World Football

A female football fan tells us what it was like when her dream of watching her favourite team in the flesh came true. Fathers teaching their young daughters about football tactics, women attending stadia without guardians and, later in 2018, being allowed to drive. Is football heralding a new era in the Kingdom?

In the week that Spartak Moscow describe three of their black players as “chocolates” in a joke, the Nigeria striker, Peter Odemwingie, tells us there’s no racism in Russia.

Odemwingie is half-Russian, and played there for three years, but he says the amount of black players in the Russian Premier League proves that Russia is a welcoming country.

We pay tribute to Cyrille Regis, who overcame fierce racism to be regarded as a hero by fans of all English clubs.

We hear about how John Aldridge etched his name into the history of Real Sociedad, and the former Arsenal midfielder Francis Coquelin calls on Arsenal fans to keep faith with Arsene Wenger.

(Photo: The first women allowed into football stadia in Saudi Arabia. Credit: Getty Images)

Argentina's Pablo Zabaleta talks about the heartbreak of losing a World Cup final. We explore the problem of sexism in football with Mansfield Town's CEO Carolyn Radford. And the Malawi coach Ronny Van Geneugden discusses the challenges he faces.

Cameroon's Lauren on the disappointment of missing out on the World Cup. The former AC Milan striker George Weah tells us how Nelson Mandela inspired him to become the President of Liberia. And Nigerian international Odion Ighalo on fulfilling his dream of opening an orphanage in Lagos. Plus, we're on the island of Jersey as they bid to get an national football team.

(Photo by Ian Walton/Getty Images)

Relive the highs and lows on the road to Russia 2018. Over two years ago, teams from 210 nations began the qualification campaign for next year's World Cup. There was joy for Panama and Iceland. Syria went close despite the civil war. And there was heartbreak for Italy, the USA and Ivory Coast. From the earliest matches in the Himalayas, to Peru claiming the final spot, this is story of World Cup qualification.

(Photo: ERNESTO BENAVIDES/AFP/Getty Images)

Exactly 50 years ago, the North American Soccer League was launched in the USA. During its heyday in the 1970s it attracted some of the biggest names in the world game like Johan Cruyff, Franz Beckenbauer, Eusebio, Gerd Müller, George Best and Pele. This is the story of the hype-and-chaos surrounding the rapid rise and dramatic fall of the NASL featuring former players Rodney Marsh, Bob Rigby and Chris Dangerfield.

(Photo by Peter Read Miller /Sports Illustrated/Getty Images)

US Soccer Presidential candidate Steve Gans outlines his vision for the future of the game. We hear from Real Sociedad's Adnan Januzaj and Panama goalkeeper Jaime Penedo. And we visit Steaua Bucharest, currently playing in Romania's fourth division.

World Cup winner Rai explains why Brazil could struggle at Russia 2018. The former Manchester United goalkeeping coach Eric Steele remembers how he persuaded Sir Alex Ferguson to sign David de Gea. And New Zealand's Rory Fallon on why he's turned his back on football to go into the ice cream business.

(Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

After becoming an outcast at his club, Senegal's Oumar Niasse talks about the challenges he faced following a bust-up with coach Ronald Koeman. The former Liverpool and Cameroon defender Rigobert Song reflects on the moment he almost lost his life. Mexico coach Juan Carlos Osorio looks ahead to next week's World Cup draw and discusses his own future. Plus, Rodney Marsh remembers his great friend George Best.

(Photo by Mark Robinson/Getty Images)

All the excitement from Peru, Senegal and Ivory Coast on the road to the 2018 World Cup. During a dramatic final round of qualification matches in South America and Africa, we hear from Peru's assistant coach Nobby Solano, Ivory Coast's Kolo Toure, Morocco coach Herve Renard, Senegal's Cheikhou Kouyaté and many others. There's heartbreak, despair, joy and plenty of crazy celebrations.

(Photo: Luka Gonzales/AFP/Getty Images)

Footballer Chris 'Kiki' Naumoff talks about retiring at the age of 21 because of a heart condition. Steven Gerrard and New York City FC's Mikey Lopez reflect on the career of Andrea Pirlo - following the Italian's retirement. There are shocking stories about assassination attempts and match-fixing in Malta. And in the second part of our interview with Ghana's Tony Yeboah, we hear about his time at Leeds United.

(Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)