After the conclusion of the World Cup, a new cycle of FIFA World Rankings begins. Every month, FIFA releases an updated list ranking every national football team — #1 to #207. For most fans, myself included, these rankings seem arbitrary. What does it matter that Croatia is ranked #10 and USA is #13? What does… Read More »
This short documentary film (narrated by an inimitable, bearded, Eric Cantona) tells the story of Socrates, a Brazilian footballer who along with his teammates turned a football team, Corinthians, into a space for democratic practice and ultimately contestation against the dictatorship in Brazil. The film is part of a larger series co-produced by Al Jazeera… Read More »
J’étais particulièrement attirée par les lectures cette semaine (Gaffney, Temples of the Earthbound Gods) à cause de la familiarité et ma capacité de relier. Grâce à ma mère qui est née et a grandi à Rio de Janeiro, j’ai la chance d’avoir la double nationalité. Comme mes grands-parents et tantes vivent encore là, j’ai passé… Read More »
Christopher Gaffney’s book Temples of the Earthbound Gods offers us a rich geographical, culture, and ethnographic look at the way lives in Brazil and Argentina intersect with and our transformed by the space of stadia. Based on this long-term research, Gaffney has recently been blogging from Brazil in advance of the 2014 World Cup, providing… Read More »
Marta, elle est maintenant assez célèbre qu’il n’est plus nécessaire de l’appeler Marta Vieira da Silva. Elle est considérée comme l’une des meilleures joueuses de foot au monde. Pelé lui-même appelait «Pelé avec des jupes. » Elle a gagné de nombreux prix, dont certains incluent d’être nommé joueur FIFA de l’année cinq fois entre 2006 et… Read More »
In the midst of World Cup qualifying season, international friendlies are often neglected, regardless of how beautifully a team plays. My role here is to bring light to the team I have loved for as long as I remember. My childhood and adolescence are filled with memories of watching Rivaldo, Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Dida, and… Read More »
*This article is cross-posted with the blog Africa is a Country. “Tear gas is a magic potion,” writes Chris Gaffney from the streets of Rio. “Those who launch it are weakened while those forced to inhale it are strengthened.” For those of you interested in the politics of football in Brazil, his blog – as well as his excellent… Read More »
Of all the things that impressed and elated me about the play of the U.S. team yesterday against Brazil, one might come as a bit of a surprise. It was this: during the waning minutes of the game, before Rapinoe’s cross and Wambach’s brilliant header, at least two players did their best to draw penalty… Read More »
It’s one of the oddities of international football: the French team, which often struggles against not-so-great opponents and has had tremendous ups and downs in the last decade, nevertheless seems to have one superpower: they consistently defeat Brazil. If I’m not mistaken, Brazil went undefeated in World Cup play between their loss in the 1998… Read More »
The Football Scholars forum, organized by Alex Galarza at Michigan State University, recently hosted a discussion with Chris Gaffney about his marvelous book on stadia in Latin America. You can read about the event and request access to the audio recording here. Later in the semester look for discussions with David Goldblatt on his magisterial… Read More »
