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[Martin Abegglen/Creative Commons]
WHY has a second-rate German football team become one of the biggest global brands of the beautiful game? Because all around the world, people hate fascists.
St Pauli FC play, mostly badly, in the German second division. St Pauli is a working-class, bohemian, edgy but very welcoming district of Hamburg famous for the Reeperbahn, the Beatles and, now, for its football team.
Despite being a pretty mediocre team that has spent limited time in the top flight of German football, St Pauli merchandise is the fourth biggest selling of all clubs in Germany (behind Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund and Schalke 04); worldwide the St Pauli brand and associated merchandise has become huge with supporters’ clubs across the globe: Glasgow, New York, India, Athens, Yorkshire among other places.
JAMES NALTON writes on the bizarre Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal
The ban on Maccabi Tel Aviv fans was based on evidence of a pattern of violence and hatred targeting Arabs and Muslims, two communities that have a large population in Birmingham — overturning the ban was tacit acceptance of the genocidal ideology the fans espouse, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE
STEVEN ANDREW welcomes a fine introduction to FC United of Manchester, the team set up in opposition to Manchester United
JAMES NALTON writes how at the heart of the big apple, the beautiful game exists as something more community-oriented, which could benefit hugely under mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani