Christoph - writer and editor

All Posts by Christoph

Bloated

Global football has become somewhat of a joke in recent years. The World Cup was awarded to countries which have to be considered autocracies or oligarchies. The number of teams participating has multiplied since the first post-war edition of 1950, when there were only 13 teams competing in Uruguay. The format with 32 teams appears…

A Brand New Start

Reputations in football are much quicker dismantled as it takes time to build them. Magdeburg are the latest example in this list. Or rather, their – now – former coach, Christian Titz. Towards the end of last season, Magdeburg were as comprehensively as surprisingly beaten by Münster: 5-0 was the result. The hopes for promotion…

At long last: PSG conquer Europe

The history of the 2025 UEFA Champions League victory for PSG began in 2011 when the Qatar backed investment fund took over Paris Saint-Germain. It altered the French footballing landscape significantly. All of a sudden, Paris were capable of big signings without thinking twice. For more than a decade the money spent did not deliver…

Chelsea – History Makers

It is not often, hardly ever in fact, that Chelsea FC get a whole post for them dedicated. But honour where honour is due.
The club from the Fulham Road have made history. This alone justified some words written about them.

By winning the Europa Conference League final against Real Betis 4-1, the Bluds have become the first club to have won all European cup competitions. This contains the old Cup Winners Cup as well as the Europa League.

Moreover, they have won these European Competitions twice, except the Conference League.

It is also important to note that Chelsea declined the offer to participate in the European Cup in 1955. Back then, the Football Association of England did not think much of those fancy Europeans and influenced Chelsea in a way they had no other option than to withdraw from the competition. Who knows, their history might have been different.

Brian Glanville

Superlatives should be used carefully; they wear out quickly. Yet, it is safe to say that Brian Glanville was the best football writer in the English language. He was often copied yet no one reached his level. Additionally, he was the first English writer to take European football seriously. It is bewildering, however, that no…

Wo=Man?

In a laudable move, the French top divisions, Ligue 1 and Ligue 2 have decided that there will be a special shirt to mark International Women’s Day, March 8. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Red Star FC (@redstarfc) It is an important statement from the league, yet is it enough to…

The rise of Leyton Orient

Mention anything rising in the east and many people may get scared. In the East of London something remarkable has happened and has just come to an end. February 1, 2025 and a remarkable run for Leyton Orient has come to an end. Their unbeaten run in the league and two cup competitions came up…

DFB 125

The German Football Association looks back at 125 years of existence. It is a rich history with many highs and lows, triumphs and tragedies. Many observers would rather the past quarter of a century to be deleted. Anniversaries like the 125th of the DFB are often overseen or overshadowed by more important dates. In this…

The Little Parisian Derby: Paris FC – Red Star FC

The little Paris derby: Paris FC vs Red Star surely has its attention as a record crowd of 17750 made their way to the Stade Charléty on the southern edges of Paris, defying the weather of rain and 10 degrees. This was never an open encounter as the home team took the lead within 10…

Sign of our time

The current societal climate is dire, racists are becoming ever more confident that they have nothing to fear from the majority because this majority is simply too quiet; it has been too quiet for too long.

Jean-Marie le Pen has been a figurehead of the right in France for a long time. His passing in January led to celebrations in some quarters. However, some hooligan groups of Paris Saint-Germain and Reims FC went as far as to honour le Pen.

The second term of the 47th president of the United States has begun and as if to indicate in which direction politics are heading, the head of a tech giant has raised his right arm in a salute to a crowd that not only resembled the salute of the national socialists in Germany but was easily identified as such by observers.

In an attempt of hurried obedience, the sports apparels manufacturer Nike have issued the new shirt for the Madrid team Atlético. The design leaves little room for speculation.

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It is 2025, 80 years after the end of the Second World War and we appear to have not learnt a single lesson from history. The eye witnesses are getting fewer and soon we have to rely on secondary sources for memorial work in schools and elsewhere.