{"id":17653,"date":"2022-12-05T13:28:23","date_gmt":"2022-12-05T11:28:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/?p=17653"},"modified":"2022-12-05T13:28:45","modified_gmt":"2022-12-05T11:28:45","slug":"focus-on-fans-in-al-jazeera-english-series-to-complement-world-cup-football-viewing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/blog\/2022\/12\/05\/focus-on-fans-in-al-jazeera-english-series-to-complement-world-cup-football-viewing\/","title":{"rendered":"Focus on Fans in Al Jazeera English Series to complement World Cup Football Viewing<\/strong>"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Six short documentaries focussing on the fans behind football teams in Brazil, Morocco, Germany, Indonesia and the UK, are now streaming in a series – The Fans Who Make Football<\/em><\/strong> – on Al Jazeera English during the World Cup, as part of a celebration of the beautiful game, and an acknowledgement of the people who support and \u201clive\u201d for their teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The series is produced and directed by UK-basedClover Films, with Mike Healy, Jamie Doran, Tracey Doran-Carter, Yeni Artanti and Leila Lak in various roles. Now enjoying its second airing, the series opens a window to what drives the passion of the supporters and, in many cases, the social justice and humanitarian motives that underpin the game for these fans on their home turf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Fans who Make Football<\/em><\/strong> explores how the old adage that \u201cfootball is more than just a game\u201d comes to life. The series digs into what drives the supporters. Whether it be standing up for the working class, labour rights, gender equality, or making a statement against global injustices, the films look at how the game pulls like-minded people together, creating a focus for their passion and opportunities to make a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At\u00a0Liverpool FC,\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>we learn why the anthem\u201c<\/strong>You\u2019ll Never Walk Alone<\/em>\u201d – Liverpool Football Club\u2019s war cry for the underprivileged\u00a0–\u00a0rings loud and in unison at every Liverpool match. For fans, it is about more than football. It is a fight for equality, social justice, and a voice for the UK\u2019s often ignored working-class. Despite the money behind the multimillion-dollar game, Liverpool has remained a team that continues to put the people before profit.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Liverpool FC<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

FC St Pauli<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0explores why the German club, established in Hamburg in 1910,\u00a0has\u00a0garnered so much attention across the globe. Its unwavering fandom has been cultivatedover decades\u00a0and\u00a0gives the club a unique identity in the world of football. Proudly anti-establishment, St Pauli supporters are united in compassion always standing up for\u00a0oppressed people and those least privileged.\u00a0It is seen as a beacon of hope in the midst of Europe\u2019s rising far-right movements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Glasgow\u2019s Celtic FC\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>looks at the social dimensions behind the team that holds British and European attendance records. While football may lead the passion for Celtic FC, its supporters are driven by much more than just the sport. Founded in 1887 to help poor Irish immigrants in Glasgow, the charitable side of Celtic continues to this day.\u00a0The\u00a0fans fund schools and clinics forpoor\u00a0people\u00a0across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe as well as the Middle East. They have made their voices heard in some of history\u2019s greatest human rights struggles. Nelson Mandela himself applauded Celtic fans for their campaign against apartheid in South Africa, and today the Palestinian cause is among the issues\u00a0gripping\u00a0the club\u2019s fanbase.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Glasgow\u2019s Celtic FC<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

In\u00a0\u00a0PSS Sleman\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>we meet the supporters who have redefined the profile of the football fan throughout Indonesia.\u00a0Women make up the core of the club\u2019s most passionate supporters,\u00a0giving PSS Sleiman a unique voice in the world\u00a0of\u00a0football. The film follows the Slemani Ultras, superfans who are challenging long-held cultural norms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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PSS Sleman<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Morocco, we see how\u00a0Raja Casablanca AC\u2019<\/em><\/strong>s home turf,\u00a0The Mohammed V football stadium, holds more than just a sporting legacy. Each match has become a platform for protest against the country\u2019s social, economic, and political injustices. The club\u2019s huge popularity garners substantial coverage and in turn offers wide media coverage to these protests across the region. These voices of defiance would not go unpunished in any other context.\u00a0The film explores the club\u2019s history as an outlet for the city\u2019s working-class, making\u00a0it such an icon for political defiance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Raja Casablanca AC<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finally in\u00a0Boca Junior FC<\/em><\/strong>, we meet super-fans as they reveal how and why they have become the voice of the common man and woman in Buenos Aires. In the city that is home the more football clubs than any other in the world, the film explores the special relationship between the team, its fans and the rest of Argentina.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Boca Junior FC<\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The documentaries can be accessed on Al Jazeera English streaming service, Youtube\u00a0https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/@aljazeeraenglish\/featured<\/a>\u00a0or online\u00a0https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/videos\/documentary\/<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Six short documentaries focussing on the fans behind football teams in Brazil, Morocco, Germany, Indonesia and the UK, are now streaming in a series – The Fans Who Make Football – on Al Jazeera English during the World Cup, as part of a celebration of the beautiful game, and an acknowledgement of the people who support and… Continue reading Focus on Fans in Al Jazeera English Series to complement World Cup Football Viewing<\/strong><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[259],"class_list":["post-17653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-al-jazeera","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17653","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17653"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17653\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17653"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17653"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.samdb.co.za\/blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17653"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}