On a quiet spring afternoon in the Florentine Hills, TPA’s Ben Shine quietly slipped into the empty and unguarded Italian National Football Museum and Training Base, Coverciano. Unaccompanied, he perused the displays of World Cup glory and retraced the footsteps of idols Maldini, Baggio and Sacchi. He shares his experience here.
Read More I Sneaked Into Italy’s National Football MuseumI don’t want to watch the third State of Origin game tonight, but I will. Like a father spending his Saturday watching under 13s cricket while he waits in vain to see his son bat at number eleven, I will loyally tune in to channel 9 at precisely 8:17pm tonight – thus avoiding the pre-game hype – to…
Read More I Will Reluctantly Watch Origin 3 Tonight“Soccer is for pussies” It’s a refrain uttered by many Australians when speaking about the round ball game, and despite soccer’s increasing popularity, it’s a tough tag to shift. Maybe it’s because soccer is, and never will be, as physically intense as league, union or AFL. It is true that when it comes to bodies colliding…
Read More Can a Crocked Neymar Salvage Soccer’s Burgeoning Reputation as a Sport for Pussies?