Sat on the glistening waters of Italy's Adriatic coast, San Benedetto del Tronto is a town full of promise. Its football club, AS Sambenedettese, is falling short of that promise. The club is in a financial cesspit of its own making. And it's not the only one.

The new year may only be a few days old, but Italy’s football federation, the Federazione Italia Giuoco Calcio (FIGC), has already revealed its new logo. In fact, it’s launched two: the federation's new logo appeared back in October, but the latest reveal is of significant greater interest since it will be worn by the Italian national team on its shirts. “We’re ready for the future,” claimed FIGC president Gabriele Gravina at the brand launch, perhaps not speaking for everyone.

The south-eastern state of Minas Gerais is one of the largest, most captivating and most mysterious regions in all of Brazil. It’s a labyrinth of luscious green valleys, rolling fertile hills and marshy savannahs that stretch as far as the eye can see.

Impeccable timing or fatal attraction? Jordan Rizzieri chose quite the summer to pay the UK a visit and take in the women’s Euros. She reflects on her experiences at the games, the legacy of the Lionesses, and the path to elevating women’s football to the level it deserves.

Due to a quirk of fate, the 2022/23 Serie B season has concocted a mixture perfect for the enjoyment of Italian football culture. There are some of Italy’s most interesting clubs: once-great teams on a journey of redemption; iconic players in the twilight of their careers; and football-fashion powerhouses — all set against the backdrop of some of the most beautiful cities in the world.

In 1996, FC Barcelona were in desperate need of a redemptive escape from the turmoil that was plaguing the club. Enter Bobby Robson, Ronaldo Nazário and a vintage Barcelona Copa del Rey comeback.

Football culture has always had a special sentiment for those players who, statistically, don’t rewrite record books, but instead amaze and excite us with those fleeting moments of beauty. Mário Jardel was one such player.

In Africa, we have a saying: "If there is no enemy within, the enemy outside can do us no harm." As long as our hero’s on the field make us proud, all the noise from the outside can be ignored. 

How a kid from the slums of Buenos Aires channelled the great early-19th century Romantic poets and their grandest ideas: the sublime, imagination, and revolution.

His decision to sign for the team as a free agent in September of 2000 was the most important moment in the history of Brescia Calcio.

Fierce rivalries, AFCON prospects, World Cup dreams and marvellous Mo Salah - Egyptian football is a riding a wave right now. But it wasn’t always this way.

17 months earlier, the stands and streets surrounding La Rosaleda were far from mute. On this occasion, I was stood outside our usual drinking haunt with Paul Gascoigne kissing me on the lips.

There was no such thing as a budget airline in April 1991. There was no single European currency. We didn’t have Google Maps, in fact, we didn’t have to Google anything. We didn’t even have mobile phones.

Sarri is proof that football has not yet lost its identity. Despite the excessive commercialisation, massive amounts of money on the line and elitism, the Italian coach is proof that a passionate love of the sport and consistent hard work can be enough to rise to the very top. From balancing football with his day job at the bank, to lifting the Italian league title with Juventus in the space of only 20 years… Sarri is an everyman.

It was the most ill-fitting and bluntest of send offs for the greatest participant of the most popular game in human history. From a Barcelona perspective, given the events that led to this point, it was so painfully, perfectly on-brand that it almost looked satirical.

The fans spilt into the concourses and onto the banks of the Manzanares singing I Can’t Take My Eyes Off You: a dedication to Fernando Torres. Residents stood on their balconies and joined in the chaos, filling the night with song. One merchandise stall, just off the M-30 motorway which bends under the North Stand, was selling ‘Torres 100’ replica shirts, with postcards of El Niño - The Kid - selling rapidly.

Sometimes acting as a conduit, mirroring the emotion of the viewing TV audience, the voices of football are also in place to guide you through the shocking; the hilarious; the vile; and the heartbreaking with a sense of certainty and authority.

Language requires context. In most of the Spanish speaking world, ‘una pelota’ is almost universally recognised as the translation for ‘a football.’ When Maradona spoke of the pelota, we knew what he meant. But Cuba has always prided itself on being different. In Cuba, if you’re talking about pelota, you’re talking about something altogether different. You’re talking about the national sport: baseball.

Amsterdammers and Rotterdammers don’t like each other. A rivalry born of anger and deceit, the story of two biggest football clubs in the Netherlands is one that transcends colours, identity and friendships.

They say that lightning doesn’t strike twice, but for Forest Green Rovers, it did. This tiny club, preparing for a return to life playing regional football, were somehow spared from relegation for the second time in a decade. Salisbury City were instead expelled for breaking financial regulations and amazingly, the club was safe to fight another day. As footballing miracles go, Forest Green had just been dealt the whole bible.