Author: bernard ford

For years, the FIFA Club World Cup was seen as somewhat of a niche competition, more symbolic than competitive, with lukewarm interest outside the fans of the clubs participating. But in recent years, especially with the expansion to a 32-team format, the tournament has undergone a commercial transformation. And one of the biggest winners from…

Newcastle United are weighing up the possibility of selling key players this summer as they aim to raise funds for vital additions to the squad. The club has around £100 million available for transfers, but that amount is unlikely to cover all the targets on their wish list. Manager Eddie Howe and his recruitment team…

Football is no longer a game where players simply chase the ball around the pitch. Let’s be real here – it hasn’t been tactics-free since the early 1900s, but now, tactics play a huge role in how teams perform, win games, and even tournaments. You can have world-class players on every position and still lose…

For hardcore Premier League fans, matchday isn’t just 90 minutes of football. It’s a full-blown ritual. It starts long before kick-off and doesn’t end until well after the final whistle. Whether you’re watching at the stadium, on the sofa, or streaming while out and about, the experience is always the same: intense, emotional, and totally…

For a club once at the pinnacle of Asian football, Al-Ain FC’s recent trajectory has been anything but smooth. From conquering the continent in the 2023–24 AFC Champions League to a disappointing domestic league finish and an early exit in the AFC Champions League Elite, the Emirati giants have found themselves in choppy waters. Now,…

The 2024/25 Premier League curtain closers were all about one thing only, the battle for the available European places for the coming campaign and the access to the varying financial riches each of the three competitions can bring to sides. Those following football today had long known that Liverpool would be lifting the title at Anfield after Arne Slot’s…

Real Madrid unsurprisingly dominates the list of the highest-paid La Liga players. With a current market value of €1.27 billion, one of the biggest Spanish clubs accounts for 7 of the 10 top earners in the 2024-25 season. However, the list is headed by a Barcelona star, Robert Lewandowski, as well as includes his teammate,…

In 2025, talking about football has changed — not the passion, but the places we share it. Pubs used to be packed on matchdays. Forums were full of banter, line-up leaks, and tactical breakdowns. But now, a lot of that noise has shifted. With fewer third spaces and pint prices through the roof, football conversations…