Italian nineties
Marco skipped into my Milan hotel lobby sporting dark glasses, jeans and stubble. He gave me a hug. It had been five years since television director Marco had covered my visit to Crotone for Quelli che … il Calcio. We … Continued
Away from Tomé
Bats swooped through the airy rooms of the clapboard plantation house I was staying in. Elemental rain hammered the lush undergrowth and large fruits thudded to the ground. I walked down the middle of the road in near total darkness … Continued
Our Man in Muscat
I had blasted around Oman in a white saloon. I had trekked mountains, clambered desert dunes and seen green turtles lay their eggs on the corner of the Arabian peninsula. I was now in Muscat’s fish market with a serious … Continued
Fort knocks
For once, this wasn’t a football trip. But it is hard to avoid the influence of Hajduk when visiting Split. Hajduk graffiti is everywhere, not just in Croatia’s second city but all around the surrounding region of Dalmatia, its beautiful … Continued
Way out west
Santa Clara, the leading club from the Azores, are the most westerly team competing in top division European football. Europe United features a second-tier match when Santa Clara played at Varzim, overlooking a very different stretch of the Atlantic, in March 2018 … Continued
Portraits of Europe United
A flashback to the 55. Apart from watching the game, the only other thing I had to do was ask someone to take a photograph of me at every stadium. The backdrops varied whilst some 55FN photographers struggled with my … Continued
Match day magic
What is the attraction of watching a random game? Not your own team nor at a stadium you are ever likely to return to. 55 Football Nations is all about such randomness within the tight structure of my mission. I … Continued