The Football and Society Podcast – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In Turkish society today, women have become more and more invisible under the rule of President Erdoğan’s Justice and Development Party, illustrated by the absence of female supporters in Turkish football stadiums. This has not always been the case, however, as a recent article in the Soccer and Society journal highlighted. Sezen Kayhan’s study focuses on a group of female supporters, the Purple Violets, who follow Orduspor, a team based in the city of Ordu on the Black Sea.

In the 1970s, the Purple Violets grew in numbers to such an extent that the club decided to reserve a special place in the stadium just for them, known as the ‘women’s bleacher’. Sezen notes that football was not only very popular but was the ‘pioneer social activity’ for women in the city of Ordu in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, however, the group has lost its enthusiasm and stopped going to games, due chiefly to the commercialization of football, the impact of political polarisation in Turkey on football fandom, and government policies strongly discouraging women’s presence in public spaces; the latter has manifested itself in sexist chants and attacks on female supporters. Furthermore, the existence of Orduspor is itself under threat, after the local pro-government municipality formed a new team and forced Orduspor out of its stadium, which has now been demolished.

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After the backlash in response to plans for a European Super League, and numerous protests targeting the wealthy owners of clubs such as Everton recently, it seems that big business and football fandom are increasingly at odds with one another. However, a recent study has revealed that some football clubs are hiring branding experts, in order to straddle this divide and appease supporters who might otherwise react negatively to rebranding exercises.

Dr Alison Barnes studied the ways in which several European clubs have attempted to redesign what she calls their ‘visual identity system’. In an article published in Soccer & Society last year, Alison notes that these attempts have had varying success. Fans of Everton, for example, objected strongly to a new crest design and forced the club to engage in a collaborative design process that involved the fans. On the other hand, Juventus have gone through with a dramatic change to their crest, one initiative among many including the creation of a special ‘J-Hotel’ designed to propel the club to the international stage and attract supporters from all over the globe, including people who have never engaged with football before.

Whilst clubs like Juventus are moving beyond the traditional fanbase and adopting a model more typical of multinational companies like Nike and Adidas, the relationship between club crests and football fans is more complicated than the typical relationship between brand and consumer.

Today we explore:

• How has social media influenced rebrands?
• What can help a rebrand succeed, and what are the pitfalls to avoid?
• Are the actions and views of supporters who resist branding a form of counter-narrative?

…all this and more in our latest episode.

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The rivalry between the two Glasgow-based teams Celtic and Rangers is one of football’s fiercest, and one that has been marred by sectarian divisions between the city’s Catholic and Protestant communities in the past. But how do Glaswegians from other religious and ethnic backgrounds view the ‘Old Firm’ derby?

Today Dr Kieran James joins us to discuss the experiences of Glaswegians of Pakistani descent for their views on the derby. The majority of fans of Pakistani descent who Kieran has spoken to preferred Celtic, for a variety of reasons, including the club's support for the state of Palestine, which includes campaigns and donations made by supporter groups, was highly influential in some of the respondents opting for Celtic over Rangers as their preferred team. 

• How have the Old Firm clubs engaged (or alienated) fans of Pakistani descent?
• To what extent is the situation in Scotland similar or different to other countries?
• Given that Celtic have recently condemned displays of support for Palestine, how has this been perceived in the Muslim community in Glasgow?

…all this and more in the 34th episode of the Football and Society podcast.

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If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice.

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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game. From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.

Éder Lopes’s goal in the 2016 European Championship Final won Portugal its first ever major football trophy, and catapulted him to the status of a ‘national hero’. A recent article argues that the celebration of Éder, born in the former Portuguese colony Guinea Bissau, and other racialised players depends on their ability to perform and assimilate ‘Portuguese culture’.

In this episode, Pedro Almeida joins us to discuss the relation between football, race, nation and colonial past.

Pedro has studied press discourses in Portugal, particularly the narratives that emerged during the 2016 European Championship; in addition, the study draws on interviews with various agents including journalists and former professional players. While the success of the national team in 2016 was perceived and presented by some as a symbol of the re-definition of Portuguese national identity to reflect a multiracial and diverse society, in reality it hasn’t weakened the idea of ‘a national ‘we’, Portuguese and implicitly white, as opposed to ‘they’, African and implicitly black. Pedro writes that Portugueseness is still conceived of today as something innately white in the national imagination.

• How does Portugal see is colonial past as somehow different from other nations?
• To what extent are media stories about populations of Portugal's former colonial possessions enthusiastically celebrating Portugal's success true?
• How much has the Black Lives Matter movement impacted Portugal?

…all this and more in the 33rd episode of the Football and Society podcast.

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If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/footballsocpod

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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game. From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.

In 2016, Iceland stunned the footballing world with its performance in the European Championship Finals. The nation of 340,000 reached the quarter-finals of their first-ever major tournament, claiming the scalps of England and Austria along the way.

In this episode, Vidar Halldorsson joins us to discuss Iceland's position as a ‘Black Swan’ in modern elite sport: because of their extraordinary performances

In Iceland, there is no distinction between ‘participation sports’ and ‘performance sports’ as there is in many other countries, and resources tend to be channelled into youth sports rather than elite sports. Regarding Iceland’s success at elite football level, Vidar argues that ‘the key characteristics of the Icelandic national teams, such as players’ enthusiasm, character, sacrifice, friendships and agency, are in part a result of their socialization in the youth sport system.’ He also notes that countries who once adopted the customary international sports model are now turning to the Icelandic model as a way of organising and playing sports.

• To what extent have Icelandic coaches been asked to advise other countries?
  
• Is Iceland's community-oriented success due to its small size?
  
• Are there other nations who may emerge as a ‘black swan’ in the near future and what is behind this being a possibility?

…all this and more in the 32nd episode of the Football and Society podcast. 

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If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice. 

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/footballsocpod 

Follow Vidar on Twitter: www.twitter.com/VidarHalldrsson

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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game. From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.

In 2011 the FA Women’s Super League was created, affording female footballers the opportunity to practice the sport professionally for the first time in English football history. Today we’re joined by Dr Alex Culvin to discuss the lived realities for women currently competing in the Women’s Super League. Women footballers are competing in an occupational field that is traditionally the preserve of a highly masculine and consequently gender-exclusive culture. Alex’s own experiences as a professional footballer shaped her research aims, particularly the focus on employment and the welfare of players. We discuss: What mental health support is there for women in the game? With women footballers expected to feel ‘grateful’ for the opportunities now afforded and pay parity with men a long way off, might industrial action and striking be a possibility in the near future? How may the women’s game develop in future? …all this and more in the 31st episode of the Football and Society podcast. *** If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice. Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/footballsocpod Follow Alex on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alexculvin *** Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game. From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.

In the 1980s, the president of the African Football Confederation stated that 'African football must make a choice' with regards to the exportation and retention of homegrown talent. Yidnekatchew Tessema was highlighting concerns still present today, as more and more African football players opt to play for the European nations where they seek employment as professional athletes.

This week we speak to Professor Wycliffe Njororai Simiyu about the history of African footballers playing in Europe as well as the experiences of players of African descent today. 

The earliest players tended to be from French colonial territories, such as Raoul Diagne, who was the first Black footballer to play for France in the 1930s. Other popular destinations for talented players from Africa included Portugal, Belgium, and Britain, and over time these nations have been transformed into multiracial, diverse societies. However, Njororai notes that the ‘mining and export of indigenous football talent for consumption in European markets’ is reflective of ‘broader imperialist and neo-imperialist economic exploitation’; the recruitment of African players is effectively a continuation of the historic economic exploitation of the African continent, within a global capitalist system whose terms are determined by Western industrialized nations. 

• How the experience of football players of African descent differs to those of African descent in different sports, such as rugby?
• How effective are anti-racism initiatives such as Show Racism The Red Card?
• Are African feeder clubs - such as those who partner with Ajax and Tottenham - a help or a hindrance?

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If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/footballsocpod

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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game.

From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.

The first FIFA video game was released by EA Sports on 15th July 1993, and since then it has become the most popular and successful soccer video game ever. While in most countries FIFA's popularity followed the popularity of soccer itself, in the US it seems interest in the video game preceded - and may have even boosted - the popularity of the sport.

With his colleague Adam Green, today's guest Andrei Markovits has explored the growth of soccer’s cultural presence in the United States over the past 10–12 years, arguing that one of many factors in soccer’s surge in popularity in the United States has been the FIFA video game series. The game's creator, EA Sports, has actively targeted the US market, using popular American celebrities in its campaigns as well as featuring American soccer stars on the cover of the game itself. 

• How does FIFA's influence in the US compare with football culture in Japan, where cartoon's led to a boom in soccer's popularity?
• How much did the US Men's National Team's absence from the 2018 World Cup affect enthusiasm for the sport in the country?
• Do e-sports pose a threat to physical sport?

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If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/footballsocpod

***

Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game.

From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.

Over the past 20 years Qatar has hosted international tournaments in a range of sports including tennis and golf, but it has never hosted a sporting mega event such as the football World Cup. The 2022 Men’s World Cup, to be held in Qatar next year, will be the first to be hosted by an Arab nation.

Preparations for the tournament have been surrounded by controversy, with allegations of bribery during the bidding process as well as the reported deaths of foreign workers employed to build the venues, but a recent study suggests that Qatar has demonstrated greater flexibility and sensitivity in its response to these controversies than many people think. In an article published in the Soccer & Society journal in 2019, Dr Thomas Ross Griffin focuses on the manner in which the Gulf State has addressed the concerns of its critics.

• How will the Qatar side fare on the pitch, and to what extent is this a priority for the hosts?
• To what extent will the Qataris' success embolden future bids from other countries of the Muslim world?
• How should we read critical Western press coverage in the lead-up to the tournament?

...all this and more in the 28th episode of the Football and Society podcast.

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If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/footballsocpod

Follow Thomas on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RossGriffinQU

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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game.

From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.

In Indonesia, soccer is everywhere: on newsstands, a city’s soundscape, fashion boutiques, and in the graffiti and murals of city walls. While in recent years violence has erupted between fans and corruption scandals have rocked the domestic league, it remains arguably the most intensely fought-over cultural product in contemporary Indonesia.

Andy Fuller has explored fandom in the two cities of Solo and Yogyakarta, two long-established cultural rivals both claiming to be heirs to Javanese high culture. An ex-player interviewed for the study reminisced over the ‘good old days’ and lamented the decrepit state of Indonesian soccer today, partly due to allegations of corruption involving his old team PSS Sleman, who were accused of match-fixing when their game against PSIS Semarang saw five own goals scored after the 87th minute. The domestic league has also been plagued by violence that saw the death of Muhammad Ikhwanuddin, a PSCS Cilacap supporter, at the hands of PSS Sleman supporters in October 2014. 

The rise of PSS Sleman and its supporter groups, Andy states, is a result of the ‘era of decentralization’ that led to a greater sense of identification with one’s team. Indonesian football is effectively an intersection of mainstream politics, identity politics, and negotiations of hetero-normative masculinity, and also the playing field for a diverse range of religious and youth gangs.

• To what extent is football-related violence normalised in Indonesia?
• How has the post-Suharto era impacted on football culture?
• To what extent are Indonesian fans influenced by European football culture, and how do they adapt these cultures to suit their local context?

...all this and more in the 27th episode of the Football and Society podcast.

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If you like the podcast, please subscribe and give us a review via your platform of choice.

Follow us on Twitter: www.twitter.com/footballsocpod

Follow Andy on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ReadingSideways

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Each week, Ash, Chris and Norman explore societal issues through the lens of the beautiful game.

From the ethics of gambling sponsorship to what a stadium move means for fans, we’ll be covering it all each week with expert guests from the worlds of sports journalism and sociology.