“Why Roma?”, I asked. “Gialla com er sole, rosso come er come mio! Chi tifa Roma non perde mai.” (Yellow like the sun, red as my heart! Who supports Roma never loses.) When recently Lazio beat Roma (Senad Lulic, 71min) in the finals of the Italian cup, my natural reaction was to immediately send Dario a teasing text message saying that such a tragedy happens only … Continue reading ROMA, DARIO
This is a fantastic news for all of you Footballists fans: Damir Šagolj, a friend, and a reporter who works for Reuters news agency and is currently based in Bangkok, Thailand, joins Footballists and will be our regular contributor. Here is his first post. Enjoy! Why Arsenal? I asked myself. “Because Samir brought me this shirt.” Indeed, although it is bit awkward for one displaced … Continue reading ARSENAL, DAMIR
Why Timão? I asked. “When I was a kid I looked at all the symbols and colors of different Sao Paolo clubs and I liked Corinthians’ best.” And, as he added later, a few family members helped with that decision. In Sao Paolo, it could be difficult to choose with Palmeiras, São Paulo, Santos, Corinthians and probably a few other clubs existing in the same city. Kim was 5 years … Continue reading CORINTHIANS, KIM
Why Barca? I asked. “When you’re watching Barca play you know you’re watching real football.” Just like Seif, who I met the same day, Zakaria comes from Algeria and is a big Barcelona fan. The encounter was brief just like the most of them, and we didn’t get to talk much, but Zakaria was all smiles and sometimes that’s all it matters. Continue reading BARCELONA, ZAKARIA
Why Brazil? I asked. “I bought it on e-bay. You see, it’s half black and half white, anti-racism jersey.” I met Alex at the Mondial de la bière where he was working. I have a soft spot for people going to work in a soccer shirt. And this is not your ordinary jersey but a special Anti-Racism edition. Alex bought the one with Pelé’s name on … Continue reading Brazil, Alex
Why Barca? I asked. “It’s the best team in the world and they have Messi.” I came out of the metro as he was about to go down the hole. Even though in a hurry, Seif graciously gave me a few minutes of his time. He is from Algeria but lives in Montreal and studies engineering at l’École Polytechnique. He had no doubts that Barcelona … Continue reading BARCELONA, SEIF
Why Czech? I asked. “My parents come form Czech Republic.” Matthew is very busy, so our conversation was very brief, but he was kind enough to stop for a moment so I could take a photograph. Ne doesn’t follow soccer much, he said, but major tournaments catch his attention. Finally, I got to meet someone wearing a jersey of a team (club or national) from … Continue reading Czech Republic, Matthew
Why PSG? I asked. “That’s my home team.” Olivier came from Paris just a few days ago to spend some time with his cousin Nicolas, and his nephew Noah. I asked if he is considering staying in Montreal and he replied, with a grin, how Nicolas is trying to talk him into it. The family dress code is obvious and Noah looks awesome in his PSG shirt. … Continue reading PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, OLIVIER and NOAH
Why PSG? I asked. “That’s where I come from.” What a thrill to run into a group of people, on a busy Montreal street, all wearing Paris Saint-Germain shirts as if they are going to the game to Parc des Princes. Only Parc des Princes is a few thousand kilometers away. Nicolas came to live in Montreal in 1995 but has never lost his sentiments for … Continue reading PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN, NICOLAS
Why Gremio? I asked. “That’s my home team.” Today I got to face my first rejection. It was from a young man wearing Arsenal shirt. We actually had a nice chat, talked about today’s news and Sir Alex Ferguson retiring, but he would not want me to photograph him. Some future Arsenal fans, that I’ll meet, better make it up for this guy. Refusing to … Continue reading GREMIO, OTAVIO
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