Soccer

Apply for a Blog

James M. Dorsey

Jan 12, 2025, 8:38 AM

Saudi Arabia and international sports, a tale of politics and greed

Saudi Arabia brings out the worst in the world of international sports in terms of politics and greed. FIFA’s awarding Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup hosting rights is just the tip of the iceberg. The awarding violated the world soccer...

Oct 29, 2024, 11:05 AM

Promoting Tolerance Under Fire

I admit doing a double take when learning of the anti-racism training our Justice Ministry has been conducting with Israeli soccer teams. Who has time for this now? Besides the challenges of war, there's also that infamous subset of marginal...

Sep 8, 2024, 9:49 AM

An open letter to FIFA

Hapoel Jerusalem flags on display at the funeral of Hersh Goldberg Polin.
(Photograph taken by the writer.)

Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA Dear Mr. Infantino, Last week I was one of thousands who attended the funeral in Jerusalem of Hersh Goldberg Polin. Hersh was 23 years-old, and kidnapped from a music festival by Hamas after they had blown...

James M. Dorsey

Jul 24, 2024, 9:30 PM

Gulf Investment in European Soccer Becomes a Hot Potato

Gulf investment in European soccer threatens to become a hot potato. That is if the European Union’s competition authorities decide to investigate assertions by Spain’s top soccer league, La Liga, and a second-tier Belgian club, Royal Excelsior Virton (RE Virton),...

James M. Dorsey

Jul 6, 2024, 5:00 PM

New soccer stadium marries Gulf capital & Egyptian crony capitalism

A one-time revolutionary Egyptian force, the storied Egyptian soccer club Al Ahly FC is today the latest Emirati trophy in regional competition between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and a potential symbol of Egyptian crony capitalism. Al Ahly's...

James M. Dorsey

Jul 2, 2024, 1:32 PM

Islam vs. Soccer

To watch a video version of this story or listen to an audio podcast click here. In a recent sermon, ultra-conservative Egyptian religious scholar Nashaat Ahmad praised Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup for its civilizational success. He...

May 17, 2024, 6:04 PM

Are you ‘taking the kapple’?

Alright, I'll admit it. The idea was not mine. I first saw this reported in early 2019. German newspaper 'Bild' published a cut-out kippah (skullcap) on its front page, urging readers to show their solidarity with the country’s Jewish...

James M. Dorsey

Feb 22, 2024, 11:27 PM

Soccer incidents call into question fundaments of Saudi-Iranian detente

Two recent soccer incidents suggest that beyond optics little has changed in the Saudi-Iranian rivalry since China mediated the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries a year ago. On the contrary, the Gaza war has highlighted the potential...

James M. Dorsey

Feb 16, 2024, 5:33 PM

First Qatar, Now Saudi Arabia: Time for Activists to Rethink

The realization that Saudi Arabia is not Qatar may seem obvious, but it has significant meaning for the lessons rights activists and others draw from the Qatar World Cup as they prepare for a Saudi-hosted tournament in 2034. Understanding the...

Oct 31, 2023, 4:34 AM

Messi is Still the Best, Ever

Inter Miami CF star Lionel Messi has won the prestigious Ballon d’Or for a record eight time. He came ahead of Manchester City striker Erling Haaland, who scored 52 goals last season, and finished second in the voting. Messi...

Load more