1min.football

Arsenal’s kit launches are different. The Gunners leverage the traditional excitement surrounding a new kit to create a positive social impact. The 2019/20 home jersey launch video featured local businesses, providing them with free promotions. In January 2022, the club went a step further and initiated the No More Red campaign. Diverging from their iconic red, Arsenal introduced an all-white kit...

From its crest to merchandise designs, Oakland Roots is known for celebrating the local sporting and musical cultures. The club merchandise is so popular that famous artists like G-Eazy featured it in their music videos. Basketball stars Damian Lillard and Kevon Looney were also spotted in Roots t-shirts before their NBA games. However, the USL Championship Club’s impact goes beyond fashion. The c...

The 50+1 football ownership rule in Germany is a regulation that ensures majority control of a football club remains with its fans or members. In simple terms, it means that no single entity or investor can own more than 50% plus one share of a club’s voting rights. However, there are some exceptions. If a company or investor has continuously supported a club for over 20 years, they can acquire ma...

In 2010, Sadhguru visited Everton’s training ground on an invitation. Coincidentally, it happened to be a day just before the highly anticipated Merseyside derby. The Toffees had not beaten Liverpool in many years, and their victory seemed impossible against a Reds side with names like Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres. After kicking the ball in his sandals and flowing robe, Sadhguru sat down wit...

From the suburbs of Kerala to helping Chelsea win the Champions League, here is the story of Vinay Menon. The Blues wellness consultant and mind strategist is perhaps the most celebrated yoga trainer in the football fraternity. After completing his education in sports psychology, physical education, and yoga therapy, Menon started working at a luxury spa resort based in Rishikesh. This was where h...

Professional footballers are style icons. They are known for living a very lavish lifestyle. However, Manchester City star Rodri is an exception. He doesn't wear earrings and likes to keep a simple haircut. It is believed that Rodri doesn’t have any tattoos, so he can donate blood. What makes him even more special is that he doesn’t have social media. During his days in Villarreal, the Spanish...

Inter Milan has reached the Champions League Final by spending a fraction of fellow finalists Manchester City. The Nerazzurri lineup that started against AC Milan in the semifinals was comprised of three free transfers and a loanee. Additionally, four players were in their thirties. Dzeko and Mkhitaryan created history as two players aged 34 or more scored in a Champions League knockout game for t...

This is the remarkable tale of fans who bleed for their beloved club. FC Union Berlin has been a surprise package in the Bundesliga this season. After remaining a title contender for most of the season, the club qualified for the UEFA Champions League. It’s quite an achievement for a club that was promoted to the Bundesliga for the first time just four years ago. Yet what truly sets Union Berlin a...

Gameweek 37 of the 2017-18 FPL season saw one of the most unexpected winners. England international cricketer Stuart Broad won the Manager of the Week award after beating almost six million fantasy managers. The fast bowler’s bench boost chip was absolutely spot on. 46 points from captain Aubameyang and 19 points from West Ham goalkeeper Adrián helped him reach 169 points. Coincidentally, this poi...

“I spent the afternoon sleeping and playing the PlayStation. In the evening, I went out and won the World Cup.” Here is the story of Andrea Pirlo, described as “a silent leader who speaks with his feet” by former Azzurri manager Marcello Lippi. A key figure in AC Milan’s iconic team of the 2000s, Pirlo reinvented the defensive midfield position in football. He controlled the game’s tempo and insti...

Leicester City has been applying a planned transfer strategy since winning the Premier League in 2016. Except for the 2021–22 COVID-impacted season, the Foxes sold only one key player every year. This allowed the club to maintain a competitive squad while keeping its transfer budget in check. It started when N’Golo Kante was sold to Chelsea in 2016. Danny Drinkwater, Riyad Mahrez, Harry Maguire, a...

West Ham hammered out a stupendous London Stadium deal with the government in 2013. Originally built for the 2012 London Olympics, the 60,000-seater venue is the fourth-largest stadium in the Premier League. According to the 99-year lease agreement, the Hammers contributed £15 million as a one-off stadium redevelopment cost and accepted £2.5 million as yearly rent, which was increased to £3.6 mill...

All major football clubs have academies, but not Brentford. After facing a lot of opposition, the Bees decided to shut down their academy in 2016, citing that investing £2 million per year is bad for business. Instead of competing against top clubs for academy players, the club established a reserve team. The Brentford B team is made up of 17–21-year-old players released from Premier League academ...

From placing bets using fake IDs as a teenager to owning a Premier League club, here is the story of Tony Bloom. The current Brighton and Hove Albion chairman is regarded as the Godfather of Gambling. After graduating in maths from the University of Manchester, Tony started his career as a trader. But soon he discovered his talent at playing poker and betting on sports and horse racing. He ditched...

15 April 1989 is regarded as one of the darkest dates in the history of football. 97 Liverpool supporters lost their lives as a result of the human crush that happened during the FA Cup semi-final tie between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Sheffield Wednesday’s Hillsborough Stadium. Initially, the police blamed fans, citing hooliganism and drunkenness as the causes of the incident. However, ju...

Former Liverpool Academy graduate Yan Dhanda expressed his desire to play for India recently. With his grandparents from Punjab, Yan is one of the most prolific foreign-born Indian-origin footballers, alongside Bayern’s attacking midfielder Sarpreet Singh. Interestingly, the push for Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) to improve the Indian national football team is...

"Indian football calendar is adjusted according to IPL, this needs to stop", says Indian national team coach Igor Stimac. Unlike most countries, where a football league typically runs for nine months, the Indian Super League finishes in less than six months. Many, including Stimac, believe that the main reason behind the curtailed football season is IPL. Interestingly, Star Network owns...

Roberto Mancini surprised everyone by substituting goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma with veteran Salvatore Sirigu in the 89th minute of the final group stage encounter between Italy and Wales at the Euro 2020. With the Italians leading 1-0 and already qualified for the Round of 16, the Azzurri manager took the opportunity to ensure that 25 out of the 26 squad members have been on the pitch in the c...

Manchester City has been charged by the Premier League for breaching more than 100 financial rules since the Abu Dhabi takeover in 2008. According to the latest investigation, the money coming from the owners, which should count as equity, was used to artificially inflate the commercial revenue in the books, especially through the Etihad Airways sponsorship deal. Also, the managers were given cont...

Renowned for scoring outrageous goals and having an eccentric personality, Zlatan Ibrahimovic moved to the LA Galaxy in 2018. On his arrival, a full-page ad was published in the local newspaper saying "Dear Los Angeles, You’re welcome," with Zlatan's signature at the bottom. Whether it was his rivalry with Carlos Vela or criticising the MLS playoff system, Ibrahimovic was never far from making new...

The ballboy who once got ‘kicked’ by Eden Hazard is now a mega entrepreneur. Charlie Morgan, who became a social media sensation overnight after the incident in 2013, is the son of businessman and director of Swansea City FC, Martin Morgan. Like his father, Charlie always had the mind of a businessman. He observed a gap in the market for premium vodka, especially in bottle service, and founded Au...

Wout Weghorst was scouted using data during the early days of his career. In the summer of 2014, the Eredivisie side Heracles Almelo approached sports analytics company Scisports to find a young centre forward who was good in the penalty box and could also play as a target man up top. Having two strikers already, the club could only afford a player on loan or a free transfer. After applying severa...

Juventus have been docked 15 points for financial irregularities and false accounting in connection with player transfer deals. The club is accused of deliberately inflating player valuations on its balance sheet to boost capital gains. 11 former and current club executives are also charged with bans from holding office in Italian football by the Italian Football Federation (FIGC). The prime culpr...

How Kevin de Bruyne instigated an £83.2 million contract will blow your mind. Everyone knows that players have agents who do all the negotiations and handle the paperwork on their behalf. However, Kevin de Bruyne’s negotiations with Manchester City in 2021 were handled by the player himself. The Belgian hired a data analytics company, Analytics FC, to compile his numbers at City and draw a compari...

One of the most underrated players of his generation, Michael Carrick, is now proving to be a coaching prodigy. In his 12 years at Manchester United, Carrick made more than 300 appearances and won 13 major trophies, including the Champions League, the Europa League, and five Premier League titles. However, his significance was often overshadowed by his superstar teammates. After his retirement in...