Pitch Invasion

In Italy, the idea of supporting rival Italian clubs in European competition is not only largely unpopular, but there is on the contrary a tradition of actively supporting their opposition. The verb gufare means to support against, to wish bad luck upon. It comes from the noun gufo, meaning owl, since the owl in Italy (and Spain) is a symbol of bad luck. So football fans “owl” for another team. Vanda Wilcox explains.

Is football in Norway as dull and predictable as people think? Not at all. Norwegian football fan Vegard Rostad Rinnes tells us what’s really going on with the beautiful game in the land of the fjords.

Sam Kelly looks at the early developments in Argentina’s Clausura, and explains the poor performance by two of Argentina’s big five.

Paul Gascoigne was detained today under the Mental Health Act. How did England’s superstar get where he is today?

It might not be Kosovo’s first priority — greater political recognition is probably higher on the agenda — but football’s never far below the surface in the Balkans, so we ask what the future holds for them in international football. Who will play for them? Are they any good? Will they able to join FIFA competition?

Continuing our recent theme, Brian Phillips takes a look at the history of one of the strangest supporter songs in football — “Goodnight, Irene,” an American folk song about love and suicide that’s been the anthem of Bristol Rovers for almost 60 years.

As the Copa Libertadores kicks-off, many have commented on the historic success of Argentinian football. In a collaborative feature, we present an illustrated map of football in Argentina, with an introduction explaining the context of the game’s development there.

Continuing our look at the songs sung by football fans, Vanda Wilcox considers the traditions and culture of Italian club anthems.

As the Premier League goes global, Supriya Nair looks at globalisation, authenticity and the football fan.