Atique Anam

Abahani vs Mohammedan: Worth gold in nostalgia

Almost every major football crazy city in the world has a historic club rivalry that it can brag about. Kolkata, London, Manchester, Milan, Madrid – you name it and there’s at least one colourful and storied rivalry to whet the appetite of football fans.

Maradona must be smiling

While the fans of Italian football continue to struggle to convince their peers from the English Premier League and LaLiga about the relevance of Serie A in European footballing hierarchy, it is with a renewed optimism that they can now boast about Napoli – the new entertainers of European football.

Hijacking success, chasing clout

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) seems to have mastered the art of spoiling its own party every time it achieves something substantial. It has this uncanny knack of producing moments of controversy just when the whole nation is looking towards it with great anticipation.

The inexplicable case of Argentina’s second coming

Bangladesh is a queer case of polar extremes.

From doubted to immortalised

Lionel Scaloni hardly ever shows emotion in the dugout. Whether his team scores a crucial goal or a spectacular one, he hardly moves a facial muscle, let alone unleash a joyous celebration like the ones you see from most coaches around the world. He sits there with a straight face, like a monk deep in meditation.

All roads lead to Lusail

Vamos Argentina has been the resounding choir on match days and non-match days, among Argentina fans who made up a majority of the Qatar 2022 fanbase. Now there was Allez Les Bleus -- another choir to rival that. Maybe the roars of ‘Allez Les Blues’ was not as  deafening as La Albiceleste’s ‘Vamos Argentina’, but certainly equal in expectation and fervour.

Argentina's Angel of fortune

Maybe it is Angel di Maria's fate, like that of so many other talented Argentina players, that he was born in Lionel Messi's time; that he had to play his whole international career under the shadow of Messi.

Messi no mortal

Lionel Messi worked his magic on the Lusail Iconic Stadium pitch to deliver a third World Cup trophy for Argentina as the Albiceleste emerged victorious following a thrilling penalty shootout on Sunday night.

May 27, 2023
May 27, 2023

Abahani vs Mohammedan: Worth gold in nostalgia

Almost every major football crazy city in the world has a historic club rivalry that it can brag about. Kolkata, London, Manchester, Milan, Madrid – you name it and there’s at least one colourful and storied rivalry to whet the appetite of football fans.

March 25, 2023
March 25, 2023

Maradona must be smiling

While the fans of Italian football continue to struggle to convince their peers from the English Premier League and LaLiga about the relevance of Serie A in European footballing hierarchy, it is with a renewed optimism that they can now boast about Napoli – the new entertainers of European football.

February 12, 2023
February 12, 2023

Hijacking success, chasing clout

The Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) seems to have mastered the art of spoiling its own party every time it achieves something substantial. It has this uncanny knack of producing moments of controversy just when the whole nation is looking towards it with great anticipation.

January 22, 2023
January 22, 2023

The inexplicable case of Argentina’s second coming

Bangladesh is a queer case of polar extremes.

December 20, 2022
December 20, 2022

From doubted to immortalised

Lionel Scaloni hardly ever shows emotion in the dugout. Whether his team scores a crucial goal or a spectacular one, he hardly moves a facial muscle, let alone unleash a joyous celebration like the ones you see from most coaches around the world. He sits there with a straight face, like a monk deep in meditation.

December 19, 2022
December 19, 2022

All roads lead to Lusail

Vamos Argentina has been the resounding choir on match days and non-match days, among Argentina fans who made up a majority of the Qatar 2022 fanbase. Now there was Allez Les Bleus -- another choir to rival that. Maybe the roars of ‘Allez Les Blues’ was not as  deafening as La Albiceleste’s ‘Vamos Argentina’, but certainly equal in expectation and fervour.

December 19, 2022
December 19, 2022

Argentina's Angel of fortune

Maybe it is Angel di Maria's fate, like that of so many other talented Argentina players, that he was born in Lionel Messi's time; that he had to play his whole international career under the shadow of Messi.

December 19, 2022
December 19, 2022

Messi no mortal

Lionel Messi worked his magic on the Lusail Iconic Stadium pitch to deliver a third World Cup trophy for Argentina as the Albiceleste emerged victorious following a thrilling penalty shootout on Sunday night.

December 19, 2022
December 19, 2022

Desert Fest: Must leave a lasting legacy

As the FIFA World Cup bandwagon winds down on Qatar and moves to North and Central America, it is time to look back at what the 2022 edition -- the first World Cup held in the Middle East -- offered to the world.

December 18, 2022
December 18, 2022

Contrasting background but similar passion to win

When defending champions France take on Argentina in the World Cup final tonight, all the focus will certainly be on the likes of Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe. However, two men on the pitch will perhaps play as important a role, if not more, than these two – Hugo Lloris and Emiliano Martinez.