The only black jockey in the race
S'manga Khumalo is the first black jockey to win South Africa's richest horse race.
SPORTS
After the World Cup is gone
The book, "Africa’s World Cup," is a valuable source for thinking more deeply about the meanings and legacies of the 2010 edition of the competition hosted in South Africa.
Jogo Bonito
Preparations for the 2014 World Cup have served as a trigger for what may become a major political and social movement in Brazil.
The left winger
A meditation on left footed footballers, especially wingers, given the conventional wisdom that lefties are always useful to have in a match.
Football Referee of the Year
My knowledge of European club football doesn’t stretch much further beyond what gets posted here on Football is a Country and the odd link I come across on our Twitter feed (blame my wary interest on the historical underperformance of Belgian teams* and a time-consuming preference for all things music) so I was surprised to […]
The Blood of the Impure
The French national anthem is a pretty nasty song. It dreams, in one of its more memorable verses, that the “blood of the impure” will “irrigate our fields.”
Pope Francis is a football fan
The pope supports Argentina's San Lorenzo Club (nickname: Los Santos). What better way to dissect his ascension to the papacy than by way of football?
The Blue Kenyan
We may not all love Chelsea Football Club (John Terry, their klepto-petro-billionaire owner, John Terry, the list goes on) but we are loving the team’s Brazilian midfielder Ramires right now. And not just for that equalizing goal he scored on Saturday against Manchester United in the English FA Cup. When Ramires played for Cruzeiro in Brasil, […]
African Footballers in America
The US Major Soccer League is luring foreign players, especially decent African players, and not just those whose careers are on the wane.
Is there football in heaven?
The author, a football fan and writer, wonders if there is football in heaven? And if there is, does God himself play? And if he does, what position does he plays?
The Soweto Derby Sale
Kaizer Chiefs vs Orlando Pirates is South Africa's fiercest football rivalry. It is increasingly less about the football and more about merchandise on offer to fans of both teams, especially Chiefs.
African Football at The Shrine
Watching the African Nations Cup Final at The Shrine in Harlem.
The move is a win-win
Nigerian coach Stephen Keshi's decision to resign one day after winning AFCON is a metaphor for the current political climate in Nigeria.
Nigeria, Kings of Africa
It is appropriate that Stephen Keshi, an African champion with Nigeria in 1994, coached the team to victory in South Africa.
Wayne Rooney and a rhinoceros
The ultimate preview of the 2013 Afcon Final: Will it be Stephen Keshi's time or can the Burkinabé shock the world in Soweto?
Requiem for Les Éléphants d’Or
Or a playlist for Côte d'Ivoire's golden generation of footballers.
Ghanaian Hip-Hop Lyricist M.anifest Writes for Us: Laments of a Disappointed Ghana Black Stars Fan
Oh Ghana Black Stars! Again? Our time in the trophy-less wilderness just got a 3 year extension yesterday courtesy our neighbors to the north, Burkina Faso. This is how they repay us for supplying them with electricity (I kid).
Burkina Faso is this year’s Zambia
A footballing minnow has shocked the great names of African football with a series of audacious, spirited displays, making it all the way to the 2013 Afcon final.
#Ghana #BlackStars is trending
The Ghana Black Stars won their Afcon 2013 group and then beat Cape Verde in the quarterfinals Sunday to make it through to a semi-final later today against Burkina Faso. However, observers online and in Accra report that many fans have been complaining that it is too stressful and they cannot watch the matches and […]
Who are you rooting for
The historian Laurent Dubois watches the African Cup of Nations in Senegal and can't help mix it up with the history of colonialism and neo-colonialism in the region.