12 years ago I interviewed a referee that spun my head. Did the US nobble Word Cup qualification so its enemies didn’t qualify for USA ‘94? Well, I tried to find out. Episode 1 of Shadows on the Pitch for @bbc5live.bsky.social is out now www.bbc.com/audio/series...

BBC Audio | Sport's Strangest Crimes | Shadows on the Pitch

Listen to the latest episodes of Sport's Strangest Crimes | Shadows on the Pitch on BBC Audio

bbc.com

The updated paperback edition of Engulfed is out now. So much has happened in the past year. The Infantino/Trump bromance, the peace prize, the Iran War, the end of LIV Golf. Newcastle winning a trophy. And Yasir Al Rumayyan handing one out at the World Cup final. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1785...

The updated paperback edition of Engulfed is out now. So much has happened in the past year. The Infantino/Trump bromance, the peace prize, the Iran War, the end of LIV Golf. Newcastle winning a trophy. And Yasir Al Rumayyan handing one out at the World Cup final. www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1785...

The paperback of Engulfed is out today. A LOT has happened since February last year: Newcastle won the League Cup. The new Club World Cup began. Infantino awarded Trump a peace prize. A war with Iran began. LIV Golf imploded. And all of it was connected… www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1785...

12 years ago I interviewed a referee that spun my head. Did the US nobble Word Cup qualification so its enemies didn’t qualify for USA ‘94? Well, I tried to find out. Episode 1 of Shadows on the Pitch for @bbc5live.bsky.social is out now www.bbc.com/audio/series...

BBC Audio | Sport's Strangest Crimes | Shadows on the Pitch

Listen to the latest episodes of Sport's Strangest Crimes | Shadows on the Pitch on BBC Audio

bbc.com

Obviously nothing to do with this, but while you’re here, here’s our investigation into the FIFA president’s curiously close relationship with Donald Trump that was published yesterday. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/09/w...

A Yearslong Effort to Woo Trump Culminates With the World Cup

nytimes.com

happy world cup day! www.theguardian.com/football/202...

Omar Artan scandal reveals Gianni Infantino for what he is: one of sport’s greatest cowards | Jonathan Liew

The Fifa president has prostrated the organisation before Donald Trump and lost control of his own tournament as a result

theguardian.com

No idea why Tuchel is getting all the hate over his squad selection. Toney's experience playing in half-empty stadiums under an authoritarian regime could prove invaluable.

"Turkish local broadcaster TRT Haber reported that students will continue their education at Mimar Sinan University, the guarantor state university." except MSU doesn't have an engineering or law college, to begin with, nor the capacity to serve 20K more students.

Turkiye shutters liberal Istanbul university seized in criminal probe

Council of Higher Education promised to take measures to ensure Bilgi University students 'suffer no harm'.

aljazeera.com

Although Andreas’ head is now shaved, there is still time to sponsor team Rivercrest & make an impact. Every 2 mins a child is diagnosed with cancer. Help fund the research that will save their lives! www.stbaldricks.org/teams/mypage... @protagonistsoccer.bsky.social @jamespiotr.bsky.social

Infantino wants the photo op. Rajoub not keen.

Hungary’s government filed espionage charges against investigative journalist Szabolcs Panyi, who reported on Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó's communications with Moscow.

Hungary's government files charges against prominent journalist for alleged espionage

The journalist, Szabolcs Panyi, focuses on national security and intelligence reporting and has published extensive reports detailing Russian influence operations in Hungary as well as the relationshi...

latimes.com

Enough footballers were killed by the Iranian Islamist regime in the space of forty-eight hours in January to make up two full teams. Fifa’s response? Silence. By Zohreh Abdollahkhani josimarfootball.com/2026/03/05/s...

Silent slaughter - josimarfootball.com

Enough footballers were killed by the Iranian Islamist regime in the space of forty-eight hours in January to make up two full teams. Fifa’s response? Silence.

josimarfootball.com

Tomorrow we will discuss "ultras" in my "Soccer and Politics" course. The students will listen to my interview with @jamespiotr.bsky.social - which was the first episode of my podcast RADIKAAL. It was the perfect start (although, fortunately, the sound quality improved over the years).

1. James Montague on Ultras - RADIKAAL

My first guest is the British football writer James Montague, the award-winning author of four books, including When Friday Comes: Football, War and Revolution in the Middle East and Thirty-One Nil: O...

buzzsprout.com

Denne vart bestilt etter besøk og foredrag med James Montague på Bergen Bibliotek for 2 veker sidan, i dag kom den i postkassa @jamespiotr.bsky.social @challa1.bsky.social

Ballen er vår! Ny serie på biblioteket. Foredrag om Saudi-Arabia og Ultras med @jamespiotr.bsky.social 5. og 6. februar og @aselliaas.bsky.social om Det farlige spillet 24. mars. Flere show kommer. Kom?

Mijn interview met de vermaarde voetbaljournalist @jamespiotr.bsky.social. We spraken o.a. over zijn nieuwe boek "Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World". Het volledige interview verschijnt komende maand in @panenkanl.bsky.social. www.indehekken.net/interview-me...

Interview met voetbaljournalist James Montague

De Engelse voetbaljournalist James Montague schrijft over voetbal, politiek en samenleving. Hij is de auteur van bestsellers als When Friday Comes: Football Re

indehekken.net

Crystal Palace officially appeal to CAS pushing to be reinstated into Europa League at the expense of either Nottingham Forest (who were bumped up to replace them by UEFA) or John Textor’s other team, Lyon.

Also includes Saudi international & Al Hilal opinions inc fans, Engulfed author @jamespiotr.bsky.social “everyone has their price”, analysis of Trump/US geo-political relations, @kristianulrichsen.bsky.social on Middle East instability impact & much more pod.fo/e/2f6765

The Athletic FC Podcast: At what cost? Saudi Arabia and soccer

There's been two football tournaments in the United States this summer, the Club World Cup and the Gold Cup. Both with an ostensible Saudi feel, all part of grand plan to invest heavily in sport ba...

pod.fo

Thanks to both the @esportsworldcup.bsky.social and @jamespiotr.bsky.social for contributing to this week’s Memo, which I think is well worth a read

Video Games Industry Memo@vgim.bsky.social · last yr.

Is the Esports World Cup in Riyadh a serious tournament or soft power play? This week’s VGIM argues it is both - which is exactly why it’s such a problem for the industry to grapple with. Read on below 👇 www.videogamesindustrymemo.com/p/the-esport...

Nazis especially visible in my part of Berlin at the moment. Shaven heads and Helly Hansen tracksuit tops (HH for Heil Hitler); Ellesse tracksuit tops (worn so they can show off the SS symbol). It’s wild how in some German towns this is as natural a part of youth culture as hip-hop is in the US.

A message from @philippeauclair.bsky.social The reality we at Josimar face is stark. Should we fail to raise 50 000 euro by 1 July, the world’s only investigative media dedicated solely to football will cease to exist. josimarfootball.com/2025/06/03/a...

A letter from Philippe Auclair - josimarfootball.com

The reality we at Josimar face is stark. Should we fail to raise € 50k by 1 July, the world's only investigative media dedicated solely to football will cease to exist.

josimarfootball.com

This is an extract from my new book “Engulfed: How Saudi Arabia Bought Sport, and the World”, out now with @blinkbooks.bsky.social www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/1785...

Last yr I turned on the TV in my Riyadh hotel. A Saudi 3rd div game was on & a team called NEOM was playing. It sparked a journey that uncovered a plan to build the biggest club in the world from scratch. An extract from my book “Engulfed”: @theathletic.bsky.social www.nytimes.com/athletic/632...

Visiting NEOM, the new Saudi superclub built to rule all others before the 2034 World Cup

James Montague visited the kingdom to find out more about a club being geared up to take on the world

nytimes.com

NEW with @simonkuper.bsky.social: The prevailing narrative around increased injuries and player workload in elite football is wrong. Players don’t play any more football than in the past. What has changed is a sharp rise in intensity of play. Not more minutes, but each minute exerts more load.

Nominative determinism hard at work on this one.

It's lunchtime and we have already been kicked out of the FIFA hotel. Meanwhile, 5000 security personnel, including the army and tanks, have been deployed in Asunción to safeguard the 'football family'. All totally normal.

Leon’s appeal against being booted out of Club World Cup for having same owners as Pachuca has failed. So FIFA’s plan for Club America to play off against LA FC will now determine 32nd team. That place should be LA’s but Club America is popular and FIFA needs to shift tickets to the meritocratic CWC

Happening in Turkey: Saturday morning wave of police operations against politicians and officials, tens of people have been detained in Istanbul, Ankara and Tekirdağ in Western Turkey tr.euronews.com/2025/04/26/i...

İBB'ye yeni operasyon: İSKİ Genel Müdürü dahil 47 kişi gözaltında

Polis ekipleri sabah saatlerinde İstanbul, Ankara ve Tekirdağ'da çok sayıda adrese eş zamanlı baskınlar düzenledi. İBB'de üst düzey yöneticilerin de aralarında bulunduğu gözaltı kararı verilen 53 kişi...

tr.euronews.com