Essay: Pelé – a global superstar and cultural icon who put passion at the heart of soccer
As soccer great Pele is laid to rest in Santos, Brazil, SIMON CHADWICK, professor of sport and geopolitical economy at the France-based SKEMA Business School, looks – in an article first published on The Conversation – at his life in football and beyond…
Brazil bids farewell to ‘king of soccer’ Pele with 24-hour wake
Santos, Brazil Reuters The Brazilian coastal city of Santos, which sporting giant Pele turned into a byword for soccer brilliance during a glittering club career, started bidding goodbye to its hero on Monday with a 24-hour wake. Mourners lined up to see Pele’s body in an open casket in the center of the field at the […]
“Church City”: A taste of Catholic life in Qatar
MARIAM FAM, of Associated Press, reports from the small Gulf emirate hosting this year’s World Cup…
StrangeSights: Santas on the run in Germany; dancing traffic officer hands out red cards in Qatar; and, cemetery workouts in Zimbabwe…
DAVID ADAMS provides a round-up of some stories on the odder side of life…
Refugee football fans lament last-minute rejection from Qatar World Cup
Doha, Qatar/Berlin, Germany Reuters Syrian lawyer Amrou Sabahi had hoped to spend his first World Cup at the heart of the action, working behind the scenes at the stadiums in Qatar, the first Arab country to hold the crowning event of soccer. But when the tournament kicks off on Sunday, the 27-year-old will be watching […]
Worker rights: Qatar risks own goal with World Cup
ANURADHA NAGARAJ, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports on the ongoing controversy over worker rights in Qatar which from Sunday hosts the World Cup…
STRANGESIGHTS: ANOTHER WORLD CUP; TWO BIG BILLS; AND, A DOG-JUMPING RECORD…
DAVID ADAMS reports on the odder side of life…
Nigeria thwarts World Cup child trafficking plot at airport
Thomson Reuters Foundation Ten Nigerian children have been rescued from human traffickers planning to fly them to Russia and exploit relaxed visa controls for the World Cup, anti-trafficking officials said on Tuesday. Five suspects, including a policeman and a quarantine officer, were arrested at Lagos’ main airport for allegedly recruiting the victims – nine girls […]
World Cup outreach in Russia aims to distribute 600,000 Scripture resources
US based mission organisation Mission Eurasia is aiming to pass out 600,000 Scripture resources, including some 100,000 special edition Russian-language New Testaments, during this summer’s World Cup in Russia. As many as a million people are expected to descend on Moscow for the 21st FIFA World Cup which kicks off on 14th June. It’s the first […]
ESSAY: WHY SOCCER ISN’T ALWAYS FAIR PLAY
World Vision Australia’s SACHA MYERS writes about why we should think about where our soccer balls come from…