One of the giants of African football. Founded in 1908 in the city of Omdurman (on the left bank of the Nile, just opposite Khartoum, the capital), Al-Merrikh SC have won both the Sudanese title and Sudan Cup 19 times each. In 1989 they became the only Sudanese club ever to win a major continental trophy when they lifted the African Cup Winners’ Cup, defeating Bendel United FC of Nigeria. Their rivalry with neighbours Al-Hilal Club is one of the fiercest in Africa, with the t

Inter Milan. Italian giants. Nay — global giants. One of the most recognisable football clubs on Earth. I do a deep dive #GetTheBadgeIn on the club itself elsewhere. But in this post I wanted to look at something else. A symbol that appears all over Inter kits, third strips, marketing campaigns, and social media — despite not actually being the club badge. The snake. Or, more specifically, the Biscione. To understand why a giant serpent swallowing a bloke appears across the b

One of the best-named places in Britain. South of London, roughly equidistant between Crawley, Guildford, and Croydon. One of the most remarkable stories in English football. Formed only in 1999 by ex-City banker Marc White, a local devastated by seeing his team Wimbledon fold, he and some friends decided to simply make their own club. They began life in Division 5 of the Crawley and District League, with Marc himself playing for the team. What followed was remarkable: 12 pro

Founded in 1924, AEK Athens (The Athletic Union of Constantinople – Athens) has grown into one of the most successful sides in Greek football history, winning 33 major domestic honours, including 14 league titles and 16 Greek Cups. On the European stage, AEK have repeatedly carried the Greek flag into continental competition, becoming the first Greek club to reach the quarter-finals of the European Cup (now the Champions League) in 1968–69, later reaching the semi-finals of t