Football

  • We all know how Hitler used the 1936 Summer Olympics as a massive propaganda tool, and even in 2026 the second-largest sporting event in the world, the FIFA World Cup, remains deeply politicised. But this is nothing new. So, with the World Cup just a week away, let’s take a look back at the 1934…

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  • Salo Muller is a Dutch physiotherapist, author, and Holocaust survivor known for his efforts in seeking justice and compensation for Holocaust victims. He was born on February 29, 1936, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Salo Muller’s early life was profoundly affected by the Holocaust. His parents, who were Jewish, were deported and murdered in Auschwitz when he…

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  • Battle of Santiago

    No this is not a piece on World War 2 or any other war for that matter,although it is often said that football is war. The Battle of Santiago  is the name given to a particularly infamous football match during the 1962 FIFA World Cup. It was a game played between host Chile and Italy…

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  • We are only a few weeks away from the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This milestone inspired me to look back at players who never had the chance to compete in major football tournaments, either as players or coaches. Before diving into their individual stories, consider the context of the photograph above: a game of football…

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  • The History of Football

    Now that the preparations for the FIFA 2026 World cup are well on their way, it might be a good time to have a look at the history of Football. I will be referring to the sport as Football (and not soccer), because the name is Associated Football. It is one of the most if…

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  • Fortuna ’54, founded in 1954 in the city of Geleen, played a pioneering role in the history of Dutch football. The club, formed during a time when professionalism in Dutch football was still controversial, became one of the country’s first professional teams. Fortuna ’54 not only helped lay the groundwork for the development of professional…

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  • Dutch football manager Rinus Michels once said, “Football is war.” The Estadio Nacional disaster was a tragic event that took place on May 24, 1964, at the Estadio Nacional in Lima, Peru. It is still the deadliest football disaster in history. Here are the key details of the disaster: On 24 May 1964, Peru hosted…

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  • Wimbledon 1877

    When you think of Tennis, you can’t but be thinking of Wimbledon too. Although there are many tournaments throughout the year , Wimbledon is the one tournament that every Tennis player aspires to win. But when did it all start? On July 9, 1877, the All England Croquet and Lawn Tennis Club begins its first…

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  • Football Heroes—PEC Zwolle

    When I say football heroes, I don’t mean heroes on the pitch, scoring goals and winning matches, even though they did that too. In this case I am referring to the conduct of the whole football club. Sunday, 22 June 1941, the same day that Germany broke the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union and…

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  • How Many Survived?

    Viewing the photograph above, you can see a few boys having fun. You might ask yourself, “Who are these boys?” or “What game are they playing? I don’t know who these boys are. I know they were cared for by the BjZ or Buitenschoolse Jeugdzorg, a part of the Jewish Council in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.…

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