Dear Mr Hicks from Liverpool FC Fans

Oct 6, 2010 |

I love my football. Always have. Always will. And, for as long as I can remember loving the game, I have supported certain football teams. Liverpool FC is one of them. While I'm sitting on the other side of the world, not many a weekend goes by without me watching my team play. Over the last two years, the club has descended into a dark hole, primarily because of the ownership and actions of two American businessmen, Tom Hicks and George Gillett. There has been a supporter campaign - led by Spirit of Shankly Supporters' Union - running over the last couple of months to try and push for the...

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Nike Lights Up Joburg City

Jun 27, 2010 | ,

Adidas is the official FIFA partner at the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, the other sports brands, namely Nike and Puma, get mileage on the field through the sponsoring of the different national teams. The battle for our attention by these brands is always ferocious and has inspired some of the most innovative and daring guerilla marketing the world has seen over the last few years. While Adidas dominates anything FIFA-related for this World Cup™, Nike has been pushing aggressively and this is most evident with their massive advertising installations in Johannesburg city. They have created a massive...

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World Cup Predictions @ GIBS

Jun 15, 2010 |

On June 9th, I attended a Forum at the Gordon Institute of Business Science featuring Martin Tyler, Pedro Pinto and Duane Dell’Occa chatting about most things football. Martin Tyler is a legendary football commentator from the UK who has been commentating football since early 1980s. He also taught me football through high school (when I used to listen games on radio) and beyond, through his commentary. He is in South Africa working for ESPN. Pedro Pinto, also an extremely knowledgeable and experienced commentator is from Portugal but based in London, working for CNN. SABC’s football...

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Nike Football vs Puma Football vs Adidas Football

May 24, 2010 |

It is football tournament season and one of the added joys of such periods, including Euro Cup, Africa Cup of Nations and, of course, the World Cup, is watching the sporting brands battle it out for our attention with elaborate, entertaining and inspiring adverts. Nike: Write The Future Nike just released its Write The Future ad with football stars including Drogba, Rooney, Ribery, Ronaldo and, ironically, Ronaldhino (who won't be making the World Cup). An edited version is being played on SA television but you have to see the full version for it to make sense....

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Nike’s Plastic Football Kits

Mar 22, 2010 |

Merchandising for football clubs (soccer for the Americans) is massive business. The various brands pump much development into securing sponsorship deals with the football clubs that are spread across the globe. Premier League, Serie A and La Liga clubs are now global brands and push out thousands of football tops throughout the world. Take one of the big teams globally and you’ll find that people, like me, will have home and away kits, as well as alternatives, tracksuits tops, etc. We are in a World Cup year and have just come out of the Africa Cup of Nations so national kits are also in...

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Sulley Muntari (AFF)

Mar 18, 2010 |

Being a Black Stars fan, I obviously admire many a player on the team, including Michael Essien, Stephen Appiah, John Mensah and Asamoah Gyan, as well as the young guard working their way into first team, after winning the FIFA U21 World Championship and helping Black Stars reach the Africa Cup of Nations 2010 Final. That said, from when he first burst into Ghana’s first team, I’ve been a fan of Sulleyman Ali “Sulley” Muntari. It is disappointing that he has been temperamental and, as a result, left out of the team because of his actions rather than his playing ability. For the recent Africa...

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