Football

The Referees (Les Arbitres)

Revealing study about the much-maligned professional whistle-blowers

28 Jul 2011

(15) 77min Following on from Fire in Babylon and Senna, The Referees is another impressive sports-related documentary. Belgian filmmaker Yves Hinant and his co-directors Eric Cardot and Lehericey Delphine were given full access by UEFA to the…

Five sport shows at the Edinburgh Fringe 2010

15 Jul 2010

From football and tennis to rugby and the Olympics, these shows go for the win.

Vuvuzelas banned from T in the Park

7 Jul 2010

Happy days! Following their rather dubious outing at this year’s World Cup, festival-goers have been told not to take vuvuzelas to T in the Park. Festival heads are concerned that the controversial South African horn will put off the artists. Organisers…

Bob Doolally's World Cup Countdown

28 May 2010

‘It’s good to see Scotland has a presence at the World Cup this year,’ says Bob Doolally, ‘even if it’s only the haggis-flavoured World Cup crisps that Walkers are selling. I’m not so happy that they’ve started printing the English flag on Mars…

Five books to crank up your World Cup fever

28 Apr 2010

Death or Glory! The Dark History of the World Cup Jon Spurling Were Peru really bribed to lose a game at the 1978 World Cup? Well, if it was their opening game against Scotland, someone obviously forgot to tell the players. Vision Sports.

The Firm

3 Sep 2009

(18) 90min Writer-director Nick Love has taken a big gamble in remaking Alan Clarke’s 1989 television drama The Firm, which is widely considered to be the toughest and most insightful screen depiction of football hooligans. Wisely Love hasn’t tried…

Homeless World Cup Charity 5-a-side Tournament

9 Jul 2009

A charity footie tournament for teams of 5–7 players in aid of The Homeless World Cup Foundation (the cup takes place in Milan this year). Email: info@powerleague.co.uk or call 0141 847 5565 to enter. Powerleague, Kennedy Street, Glasgow, Sun 19 Jul.

Cool Sports

19 Feb 2009

Baseball It's not just rounders you know. Beyond its similarities, baseball is a game of skill, speed and tactics. Find out how by heading along to the Edinburgh Devils or the Glasgow Baseball Association, where beginners are always welcome. See…

Also Published - 5 Football Books

21 Aug 2008

Lou Macari - Football: My Life The former Celtic and West Ham manager tells of a controversial and tragic life in and out of the game. Bantam. Giles Smith - We Need to Talk About Kevin Keegan Subtitled ‘A Bumper Book of Football Writing’, this…

The Best of Roy of the Rovers: The 1980s

22 May 2008

Forget Teddy Sheringham or Craig Brewster. Each would have to play on for almost another 20 years to match the footballing career of Roy Race, who turned out for and then player-managed the famous Melchester Rovers from 1954 to 1993 (with a brief…

Doherty robbed of football title at final whistle

19 May 2008

Pete Doherty and his Babyshambles team mates were unable to retain their title as champions at yesterday's Samaritans Celebrity Soccer Six football tournament at Millwall FC. Despite showing some impressive foot work, Babyshambles lost out 3-1 in…

Aye Write! - Alistair Findlay

28 Feb 2008

On the face of it, football and poetry are not obvious bedfellows. The Tartan Army enjoy a good singalong but they’re not renowned for their linguistic prowess or their gentle poetic insights. Likewise, you can’t imagine a Poets XI mastering the 4-5-1…

Scotland vs Italy

15 Nov 2007

This is it, folks. The big one. The day when our nation discovers if we can turn 400+ years of entrenched pessimism into something beautiful. No, we don’t think we’re overreacting about this at all. Get your lucky rabbit’s foot out, let your epidermis…

Hampden football museum to revel in France victory

11 Oct 2007

The goal scored by Scotland striker James McFadden against France last month is to be installed as a permanent reminder at Scotland’s national football museum. A giant photograph of the goal - scored at the Parc des Princes in Paris taking Scotland a…

Footballers slow to cough up after nurses pledge

10 Oct 2007

Less than a third of the money pledged by Premiership footballers for a nurse hardship fund has been paid. The May Day for Nurses appeal saw a host of big names take part - including players Thierry Henry and Steven Gerrard, as well as managers Sir…

Hampden picture exposes naked truth about bigotry

24 Sep 2007

Photographer Alistair Devine has photographed almost 100 Old Firm fans naked as part of his latest project. The Rangers and Celtic supporters - men and women - turned out with only scarves to preserve their dignity to celebrate anti-sectarianism in…

In the Hands of the Gods

6 Sep 2007

Forget the ‘Brand Beckham’ circus bringing ‘soccer’ to the States. This journey of five working-class football freestylers who pitch up in New York to busk their way to their idol (the devious genius Diego Maradona, in Argentina) captures the genuine…

Old Firm fans to reveal all in the name of art

4 Sep 2007

A photographer is looking to create another iconic image featuring Celtic and Rangers fans, 30 years after he captured a famous riot scene during an Old Firm clash at Hampden. This time round however Alistair Devine is looking for supporters to…

Once in a Lifetime - DVD review

Once in a Lifetime

18 Sep 2006

SPORT HISTORY When you think of the US and football, you might conjure up images of Diana Ross inadvertently destroying goalposts during the 1994 World Cup opening ceremony or the US being horsed by Iran four years later, but whatever you think of…