Media Analysis Archives ⋆ An Old International

More “WE”, Less “I”

Football is often overburdened with social problems that are not easily solved even in society. Football is a mirror of society and as such works as a prism for the workings of the people.

In a rare moment of fragility, the German national coach Julian Nagelsmann had to fight back his tears after his team lost to Spain in the quarterfinals of the 2024 Euros. It was a little sentence delivered almost at the end of his press conference that reverberated through the night.

He spoke of society in need of more “We” moments than “I”. Yet, way more remarkable was his statement that we need to think more solution oriented than being focused too much on problems. This is a very important point as we, as society, simply need to replace one word with another: not crisis but task for which there is a solution.

fan culture: all new or swapping one for another?

In an article published in The Guardian, the author claims that England fan culture is changing. This is supported by a statement from Jamie Cleland, an academic who is stating that the trip to Qatar was too expensive for many ordinary England supporters. “With the World Cup occurring mid-season, close to Christmas, and in a…

Bad Losers, Suspicions and Conspiracies?

A debate of racism surrounded the match between Saarbrücken and Magdeburg in late August. The evidence is thin and there is an element of whataboutism included. Not an easy debate considering all points of view. Deserved Defeat It is already a while ago that Magdeburg have caused some headlines for all the wrong reasons. It…

Stats and how to bend them

In early August FC Magdeburg played St. Pauli in the German Cup and lost unfortunately. The main headlines however, focused on Magdeburg’s dominance in one particular part of the match statistics. While these are not wrong, they do give a wrong image of the game. Very often it is the little books that have the…

If you have the Balls!

Paris Saint Germain and the Champions League is a chequered history. It is a history in which PSG have tried numerous times to get as far as possible or get to the final as during the Corona summer of 2020. Luck was not in their side either on this occasion. The post as manager of…

this has been the month

It has been a black month, this February 2020 just past. Several incidences have severely dashed any hope of a dialogue between the fans and the DFB. That is almost considered a lesser evil, considering the outbreak of racism and vicious attacks. This has been the month during which a player has been racially abused…

Fussball Über Alles – Too Much Football?

Earlier this week, the German football journalist Ronald Reng has asked a question that concerns all football fans and supporters. Could it be that there is too much football? Could it be that other sports are pushed away by soccer? His point needs some further context. Last Sunday the citizens of Hamburg were asked to…

Destroying the Summer Tale 2006

When Sepp Blatter announced the winner to host the World Cup 2006 in the summer of 2000, German football went through its darkest phase. At EURO 2000 Germany finished at the bottom of their group behind Portugal, Romania and England. No one could have foreseen that this tournament in 2006 would kick start the change…

Coming Out

In September 2012 a German magazine has published an interview with a supposedly homosexual footballer who asked to stay anonymous. So far, so normal. However, there are doubts that the interview took place at all but instead might have served a totally different purpose. The topic of homophobia in German football has been dealt with…

The John Terry Saga

John Terry, captain of Chelsea FC and former England captain has retired from international football, saying that his ‘position has become untenable’ after the Football Association (The FA) has begun an inquiry into his behaviour in the Anton Ferdinand case. He has been cleared of any racial abuse in court, however, doubts remain and the…