サッカーと英語 // Football & English

The 2024/25 Champions League kicked off this week, and it’s the first season of a brand new format. 36 teams playing in a League system, with each team playing against 8 different opponents. Is this an exciting change to the most prestigious club competition in the world, or just another case of trying to fix something that didn’t need to be fixed?

Aston Villa fans have called the club "out of touch" for charging up to £97 a ticket for home Champions League matches this season.

Villa announced on Wednesday that adult tickets for their four home matches will be priced at £85, £94 and £97, with season ticket-holders getting slight discounts.

The Football Supporters' Association called Villa's ticket prices "truly eye-watering".

"Loyal Villa fans who've waited as long as 40 years to celebrate this momentous season are being punished and exploited.”

Leaving early is a bit of a red flag. Booing your own players too. Wearing a half-and-half scarf, or purchasing a half-and-half scarf: forget it. Fake merchandise. Supporting a club from a place where you do not live. Supporting more than one club. Yes, these days there are multiple ways of outing yourself as “not a true fan”. But who gets to call themselves a true football fan?

スタジアムで試合が終わる前に帰るのは、ちょっとマナー違反。自分のチームの選手に対してブーイングをするのも、あまり好ましくありません。対戦相手との記念マフラーを着けたり、購入したりするのは、忘れてください。自分が住んでいない地域のクラブを応援すること、もしくは複数のクラブを応援することも世の中にはあります。しかし、ここ最近「真のファンではない」とされる基準がいくつも存在しています。はたして一体、誰が本当のサッカーファンと呼ぶことができるのでしょうか？

The Olympics are the pinnacle of most sports. Every athlete—and even many non-athletes—dreams of bringing home a gold medal for their country. Even just qualifying for the Olympics is an incredible achievement.

But can you say the same for football? In a calendar of World Cups, continental cups and an ever-growing list of club competitions, does football need the Olympics? Maybe more importantly, does the Olympics need football?

The 2024/25 Premier League season is upon us, so Tomo and Tommy pull out their magic 8 balls to make their predictions for the season.

Kicking off another big season with a look back on a busy summer for Tomo and Tommy.

Well, here we are again! It’s late May and another season is done. This one went by super quickly…it feels like just a few weeks ago that I was in London to see Spurs at the beginning of the season.

A lot has happened and we’re here to bring you the biggest stories of the season.

“Look smart, play smart”, as the saying goes. Perhaps it is about time we coined the phrase, “Look smart, manage smart”. This season, Sean Dyche steered Everton clear of relegation danger in the Premier League. And what does Dyche credit as his secret weapon? Ditching wearing a traditional suit and tie for a club tracksuit, of course.

They bring together clubs, teammates, opponents, rivals and fans to celebrate the career of a long-serving player. But testimonial matches have been dying off in recent years. On this episode we look back on what they were, and what they are now.

Football has the power to do amazing good in the world. One example of that is charity matches. By bringing footballers and celebrities together for a simple game of football, millions and millions of dollars can be raised to help people in need. On this episode, we’re going to talk about some of those matches and the impact they have.