Incidents of racist behaviour in Russian football have been astronomical over the past two to three seasons with a reported 155 incidents of racist behaviour at football games in the top three divisions of Russia. While the Russian Football Union have reiterated their stance on racism in football and say that there has been a decrease in racism at football games, the stats say other wise.

One incident which created a media storm towards Russian football was a match between dutch side AZ Alkmaar and Anzhi Makhachkala in august 2012. It was always going to be a raucous atmosphere when it came to the meeting of a dutch and Russian side, especially in a Europe qualifying game, but the incident that occurred would have a lasting affect on Russian football as a whole. The chant heard around the stadium was “Russians forward’s, f**k the Caucasus” which was being chanted by not the AZ or Anzhi fans but the Lokomotiv Moscow fans present at the game. Anzhi were in the middle of a rent agreement which saw them play their home games at Lokomotiv stadium in Moscow which was never taken too kindly by Lokomotiv fans. Lokomotiv fans were referring to the substantial amount of fans from the Muslim Caucasus region of were Anzhi are situated. Police detained some 80 lokomotiv fans during the game which Anzhi went on to win. After the game though, Lokomotiv fans assaulted Anzhi fans at the nearby metro station of Chistye Prudy with a report suggesting that 70 Lokomotiv fans were involved in the incident.

This came a day after 50 young people attacked Anzhi fans on their way to the game in St.Petersburg which caused outrage among many people high ranking officials in UEFA. A recent study revealed that their has been a documented 99 racist and far right display’s and 21 racially motivated attacks by Russian football fans during the 2012/2013 and 2013/2014 season’s. The Russian football union has blammed the Russian government’s response to the issues occurring as “not good enough in this day of age”. with the world cup fastly approaching, the stance on a racism has only gotten worse in Russian society as well as the football aspect of things which puts not just the legitimacy of their bid in the first place in question but also the overall state of how the world cup will be hosted as well.

The Hungarians went into that tournament with all the momentum in the world and were firm favourites to win the competition after their thrashing of England in two separate friendly encounters. Hungary were drawn into group b alongside turkey, West Germany and South Korea with their first game of the tournament coming against the South Koreans which they won 9-0 with Sandor Kocsis scoring a hat trick. Hungary’s second game was against West Germany in a game were heads were once again turned as the Hungarians romped to a infactive 8-3 win over their inevitably rivals during the tournament. the downside to this historic victory for the Hungarians was the hairline fracture that Ferenc Puskas suffered which would keep him out of the quarter final and semi finals stage of the world cup.

Hungary ultimately booked their advancement to the quarter final stage of the competition with a win against turkey and came up against the mighty Brazil in the next stage which we be known as “the battle of Bern”. It was the most anticipated contest in world cup history, Brazil still realing after the famous loss against Uruguay in the final of the 1950 world cup on home soil coming up against the up and comers in international football, two teams who loved to play explosive attacking football but unfortunately this game was given the title of “The battle of Bern” not for the football on display but for the fighting that insued after the game on the pitch and in the tunnel between both sets of players. Hungary ultimately won the game 4-2 and advanced to the semi final stage.

Hungary would face another super power of the game in the next round in the form of defending champions Uruguay. Uruguay came into the game having never lost a world cup match and were looking to hault the hungarians momentum early on with fast advancing attacking football. In what was Hungary’s hardest test at that stage of the competiton, they eventually went on to win the game 4-2 in a game that was a huge contrast to the predicted “dream contest” between Brazil and Hungary. They went on to the finals were they would face their old foe West Germany in a game were Ferenc Puskas returned for the Hungarians having injured himself in the last encounter between these two teams in the group stage.

Hungary reached only their second ever World Cup Final and it came against the number 1 ranked team in the world, West Germany. The best in the world versus a bunch of amateurs who revolutionised attacking football. The Hungarians started brightly in Bern with Puskas opening the scoring in the 6th minute on his return and things looked even sweeter for them when Zoltan Czibor made it 2-0 two minutes later!. The Germans would respond quickly though with Max Morlock equalising before Helmut Rahn made it 2-2 after 18 minutes in a very exciting game early on. the second half brought even more drama when Helmut Rahn scored West Germany’s third to put them ahead early in the second half . then came heartbreak for the Hungarians when Ferenc Puskas had a goal disallowed for offside which looked to be onside with 6 minutes in the game remaining. The West Germans won the thrilling contest 3-2 with a dejected looking Hungarian team along with Sebes the manager and Puskas the talisman, looking on in disbelief at what they believed was there moment.

Hungary were the team that never could reach the brass ring but certainly left a mark on international football. Without the Hungarians, there would be no total football era which would see the emergence of the great ajax team of the 70’s, or the brilliant Barcelona of the past two decades. They revolutionised world football with a unique spirit and exceptional ability.

“Tiki Taka” revolutionised the way football was played in europe and Johan Cruyff was definitely an innovator of this style of play when he took charge of Barcelona in 1988. Cruyff brought a new dimension to management and the way his Barcelona team played transcended football  combining “Total Football” and “Tiki Taka” to enhance his teams attacking prowess and also their defensive awareness. they were called “The Dream Team”, a team consisting of the likes of Pep Guardiola, Michael Laudrup and Brazilian superstar Romario.

They dominated not just in Spain but also in Europe winning four La Liga titles between 1991 and 1994 as well as beating Italian side Sampdoria  in both the European Cup Winner’s Cup in 1989 and the 1992 European Cup final at Wembley Stadium. They were a mesh of iconic attacking flair and outstanding patient play which is why they are seen to this day as one of the greatest teams ever assembled.

To investigate the rise of Tiki Taka in football, you must look at the team and the man who truly made it a phenomenon around the footballing world. Pep Guardiola went on to surpass Johan Cruyff’s record of being Barcelona’s most successful manager in history when he achieved an astonishing 15 trophies during his tenure in charge of the Catalan side. under the tutelage of Cruyff, Pep Guardiola has gone on to become one of the best managers in the world and his spell in charge of Barcelona between 2008 to 2012 would be seen as one of the most successful periods in the club’s history and it is all down to Guardiola’s adaptation of the “Tiki Taka” style of playing.

Guardiola brought revitalisation after the Frank Rijkaard era with a new blend of possession and passing football. In Pep’s first season, they would go on to become the first Spanish team in history to complete the treble of League, Domestic Cup and European cup. The season that caught everyone’s imaginations though was the 2010/2011 season when they won the double of League and Champions League and it was the year were Lionel Messi cemented himself as quite possibly the best player in the world today. Guardiola conducted a master-plan in the final of the Champions League against Manchester United in may 2011 as they romped to a 3-1 win over the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson’s side. A beautiful blend of passing and possession type football as well as an impressive defensive display saw Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona cement their legacy as quite possibly the best team ever.

The video below shows the fantastic and mesmerising technique of “Tiki Taka” in Barcelona’s warm up before the 2011 UEFA Champions League final against Manchester United and though it has taken a back seat to a more direct way of playing the game nowadays, it is still responsible for the culmination of quite possibly the two greatest teams of all time and has brought Spanish football and Barcelona to enormous heights in the world of football…

The origins of the tactic now known as “Tiki Taka” has been debated by football experts over the years with people believing that it is adapted from “total football” which was invented by former Ajax and dutch coach Rinus Michels, while others believe that Johan Cruyff’s historical period in charge of Barcelona during the 80’s and 90’s was the evolutionary period in which the style of Tiki Taka football was invented. Many theorists of the game actually credit the origins down to former Spanish national team coach Javier Clemente.

Clemente revolutionised the way football was played in Spain during his first tenure at Athletic Bilbao between 1981 to 1986 which resulted in a media storm between Clemente and the manager of barcelona at that time, Cesar Luis Menotti. Menotti accused Clemente’s side of being too defensive and “authoritarian” almost clamming that Bilbao were too gready on the ball and did not allow the game to flow. Clemente’s team were overall the superior side during this war of words between both managers as Bilbao won back to back titles in 1983 and 1984 and the Copa Del Rey over Barcelona in 1984 at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium in Madrid.

I have done a second part to this blog in which I examine the modern day success of teams that have used the “Tiki Taka” style of play, make sure to check it out!.

Qatar is an Arab country located in South East Asia on the Arabian Peninsula, consisting of a long Persian gulf full of beaches and sand dunes. The Arab country has reaped the rewards of a very successful economy mostly consisting of  gas and oil reserves, which has resulted in the Arab country having the highest per capita income in the world.

With the controversy surrounding Qatar’s legitimacy of hosting such a historic sporting event and also the intrigue of whether of not they will host the World Cup due to investigations into their successful bid, here are 3 things to expect “if” the World Cup is hosted in Qatar.

1.Hot Temperatures! (Photo Credit):

In the summer (which is from May to September in the Qatar), the average temperature is around 38°C and often approaches the 45°C mark. Taking that into jurisdiction, the FIFA Executive Committee came to the decision to change the timeline of the World Cup in 2022 from summer to winter. This has resulted in the tournament being scheduled to start on the 21st of November and cumulate with the final on the 18th of December.

Even with FIFA projecting a winter timeline for the 2022 World Cup to take place in Qatar, it will not stop extremely hot temperatures from hitting the Arabian gulf during the tournament. Winter temperatures in the inland areas of Qatar are quite cool with these areas having an average temperature of 25 to 30°C . You might be thinking, well that’s not that bad!, but with the presence of global warming and scientists predicting the complete melting of polar ice caps by 2018, temperatures in countries like Qatar could sky-rocket. I advise you to bring alot of suncream!

2.Spectacular Stadiums! (Photo Credit):

Qatar will have a proposed 12 stadiums hosting 64 matches during the World Cup Finals in 2022. The construction of these impressive stadiums on paper have come in for some criticism though with investigations being launched into the issue of migrant worker’s rights while working on the stadiums, infrastructure and real estate projects for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Investigations into the matter have suggested that these workers are working hard labour in extremely hot conditions while being denied food and water on site during working hours. This issue has almost been swept aside by FIFA with the guardian newspaper’s investigation into this matter suggesting that 4,000 workers may die due to a lack of safety measures and other causes by the time the World Cup is held.

These are the first five stadiums proposed  for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and were unveiled in march 2010, very impressive but ambitious!.

3.Hostile Environment? (Photo Credit):

Qatar has one of the most conservative societies in South East Asia and abides by strict and what has been described as “unorthodox” “Wahabi” beliefs which is an alternative interpretation of Islam. Many people blame the teaching of “Wahadism” for “global terrorism” which is rife in many Muslim communities around the Arab Peninsula. Qatar also abides by “Sharia Law” which still promotes the public practice of flogging, be-heading and stoning as punishment for ones crimes which also includes the consuming of alcohol in public places. This would obviously be a problem for a lot of football fans throughout the duration of the tournament, and with the Qatari government not budging on the issue, it could be a very long competition for English and German fans when 2022 comes around.

Their team had a indestructible core of players who provided an iresistible blend of attacking flair and incredible fitness levels. The man most celebrated from this selection of players is former Real Madrid Ferenc Puskas. born to a Magyar family, Puskas was brought up in Budapest. Puskas made his debut for the Hungarian national team in august 1945 and instantly made a impact scoring a 5-2 victory over Austria. Puskas rapidly moved up the ranks in the national team and became their talisman which was never more obvious than in their two international friendly’s against England when he scored twice in both the 6-3 game at Wembley (Match of the century)  and the 7-1 demolition in Budapest which would grab everyone’s attention as Hungary were firmly submitting themselves at the top of international football going into the 1954 World Cup in Switzerland.

The manager of the Hungarians during the 1950’s was a former trade union organiser, Gusztav Sebes who implemented never before seen tactics into the national side and brought a new sense of freedom to attacking play which has been credited as the early forms of “Tiki Taka” and “Total Football” as seen today in modern day football. Sebes was one of the innovators of calm collective play and attacking possession style football even creating the employment of a false number 9 which is a known tactical implementation in modern day football. Fitness was the main primary concern when Sebes took the reigns of the national side which he quickly changed through the introduction of a fitness regime for his players. His team played in what was known as the “WM formation” with a primary focus on repetition of the ball in the final third and attacking on the break through the introduction of two wide forwards and almost four midfield players in a diamond formation which almost resembled an M if seen on a team sheet.

The video below shows the exciting and resilient Hungarians in action against England at Wembley were they produced one of the greatest matches in footballing history. I’ve done a second part to this blog so make sure to check it out…

It was 100 hundred years ago last year that brave battalions of both Germany and Great Britain ceased fire on Christmas day to exchange food and souvenirs and partake in a game of football. The first five months of the First World War saw a German assault on British and French troops through Belgium which would called “The battle of the Marne” which occurred in September 1914. The Germans were unable to dismantle the allied stronghold and fell back into the Aisne valley in northeastern France which lead to “The battle of the Aisne” in which German troops initiated a blockade against these allied forces which eventually led to a stalemate between both forces.

The scarcity of battle led to clashes in the Belgium region of Flanders but once again there was a stalemate between both battalions and trenches became full of soldiers too afraid to give away ground.

Truces and contact between both German and British soldiers happened as early as November 1914. While relations between the other allied force France and Germany were more tense, British soldiers were known for initiating peace times during late hours so both soldiers could renew their food storage as rations became scarce fast due to the standoff between them.

An artist’s impression from The Illustrated London News of 9 January 1915: “British and German Soldiers Arm-in-Arm Exchanging Headgear: A Christmas Truce …: credit:

More than 100,000 soldiers from both sides were involved in the Christmas truce and though many areas of war around the Flanders were still active the shouting of Christmas carols at Christmas eve from both trenches and the solidarity shown in a tense filled environment must have been a sight to behold.

Christmas day near the trenches of Flanders in 1914 is known  as the sight of a football game between German and British troops. A friendly match that the Germans are reported to have won 3-2, coincidence considering the result of the 1966 World Cup Final between England and Germany at Wembley stadium!. Though through writings and insights into the occurrences of the Christmas day event of the truce, one or more matches were played but the match near the village of Messines in Belgium is the one that is reported more by these theorists.

The video below gives an insight into the mentality of the soldiers during the events that occurred and what the Christmas truce stemmed from…

As a advid football fan, to know that the occurrence of a football game could bring these long lying enemies together on one special day is heart warming and though the skeptics would say that it was something romanticised and that the fighting that occurred in other sectors that day should be more remembered, I believe this was a significant day in history and shows the power of the beautiful game and how it can bring people together, Merry Christmas!!!.

This deal for oversea viewership will take place between 2016 to 2019 with the premier league set to continue its dominance in the Asian market ahead of the Spanish, Italian and German leagues. As well as BT Sports and Sky Sports paying £5.1 billion each for broadcasting rights for the Barclay’s Premier League, the league will make a monster profit from all this in the next 3 to 4 years.

The Barclay’s Asia Trophy has given people from the southern hemisphere an opportunity to see their favourite players and teams live with the tournament becoming a yearly pre-season friendly tournament for three teams from the Barclay’s Premier League and the forth team coming from the Asian region in which the tournament is hosted in. Notable winners of the “warm-up” tournament have been Chelsea in 2011 and Arsenal more recently in 2015, it is also an opportunity for premier league teams to play their younger, less experienced players with both Everton’s John Stones and Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade Chamberlain making their club debuts at the tournament. The rise of the Premier League in Asia has only gotten larger with a reported 100% percent economic growth in people watching the Premier League in Asia.

The video below shows the extent of the rise of the Premier League with a look at the most popular clubs in Asia and the loyalty that these fanatic Asian fans show towards their clubs…

Athletic’s success during the 1930’s to the 1950’s is put down to their “Cantera Policy” which was initiated by the club due to the Spanish league’s strict rules on foreign players during that time period. while teams such as Real Madrid bended these rules by playing dual citizens such as Alfredo Di Stefano, athletic adhered to these strict regulations and found the formula which would ultimately build the make up of the club over the next 80 years or so. Times have changed and with the commercialisation of the game since the turn of the century, the introduction of the foreign market to clubs in different leagues around the world has become a commodity with clubs such as Real Madrid, Barcelona and Bayern Munich being every present in this side of the transfer market. Athletic Bilbao have remained the same though and still obide by this “Cantera Policy” to this very day with many basque players such as Ander Herrera, Javi Martinez and Fernando Llorente coming through the youth ranks to go on and star for the Spanish national team and other clubs around Europe.

Athletic Bilbao’s 4-0 win against Barcelona in the first leg of the Supercopa de Espana in August 2015, athletic drew 1-1 with the Catalan giants in the 2nd leg to win their first competitive trophy since their treble of league, cup and super cup in 1984

Athletic are no longer the top side in Spain anymore due to the resurgence of Real Madrid over the years due to the financial assets brought in by the takeover of Florentino Perez who initiated the “Galatico Project” with the best players in the world being brought to the capital and the brilliance of Barcelona over the past two decades with the  Barcelona side of 2010/2011 under Pep Guardiola still being hailed as one of the best teams ever. Though they have shown stability in the top flight securing a European place in the last two seasons but it does not amount to the brilliance of the Athletic Bilbao of old who were innovators of the Spanish game and dominated most of the 1930’s during the early years of Primera Divisíon. Athletic Bilbao have gained admiration from fans all over the globe due to their Basque heritage and the history and legacy they have provided Spanish football, in a game that is ever changing, Bilbao have stook to their roots and have seen success in doing so.

Athletic Bilbao is one of only three clubs never to be relegated from the top division in Spain and our shining example of basque nationalism with the club only willing to bring through Basque players and only sign Basque players to this present day!, a method that has been criticised and praised over the years by numerous fans around the world. With 8 league titles and 23 cup wins to their name (only second to Barcelona’s 27 Copa Del Rey wins), Bilbao have been a corner stone in Spanish football and were the best team in not just Spain but also Europe at one stage, we look at their unique and historic origins and the most successful period in their history .

Athletic Bilbao originated from the formation of “Athletic Club” in 1898 by basque students who returned back to Spain from Great Britain with the idea of creating a football club as they grew an interest in the game following their travels. These Basque students would then go on to form Athletic Club dé Madrid, known today as Atletico Madrid!. Athletic Club would go on to win the 1903 Copa Del Rey after another Bilbao club, Club Viscaya won the competition the previous year defeating Barcelona!. Athletic Bilbao were founding members of La Liga in 1929 but they were not the only basque team who were. Real Sociedad, Real Union and arenas Club De Gexto were the other three teams who founded the league and were joined by CD Alavés in 1930 meaning that five of the ten teams who competed in La Liga that season were Basque which provided a real contest not just on a football basis but also on a political basis aswell.

Athletic Bilbao went on to win the league and cup double in 1930 and 1931 under English coach Fred Pentland after he rejoined the club in 1929. He revolutionised not just the way Athletic played but also provided the early blueprint to how the Spanish national team and most notably Barcelona play the game today as he favoured a short passing style. Speaking of Barcelona, Athletic provided a huge shock during their league exploits in 1931 as they defeated Barcelona 12-1 that season which is Barcelona’s biggest ever defeat to this present day. This provided Athletic Bilbao with the platform of being one of the best teams in Spain and Europe before the era’s of Real Madrid and Barcelona dominance in not just the Spanish game but also the European game aswell.

Athletic would then go on to win the 1936 La Liga crown under another British coach in the form of Willam Garbutt who came to Spain with a big reputation having guided Napoli to two successive Italian league titles in a row prior to his arrival in 1935. He brought a certain flair to the role of manager at Athletic Bilbao which was transferred on to the pitch with magnificent displays such as his teams display against Real Betis which they won 7-0 and big victories over the likes of Real Madrid. The Spanish civil war halted the progression of Garbutt’s team though with many thinking that the continued success of this Athletic Bilbao team was stopped due to this occurrence. The league did not start up again till the 1939-1940 season and by that time, Garbutt had already returned to Italy were he was later exiled by the Facist dictator Benito Mussolini!.

I have done a part 2 to this blog so make sure to check it out!.