When Saturday Comes | The half decent football magazine

Percentage points

Thanks to share rules, German fans retain a say in the running of their clubs. But Paul Joyce worries this may be about to change

German football is justifiably proud of its strict regulations on club ownership. In order to prevent predatory investors seizing control of teams, the statutes of the German Football League (DFL) decree that at least 50 per cent of a professional club’s shares plus one controlling vote must be owned by its members, ie the supporters. This democratic model also means that fans of teams such as Schalke 04 and 1.FC Cologne have recently been able to use their clubs’ AGMs to block unpopular measures proposed by their boards.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - The Archive

Plain sailing

Nick House doesn’t mind that little has changed at Torquay Utd’s home ground and thinks plenty has improved in the last 25 years

If 1986 was one of English football’s low points, it’s even more starkly remembered at Plainmoor where Torquay United were in the process of finishing bottom of the pile for the second year running.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

International playboys

Owen Amos explains how two brothers dealt with rejection in England – by becoming footballing celebrities in the Philippines

While Chelsea wait for Josh McEachran to establish himself (or be sold to Fulham), two of their other youth team graduates are doing rather well. James and Phil Younghusband, brothers from Middlesex, were released by Chelsea in 2006 and 2008 respectively. Now, they’ve got 50 caps between them, a string of sponsorship deals and – most importantly of all – 200,000 followers on Twitter. The Younghusbands have made it; they’ve just made it 7,000 miles away, in the Philippines.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - Book reviews

Stick or twist

Mark Brophy isn’t surprised that both clubs and players take the big-money gamble on promising teenagers

I wouldn’t recognise Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, the Southampton winger, if I saw him in the street. Thanks to the footballing gossip columns, I know that he’s 17 and the same kind of hot property Theo Walcott was in his Saints days, supposedly worth £10 million and interesting the very biggest English clubs. Ipswich’s Connor Wickham, perhaps better known, is another to be the subject of speculation on a close-season transfer. Should either make a move this summer they will be embarking on a well-trodden path.

Tuesday, June 21st, 2011 - The Archive

Protest vote

John Duerden hopes that the Indonesian FA may soon have a less corrupt president

2010 was a bad year for Indonesian football. It started with a 2-1 loss at home to Oman in an Asian Cup qualifier, the high point of which was a pitch invasion by a spectator. The fan, scarf around left wrist, got hold of the ball and ran half the length of the pitch only to see his shot saved by Ali Al Habsi.

Saturday, May 21st, 2011 - The Archive

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Stories

Percentage points

Thanks to share rules, German fans retain a say in the running of their clubs. But Paul Joyce worries this may be about to change

Plain sailing

Nick House doesn’t mind that little has changed at Torquay Utd’s home ground and thinks plenty has improved in the last 25 years

International playboys

Owen Amos explains how two brothers dealt with rejection in England – by becoming footballing celebrities in the Philippines

Stick or twist

Mark Brophy isn’t surprised that both clubs and players take the big-money gamble on promising teenagers

Protest vote

John Duerden hopes that the Indonesian FA may soon have a less corrupt president