FOOTY FAIR

Men in Pink - Five Clubs That Wear Barbie's Colors

2015-07-22T12:00:00.000-04:00

OK, so the title is a bit harsh, but in reality I have nothing against the color pink and probably have a few shirts myself that make me look like a bearded, overweight Barbie. Nonetheless, the color pink is rarely associated with football unless boots are the topic of discussion, but even in that realm pink has lost its place in the last year or so it seems.

As far as football clubs that have embraced the color pink and made it a staple of their look and tradition are concerned, there are five that come to mind. Many clubs around the world have used pink as a form of alternative look for a season or two. English side Everton for instance have used pink on a number of occasions, but haven't made the color a permanent feature, unlike the five clubs below.

Juventus

If you're thinking that Italian club Juventus don't always use the color pink you'd be correct. However, Juve makes this list for two reasons: for one, the club has used the color pink on their alternative shirts many times in the past, including an interesting getup for this coming season. But the real reason why I included "The Old Lady" on my list of five is because the club's first ever shirts were in fact pink (as seen in the first photo taken of the club in 1898). As a matter of fact, pink could have been Juve's official color to this day if it wasn't for a man named John Savage who had asked English club Notts County for their black and white striped shirts to replace Juventus' fading pink ones in 1903.

Partick Thistle

As is the case with Juventus, Scottish side Patrick Thistle do not use pink in their primary colors or in their club's badge. But in 2008 Thistle became the very first club in Scotland to permanantly incorporate the color into their away kits on a permanent basis. Since the 2008-09 season Patrick Thistle has had various interesting designs which included pink in combination with black, silver and white.

Cerezo Osaka

56 year old Japanese club Cerezo Osaka is all about the pink. The color is their primary together with a bluish purple accent. Together, the color combination is very sharp, but by sharp I really mean that it feels like somebody is cutting your eyes out with a Tanaka sword. It seems that the club has decided to incorporate the brightest, most candy-like shade of pink for their shirt and crest and I feel like sitting at their home stadium could very well bring one to the state of an epileptic seizure.

Évian Thonon

Despite having a crest that consists of red, white and gold, French club Evian are actually nicknamed Les Roses, which in French means "the pinks". The club features the pink color in its home shirts and as an accent in most of its away kits as well. That and the fact that the club used the mountain design that is seen on Evian water bottles (if you just realized the club and the water come from the same town, you need to sharpen up!) on their shirts, really made the team look a bit like a packaged product. With Evian water's parent company Groupe Danone no longer sponsoring the club, the shirts will likely look much less like a water bottle, but will feature a pink color or accent in all three of its 2015-16 season shirts.

Palermo

Without a doubt, Italian side Palermo are the most popular club associated with the color pink. With a primary nickname as "Rosanero" (the Pink-Blacks), few could argue that the color is ingraned in the club's tradition and history. Pink has been used at the club since 1907, giving the color its only home where it was used for over a century in professional football. From 1936 to 1940 the club was ordered by the Mussolini regime to wear the colors of its municipality, which were yellow and red. Then in 1941 the club known as Palermo Foot-Ball Club merged with Juventina Palermo and sported a light blue color shirt for a year, but went back to the popular pink and black the following season, a combination they have embraced since.

My 5 Favourite Manchester United Kits

2014-07-17T12:00:00.000-04:00

With the new Premier League season only 30 days away and with most clubs releasing new kits this month, I took a moment to look back at my favourite kits put out by Manchester United, the club I support.

97/98-99/00 European Kit

I remember when this kit came out and my immediate reaction was, “Another red home kit that’s specifically for Europe? Those greedy bastards!” But I have to admit that I like it so much more than the domestic red home kits that came out during this era. It has a great pattern in the background of the shirt that gives a tip of the cap to the Champions League, a nice simple collar, and a nice shield-like United crest. Which United fan doesn’t look at this kit and immediately think of Ole Gunnar Solskjær breaking German hearts?

86/87-87/88 Third Kit

In the risk of appearing to be a football hipster, I simply must include this gorgeous and extremely rare blue kit from Adidas in my list. Used only a few times, this kit has a terrific collar, a vibrant colour with a nice pattern in it, and a perfectly sized club logo. When you think of some of the garbage Nike has put out in the past decade, they would have been wise to study this kit and perhaps bring its genius of a designer on board to recreate a similar effort. This terrific retro number brings back memories of Bryan Robson leading the charge for United in the 1980’s.

92/93-93/94 Away Kit

Fifteen years or so before the green and gold campaign to protest the Glazers, but a hundred years after United forerunners Newton Heath FC originally donned these colours we had the absolute wonder of this particular kit. With a fabulous collar, complete with retro lacing, a big and bold badge, with black trim this is a beautiful kit. I picture a fresh faced Ryan Giggs, with his curly mop of black hair, bamboozling defenders when I see this one.

1990/1991 European Cup Winners Cup Final Kit

It could be the lack of a sponsorship on the front, or just simply the memory of Sparky slamming home the second goal against Barcelona from a tight angle that makes me love this kit. But I think it’s more than that. I mean, just look at that United crest, the retro Adidas logo, the two subtle black stripes and the truly wonderful collar. This is a truly remarkable kit. I don’t want to lower the tone of this article, but I will probably make a mess in my pants if Adidas come out with something even close to this when they take over as our kit supplier next season.

93/94-94/95 Away Kit

At number one is a jersey that was reportedly woven on Mount Olympus by Zeus himself and simply handed down to Umbro. This black with gold and blue trim masterpiece brings to mind visions of Eric Cantona performing acts of wonder on the pitch and even taking time out to dropkick a racist thug up in the stands. This kit sets the standard for all future releases and it’s tough to see it ever being matched. It’ll be hard to recreate a kit of such beauty and power as this one.

I still have this black United away kit that I got for Christmas back in 1994, and although it’s seen better days due to a lot of wear, you’d have to tear it from my cold dead hands to see me part with it. In fact, to hell with it I’m going to get it framed for my basement. Problem solved.

The Word "Soccer" and Its Origins

2014-06-14T17:00:00.001-04:00

I have always wonder why in places like North America and Australia, people refer to football as soccer? Where did the word soccer come from, what's the origin of the word?

I have decided to dive in and research the origins of the word soccer. I think instead of dismissing something or ignore it, the productive thing to do is to find out why a world sport like football is refereed to as soccer by some of the most developed nations in the world.

Inventors of the Word

The word soccer was invented by the British. I wasn't really surprised when i found that the word that so many Europeans hate and laugh at, was actually invented by the British. After all, they are the creators of the game of football.

When the game was created in Britain, it was referred to as soccer and not football. The beautiful game was known as soccer for about 18 years until it started to be referred to as football. The word football had a bigger impact with the low and middle class and eventually it became the dominating term, and soccer disappeared from regular use.

Soccer's Early Beginnings

In the 1860's there were several sports being played in England and around the world that used the term football. In 1863 a group of teams in England decided to get together and create a set of rules to be standard and used at all of their games. They called this set of rules, rules for "Association Football", this was their attempt to differentiate their football from rugby which at the time was known as "Rugby Football".

British youth loved giving things nicknames and also end words with "er". At that time rugby was known as "rugger". It was only obvious that they would start referring to "Association Football" as "Assoccer" and eventually "soccer". Some even called the sport "soccer football".

The Man Behind The Word

Charles Wredford Brown is the man credited with the invention of the word "soccer". In 1963, he was an Oxford student when "Association Football" was created.

The exact moment of when the word started to circulate is not really known, but folk stories mention that some of Charles friends invited him to a game of "rugger" to which he replied, i prefer "soccer". If this is accurate and true nobody knows, what we do know is that the word started to be used around that time.

The End of "Soccer"

In the beginning both rugby and "soccer" were sports designated for the elite youth of Britain. In time both sports spread to the general public with "soccer" finding a grip hold in the lower classes. This eventually resulted in the game in the name "soccer" and "association football" being dropped and the sport being referred to as football.

The first documented case of when the sport was called football, happened in 1881, 18 years after it was first called "soccer".

As the game grew and spread to other countries the name football stayed with it, the exception being countries like South Africa, Canada, USA and Australia where other games already existed with that same name, so they decided to use the original and traditional term soccer.

Next time you are somewhere and refer to a game as a soccer match, and someone gives you the evil eye, feel free to approach them and give them a lesson and history. While you are at it, give them the link to our site.

Throwback Thursdays - Andrés Escobar and the Infamous Own-Goal

2014-06-12T12:00:00.000-04:00

The dream to play in a World Cup tournament runs deep in all football fans, young and old. Andrés Escobar realized this dream with his national squad Colombia by qualifying and taking part in the 1990 World Cup in Italy. It was the 1994 World Cup however, that would make Andrés Escobar a famous figure not just in his native Colombia, but all around the world. Unfortunately, the fame would not come as a result of his skills on the field, but rather because of one crucial mistake on the pitch and a tragic death that followed two weeks later, marking this year the 20th anniversary of his death.

The 1994 World Cup didn't start as smoothly for the Colombian side as they hoped. They lost their opening match in Pasadena, California with a score of 3-1 to Romania. With a team consisting of footballers such as Hagi, Dumitrescu and goalkeeper Stelea in their squad however, the Romanians were seen as very strong opposition and the loss was not a huge shock to the Colombians. Their second group match however, would prove to be the one that changes the story of Andrés Escobar for ever. Playing against the (mediocre at best) host nation USA, With Freddy Rincón, Faustino Asprilla and captain Carlos Valderrama in the Colombian line-up, the South Americans were heavy favorites to come out with all 2 points (only 2 points were awarded in 1994 for a win). Colombia started well with many of the initial chances going in the direction of Tony Meola, the American goalkeeper. But in the 35th minute Escobar was involved in “the” incident. A Colombian giveaway in the middle of the pitch was spread wide towards American midfielder John Harkes. Harkes controlled the ball well and after a few touches forward crossed the ball into the Colombian box towards striker Earnie Stewart. But before the ball was able to get to Stewart, Andrés Escobar slid towards it to intercept the pass, but his touch was heavy and while his teammate goalkeeper Óscar Córdoba was moving to his left the ball went into the wide-open net recording arguably the most famous own-goal ever scored. Colombia would go on to lose the match 2-1, and would be guaranteed elimination from the tournament before playing their final group match.

In their final group match on June 26, 1994, Colombia defeated Switzerland in fairly comfortable fashion by a final score of 2-0. But the previous loss to the United States meant that Colombia would finish fourth in their group, 1 point behind the Americans who would qualify to the round of 16 at the expense of the South Americans.

The Colombians would return to their home country disappointed, but the shock of World Cup elimination would not surpass that of the events of July 2, 1994. Escobar, now back in his hometown Medellin, called a friend to join him on a night out at a local bar in El Poblado, the wealthiest district of the major Colombian city. After the bar they decided to go to a nightclub called El Indio and at some point Escobar’s friend left. Escobar exited the club by himself and entered his car around 3am, when three men approached him and they started arguing. It is believed that one of the men screamed the words “gol”, imitating the sound of a football commentator, at which point he took out a gun and shot Escobar 6 times. Andrés Escobar was pronounced dead in the hospital about 45 minutes later.

It was (and in some circles still is) widely believed that Escobar was assassinated as a result of his own-goal in the United States just 6 days earlier. Humberto Castro Muñoz who confessed to Escobar’s murder the same day after being caught, was a bodyguard for members of a drug cartel in Colombia. It is believed that the loss to the United States and Colombia’s inability to qualify to the next stage of the World Cup resulted in big betting losses for some very “powerful” individuals, who in turn blamed their misfortunes on an athletic mistake of a 27 year old defender. A mistake that cost him his life.

Escobar’s killer, Humberto Castro Muñoz was sentenced to 43 years in prison in 1995 (to be released in 2038), but after a few reductions in his sentence the killer has been free from prison since 2005, serving just under 11 years.

Throwback Thursdays - Roy Keane Misses the World Cup

2014-05-29T12:00:00.000-04:00

"You can stick it up your bollocks!"

Who hasn't dreamed of saying that to a manager we view as incompetent? Prior to the 2002 World Cup, Roy Keane ended a spectacular verbal tirade aimed at Republic of Ireland manager Mick McCarthy by saying just that.

It was an explosive end to a brilliant qualifying campaign for Keane and the Irish. They had emerged from a very difficult World Cup Qualifying group at the expense of the Netherlands, and followed that up with a two legged playoff victory over Iran. Keane had been a key performer throughout qualifying and was expected to be a driving force behind the Republic of Ireland's World Cup campaign.

Keane, the Manchester United and Republic of Ireland captain at the time, was a brilliant player but fierce character who demanded the best of those around him on the pitch and off it.

The man from Cork though, has never been known for his diplomacy and trouble was brewing between him, the Irish Football Association and McCarthy before his eventual meltdown in Saipan.

Background

As early as 1991, Keane had branded the FAI "a joke" and was critical of the National sides preparation for matches, from the training right down to the meals prepared for the squad. For a man who would later slam the "prawn sandwich brigade" at Old Trafford, it was particularly galling for Keane that FAI officials always flew first class, while the squad was crammed into second class on trips. He was rarely impressed with the training facilities and hotels chosen for the squad, and didn't believe the management was up to scratch either.

Keane, a serial winner at club level, had told United boss Sir Alex Ferguson that he was "going to the World Cup to win it." The combustible captain must have known that this was very unlikely, and for a man like Keane this wouldn't have sat well. To borrow from Will Ferrell's Ricky Bobby, Keane was very much of the belief that "if you're not first, you're last."

To compound matters, certain sections of the Irish media were on his case about what they perceived to be his lack of commitment to the National side's cause. The fact that he had been quite open in the past about saying that he enjoyed the time on the pitch for Ireland, but "not all the shit around it", didn't endear him to everyone. Keane also took a hammering in the press for not playing in teammate Niall Quinn's charity testimonial prior to the tournament. So needless to say, he did not head out to Asia in the best frame of mind.

The Saipan Incident

Before flying to Japan, to complete their final preparations for the World Cup, the FAI had selected the island of Saipan for some rest and relaxation for the side before they began their serious pre-tournament training. Angered that they were wasting valuable training time, and further enraged by the inadequate facilities, Keane was on the verge of leaving the squad.

McCarthy attempted to hold clear the air talks with his disgruntled captain, but by all accounts Roy wasn't interested in talking about it with him.

In a move that may have been calculated, Roy did talk to a reporter from the Irish Times, which resulted in the story of Keane's frustration being plastered all over the front page the next day. Understandably, McCarthy was not impressed and an argument broke out between the two men.

Keane, never one to mince words, unleashed the following verbal assault on the Yorkshireman, "Mick, you're a liar … you're a fucking wanker. I didn't rate you as a player, I don't rate you as a manager, and I don't rate you as a person. You're a fucking wanker and you can stick your World Cup up your arse. The only reason I have any dealings with you is that somehow you are the manager of my country! You can stick it up your bollocks."

And with that Roy Keane's World Cup was over before it had started. He was sent home by McCarthy and the Republic played out their World Cup campaign without him.

The reaction back in Ireland was divided, as some people supported Keane, while others felt he had let himself and the country down. His teammates, on the whole, stood behind McCarthy, despite a few of them telling Keane in private that they agreed with him.

The Aftermath

The Republic of Ireland emerged in second place out of a group containing Germany, Cameroon and Saudi Arabia, and would eventually go on to lose to Spain on penalty kicks in the Round of 16.

Roy Keane resumed his club career with Manchester United, winning another League Title and an FA Cup, before having another spectacular falling out, this time with his club manager Sir Alex Ferguson.

After a checkered management and media career, Keane in a surprising twist is now the Assistant Manager of the Republic of Ireland under Martin O'Neil.

As for McCarthy, after leaving his National side post, he has carved out a decent, if unspectacular club career with clubs like Sunderland, Wolves and Ipswich. Although he and Keane buried the hatchet in 2006, one can't help but wonder what impact Keane would have had for Ireland in 2002, and if he could have helped take them further in the competition.

World Cup Heroes - Garrincha

2014-05-22T06:00:00.000-04:00

It's been said that the World Cup has only been won single-handedly on two occasions, by Diego Maradona in 1986 and Garrincha in 1962. Although this might be hyperbole, the fact is that without Garrincha it's hard to believe that Brazil would have defended their World Cup title in Chile.

Alegria do Povo (Joy of the People)

Manuel Francisco dos Santos, better known as Garrincha (Portuguese for Little Bird) was a controversial selection for the 1958 World Cup. Born in Rio de Janeiro in 1933, despite a deformed spine and legs that bent inwards, the right winger for Botafogo was one of the best dribblers that Brazilian football had ever seen. Standing at a height of barely 5 foot 6, Garrincha's outrageous skill on the ball, in combination with his sense of mischief, made him difficult to fit into a team structure though. Always believing that it was better to drag the ball back and beat an opponent twice, rather than take a more direct option, he could frustrate teammates and opponents alike.

After being left out of the first few matches in the 1958 tournament in Sweden, he found himself back in the Brazil side against the USSR, and along with a 17 year old by the name of Pele, inspired Brazil to their first World Cup title. Garrincha was named to the best eleven of the tournament, and unsurprisingly he was the subject of numerous transfer requests from clubs such as AC Milan, Juventus, and Real Madrid.

Staying with Botafogo, Garrincha began to exhibit the problems with alcohol that would plague him until the end of his short life. A series of reckless incidents, including running over his father while drunk driving, and a string of high profile extramarital affairs, saw Garrincha dropped from the national side.

Despite his personal problems, Garrincha continued to star for Botafogo though and eventually found his way back into the Seleção Brasileira in time for the 1962 World Cup in Chile.

With Pele knocked out of the tournament after the second match, Garrincha took the team on his back as they beat Spain in their final group fixture to set up a Quarter Final showdown with England.

Mesmerizing the England back line, Garrincha led Brazil to a 3-1 victory with two goals and an assist for Vava. Besides his second goal, a brilliant "banana shot" from the edge of the box, Garrincha is also remembered for adopting a new canine friend after this match. During the action, a stray dog ran on the pitch and was picked up by England forward Jimmy Greaves. The four legged intruder then proceeded to urinate all over his kit. Finding the incident funny, Garrincha adopted the dog and took him back to Brazil.

In a fiery Semi Final against the hosts Chile, Garrincha again found the net twice to send Brazil through to the final. Although he was sent off in the 83rd minute, Garrincha was not suspended for the final.

In securing Brazil's second consecutive World Cup title, thanks to a 3-1 win over Czechoslovakia in the Final, the "Little Bird" was named as the Player of the Tournament.

Although, history views him in Pele's shadow, Alegria do Povo is still viewed by older Brazilian fans as someone who was a man of the people, that overcame personal struggles to become one of the greatest players of all time and was a key part of the country's first two World Cup wins.

SEE THE OTHER HEROES IN THIS SERIES>

Best of the FA Cup Final (Gallery)

2014-05-16T16:12:00.001-04:00

As Hull City and Arsenal take to the pitch at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, May 17, 2014, it will mark the final of the 133rd season of the FA Cup. The Football Association Challenge Cup, it's full title, is the oldest knock-out cup competition in world football.

To mark this special date on the football calendar, we here at FootyFair have put together a gallery of memorable images celebrating the winners, losers and supporters that have played a role in the FA Cup Final through the years.

Nice World Cup Balls! The Evolution of Footballs

2014-05-16T05:55:00.001-04:00

Up until I was 18 years old I'd only ever played with crappy balls. Wait, let me start that again.

It wasn't until my last year of high school that I kicked around some balls that weren't junk. No, that's still a bit awkward.

What I'm trying to say, is that as a kid I had only ever played football with either plastic or cheap leather soccer balls. It wasn't until I joined in on a kick about with some guys one Sunday, that was organized by a Football obsessive who insisted on only using quality gear even in the park, that I got to play with a decent ball.

The ball was the Adidas Questra, that was used in the 1994 World Cup and I had never played with anything quite like it. Sure, I still hoofed the damn ball over the net when it was easier to score, but I was able to put a sexy swerve on it while doing so.

That ball kept its shape no matter what, and didn't increase in weight when we were out playing in the rain. Even if you couldn't normally trap a bag of cement, this ball seemed easier to control. My friend had three of the pricey Questras, and to this day they're still the best ball I've played with.

From the times of ancient football like games, right up until the early 19th Century, balls were generally made from animal bladders, often filled with wood shavings, that would easily fall apart if kicked too hard or too much. Imagine yelling, "on my head, son" to your left winger and then having one of these bladders explode in your face when you tried heading it.

The process of vulcanization, perfected by American inventor Charles Goodyear in 1838, dramatically changed how footballs could be produced. Vulcanization is the process of adding sulphur to rubber, making it more flexible, yet also durable and resistant to solvents. This process allowed for the creation of a rubber inner centre for a football, that was then covered and reinforced with leather outer panels. These new balls could actually bounce and not fall apart when aimlessly kicked really hard by an unhinged central defender.

Before you ask, vulcanization has nothing to do with Mr. Spock. It was named after Vulcan, the Greek God of Fire.

In 1863, when Association Football was first codified in England, specifications for the balls that should be used were laid down by the English FA and were later adopted by the International Football governing board. For the next few decades there weren't major changes made to the development of these heavy 18 panel balls.

Although there were standards for the size and shape of footballs, they weren't strictly adhered to throughout the football world and when countries met in international competition, problems could arise.

In 1930, at the first World Cup Final between Argentina and Uruguay, the countries couldn't agree on what ball to use. Argentina supplied the ball for the first half and a Uruguayan ball was used in the second half.

From the 1934 tournament onwards, a single style of ball has been decided upon before the tournament with the intention of avoiding such disputes. That being said, after several countries complained about the quality of the ball Chile provided for the 1962 World Cup, the exceptionally named Crack Top Star, FIFA decided to award the contract for creating tournament footballs to one company.

The company responsible for the match balls for this summer's World Cup, Adidas, first started producing balls for the tournament in 1970. That year they released the iconic 32 panel black and white Telstar. It's design was meant to not only provide a better spherical shape, but also get picked up easier on television. When most people think of a soccer ball, it's this design that comes to mind.

In 1974, Adidas coated their World Cup ball with Polyurethane which waterproofed the ball and reduced headaches in players around the world.

On a serious note, this did in fact help reduce the number of head and neck injuries, as footballs used to become rock hard when their leather panels would get wet.

Like the evolution of football boots, mentioned in a previous article, a staggering amount of R&D and engineering goes into the modern balls used at the World Cup, some would argue too much as we see free kicks fly over the net.