix to a gilded first…
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The Qatar World Cup is immoral and weird. How did we allow this to happen?
The whole enterprise is a kind of power move – a gigantic middle finger levelled in the general direction of…
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Arsenal took a gamble on Mikel Arteta – and now it’s paying off
Three years ago Mikel Arteta inherited a demotivated squad – but he has since reignited the team’s passion for the…
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Football’s data delusion
A new book by Rory Smith looks at why the English Premier League is still searching for its Moneyball moment.
By After the England-Germany game, I have a cunning plan to win the World Cup
Instead of sending to Qatar the so-called Lions we have seen play poorly in recent weeks, I think we should…
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Simon Woolley Q&A: “I often say I am a disciple of Martin Luther King”
The activist on football, Ozark and being adopted.
By After England’s joyous Lionesses, it’s back to the miserable men of the Prem
The England women seemed carefree, happy, in love with the game. Unlike the men, who are all moaning minnies, and…
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Are football songs the new folk music?
From the trumpet blasts in “Sweet Caroline” to the many chants based on the tune of “Vindaloo” – sports songs…
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Amazon’s Arsenal documentary All or Nothing is just another corporate product
These press-released, drama-free films could be sold along with all the other merch at the Emirates Stadium.
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The success of women’s football is feminist revolution by stealth
The effect of seeing women footballers win will radically alter equality between girls and boys.
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When England’s women won the Euros
This was a historic moment for the young girls watching.
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Euro 22: how women’s football became the more beautiful game – Audio Long Reads
It was banned by the FA for 50 years, but the football my team plays has sparked a more inclusive…
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The Wagatha Christie trial is over. But it lives on in our hearts
Rebekah Vardy has lost her libel case against Coleen Rooney. This irresistible feud will entertain scholars of British culture for…
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Why I haven’t been watching the 2022 Women’s Euros
I was a devoted footballer as a child, often the only girl on the team. So why can’t I fully…
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The football transfer market has become a soap opera, with players the willing stars
It is an industry run on buzz and rumour – but signing footballers for big money is a risky way…
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Champions League fiasco shows class hatred still infects football
The rush by rival supporters and authorities to blame Liverpool fans rehashed tired classist tropes.
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