Nick Ames
@nickames82.bsky.social
European sports correspondent, the Guardian
Reposted by Nick Ames
On Fifa peace prize: “It shouldn’t be a political organisation but now you’re doing this, it’s shameful … It shows that the way is lost. At least that’s how everything has been presented with this ridiculous piece of work. And I’m sorry for that. Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.”
And from this month in Zagreb with Zvonimir Boban, who didn't hold back on anything – Infantino, Fifa, Uefa and why a lifelong love brought him home. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zvonimir Boban: ‘If I didn’t do this it would be a betrayal of every value I have lived for’
The Croatia legend tells Nick Ames about his return to Dinamo Zagreb, his fall out with Uefa and the ‘shameful’ actions of Gianni Infantino
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:23 AM
On Fifa peace prize: “It shouldn’t be a political organisation but now you’re doing this, it’s shameful … It shows that the way is lost. At least that’s how everything has been presented with this ridiculous piece of work. And I’m sorry for that. Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.”
On Fifa peace prize: “It shouldn’t be a political organisation but now you’re doing this, it’s shameful … It shows that the way is lost. At least that’s how everything has been presented with this ridiculous piece of work. And I’m sorry for that. Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.”
And from this month in Zagreb with Zvonimir Boban, who didn't hold back on anything – Infantino, Fifa, Uefa and why a lifelong love brought him home. www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zvonimir Boban: ‘If I didn’t do this it would be a betrayal of every value I have lived for’
The Croatia legend tells Nick Ames about his return to Dinamo Zagreb, his fall out with Uefa and the ‘shameful’ actions of Gianni Infantino
www.theguardian.com
January 3, 2026 at 8:23 AM
On Fifa peace prize: “It shouldn’t be a political organisation but now you’re doing this, it’s shameful … It shows that the way is lost. At least that’s how everything has been presented with this ridiculous piece of work. And I’m sorry for that. Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.”
Not sure anyone still does this but here are five pieces I particularly enjoyed working on in 2025. First, with Bodø/Glimt exploring the traditions that underpin an astonishing tale: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘One big dream’: Bodø/Glimt’s modern miracle built on history and humility
Family club, known as a symbol of northern Norwegian self-esteem, prepare to face Tottenham in Europa League semis
www.theguardian.com
December 31, 2025 at 1:27 PM
Not sure anyone still does this but here are five pieces I particularly enjoyed working on in 2025. First, with Bodø/Glimt exploring the traditions that underpin an astonishing tale: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Win for Parma against Fiorentina this lunchtime has made it three in five for them & Cuesta. A very young, reshaped squad is clawing its way from the relegation zone. Their manager’s story below, if you missed it.
Interview in Italy with Carlos Cuesta, the 30 y/o Parma head coach & Arteta confidant. He has a fascinating story. On percolating ambitions in mum's coffee shop, climbing the ladder via social media, the empathy in young managers & toughest decision of his life: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Parma coach Carlos Cuesta: ‘Leaving Arsenal was maybe the most difficult decision of my life’
Spaniard, who at 30 has been coaching for half his life, discusses Arteta, tactics and how to win players’ trust
www.theguardian.com
December 27, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Win for Parma against Fiorentina this lunchtime has made it three in five for them & Cuesta. A very young, reshaped squad is clawing its way from the relegation zone. Their manager’s story below, if you missed it.
Reposted by Nick Ames
Interview in Italy with Carlos Cuesta, the 30 y/o Parma head coach & Arteta confidant. He has a fascinating story. On percolating ambitions in mum's coffee shop, climbing the ladder via social media, the empathy in young managers & toughest decision of his life: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Parma coach Carlos Cuesta: ‘Leaving Arsenal was maybe the most difficult decision of my life’
Spaniard, who at 30 has been coaching for half his life, discusses Arteta, tactics and how to win players’ trust
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Interview in Italy with Carlos Cuesta, the 30 y/o Parma head coach & Arteta confidant. He has a fascinating story. On percolating ambitions in mum's coffee shop, climbing the ladder via social media, the empathy in young managers & toughest decision of his life: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Interview in Italy with Carlos Cuesta, the 30 y/o Parma head coach & Arteta confidant. He has a fascinating story. On percolating ambitions in mum's coffee shop, climbing the ladder via social media, the empathy in young managers & toughest decision of his life: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Parma coach Carlos Cuesta: ‘Leaving Arsenal was maybe the most difficult decision of my life’
Spaniard, who at 30 has been coaching for half his life, discusses Arteta, tactics and how to win players’ trust
www.theguardian.com
December 26, 2025 at 12:18 PM
Interview in Italy with Carlos Cuesta, the 30 y/o Parma head coach & Arteta confidant. He has a fascinating story. On percolating ambitions in mum's coffee shop, climbing the ladder via social media, the empathy in young managers & toughest decision of his life: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Zvonimir Boban on Dinamo, freedom, forms & materials, Ceferin, his legacy at Fifa/Uefa – and, of course, Infantino & World Cup draw. "Disrespectful and irresponsible, I couldn’t watch it ... Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.” Interview in Zagreb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zvonimir Boban: ‘If I didn’t do this it would be a betrayal of every value I have lived for’
The Croatia legend tells Nick Ames about his return to Dinamo Zagreb, his fall out with Uefa and the ‘shameful’ actions of Gianni Infantino
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Zvonimir Boban on Dinamo, freedom, forms & materials, Ceferin, his legacy at Fifa/Uefa – and, of course, Infantino & World Cup draw. "Disrespectful and irresponsible, I couldn’t watch it ... Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.” Interview in Zagreb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zvonimir Boban on Dinamo, freedom, forms & materials, Ceferin, his legacy at Fifa/Uefa – and, of course, Infantino & World Cup draw. "Disrespectful and irresponsible, I couldn’t watch it ... Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.” Interview in Zagreb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zvonimir Boban: ‘If I didn’t do this it would be a betrayal of every value I have lived for’
The Croatia legend tells Nick Ames about his return to Dinamo Zagreb, his fall out with Uefa and the ‘shameful’ actions of Gianni Infantino
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 1:32 PM
Zvonimir Boban on Dinamo, freedom, forms & materials, Ceferin, his legacy at Fifa/Uefa – and, of course, Infantino & World Cup draw. "Disrespectful and irresponsible, I couldn’t watch it ... Sorry for Fifa, sorry for him, sorry for football.” Interview in Zagreb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Big interview with Zvonimir Boban in Zagreb. On his stormy departure from Uefa, the shame of Infantino's peace prize and why galvanising his beloved Dinamo will be the final task of an incredible life in football: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zvonimir Boban: ‘If I didn’t do this it would be a betrayal of every value I have lived for’
The Croatia legend tells Nick Ames about his return to Dinamo Zagreb, his fall out with Uefa and the ‘shameful’ actions of Gianni Infantino
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Big interview with Zvonimir Boban in Zagreb. On his stormy departure from Uefa, the shame of Infantino's peace prize and why galvanising his beloved Dinamo will be the final task of an incredible life in football: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Big interview with Zvonimir Boban in Zagreb. On his stormy departure from Uefa, the shame of Infantino's peace prize and why galvanising his beloved Dinamo will be the final task of an incredible life in football: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Zvonimir Boban: ‘If I didn’t do this it would be a betrayal of every value I have lived for’
The Croatia legend tells Nick Ames about his return to Dinamo Zagreb, his fall out with Uefa and the ‘shameful’ actions of Gianni Infantino
www.theguardian.com
December 23, 2025 at 9:26 AM
Big interview with Zvonimir Boban in Zagreb. On his stormy departure from Uefa, the shame of Infantino's peace prize and why galvanising his beloved Dinamo will be the final task of an incredible life in football: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Bits going round about Russia returning to international football through FIFA U15 event – but it's worth noting their U15s & younger age groups have actually played in numerous UEFA development tournament games since February 2022. Here's one example from September: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP77...
LIVE | Russia-15 — Turkiye U-15
YouTube video by Белорусская федерация футбола
www.youtube.com
December 18, 2025 at 9:38 AM
Bits going round about Russia returning to international football through FIFA U15 event – but it's worth noting their U15s & younger age groups have actually played in numerous UEFA development tournament games since February 2022. Here's one example from September: www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP77...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Chelsea had a great opportunity to put a foot in the knock-outs but now face the spectre of 21 games before the end of February. Report from Bergamo: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Chelsea’s top-eight hopes hit by Atalanta after De Ketelaere seals comeback win
Gianluca Scamacca was also on target in Atalanta’s 2-1 Champions League victory against Chelsea, who took a first-half lead through João Pedro
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Chelsea had a great opportunity to put a foot in the knock-outs but now face the spectre of 21 games before the end of February. Report from Bergamo: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Chelsea had a great opportunity to put a foot in the knock-outs but now face the spectre of 21 games before the end of February. Report from Bergamo: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Chelsea’s top-eight hopes hit by Atalanta after De Ketelaere seals comeback win
Gianluca Scamacca was also on target in Atalanta’s 2-1 Champions League victory against Chelsea, who took a first-half lead through João Pedro
www.theguardian.com
December 10, 2025 at 12:03 AM
Chelsea had a great opportunity to put a foot in the knock-outs but now face the spectre of 21 games before the end of February. Report from Bergamo: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Two excellent finishes in two games now – Norway's latest stellar export has lift-off.
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘I wouldn’t compare us’: Sindre Walle Egeli, the Ipswich teenager who has outscored Haaland
Record scorer for Norway’s age-group sides tells Nick Ames about his World Cup hope, being frozen out at 15 and fake tickets heartbreak at Anfield
www.theguardian.com
December 7, 2025 at 11:43 AM
Two excellent finishes in two games now – Norway's latest stellar export has lift-off.
Reposted by Nick Ames
Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Declan Rice cranks up volume to show he is Europe’s best player right now | Nick Ames
The driving force behind the continent’s standout team resembled four players in one as Arsenal put their old nemesis Bayern Munich to the sword
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Declan Rice cranks up volume to show he is Europe’s best player right now | Nick Ames
The driving force behind the continent’s standout team resembled four players in one as Arsenal put their old nemesis Bayern Munich to the sword
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 11:25 PM
Declan Rice: best player in Europe, for the best team in Europe. It’s still early *but* - it would take something (else) new and unusual to leave Arsenal empty handed this season: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Vålerenga call for anti-doping changes after artificial pitch causes footballer to fail drug test
Vålerenga have called for anti-doping regulations to be strengthened after a player in their women’s team was found to have ingested a banned stimulant from rubber crumb in a pitch
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Vålerenga call for anti-doping changes after artificial pitch causes footballer to fail drug test
Vålerenga have called for anti-doping regulations to be strengthened after a player in their women’s team was found to have ingested a banned stimulant from rubber crumb in a pitch
www.theguardian.com
November 26, 2025 at 5:52 PM
Valerenga, in Norway, want anti-doping rules changed after an extraordinary case that saw a player in their women’s team test positive for a stimulant that came from an artificial pitch’s rubber crumb: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘I wouldn’t compare us’: Sindre Walle Egeli, the Ipswich teenager who has outscored Haaland
Record scorer for Norway’s age-group sides tells Nick Ames about his World Cup hope, being frozen out at 15 and fake tickets heartbreak at Anfield
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
‘I wouldn’t compare us’: Sindre Walle Egeli, the Ipswich teenager who has outscored Haaland
Record scorer for Norway’s age-group sides tells Nick Ames about his World Cup hope, being frozen out at 15 and fake tickets heartbreak at Anfield
www.theguardian.com
November 21, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Sindre Walle Egeli's first taste of English football was heartbreaking: at seven, he travelled to Anfield but found family's tickets were fake. Now he aims for better memories at Ipswich. Interview with Norway's highest youth scorer & Championship record signing: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Reposted by Nick Ames
This week has been an antidote to power club football. Make do and mend teams, full of faulty parts giving their people a night or two of glorious delirium.
November 18, 2025 at 10:30 PM
This week has been an antidote to power club football. Make do and mend teams, full of faulty parts giving their people a night or two of glorious delirium.
Hope the "thank goodness the Premier League is back!!" takes are kept to a minimum this week – the past few days has been football at its best & purest.
November 18, 2025 at 9:49 PM
Hope the "thank goodness the Premier League is back!!" takes are kept to a minimum this week – the past few days has been football at its best & purest.
Can the public really tell this? Or are they simply force-fed it 24 hours a day?
Asked how happy Keir Starmer is that Tommy Robinson is now backing his asylum plans, his spokesman replies that "the public can tell that the pace and scale of illegal immigration is out of control..."
"We must restore order... or we will lose public consent for giving refuge at all".
"We must restore order... or we will lose public consent for giving refuge at all".
November 17, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Can the public really tell this? Or are they simply force-fed it 24 hours a day?
Some of these WCQ ties have been quite brilliant – one of the best weeks in calendar living up to its reputation. DR Congo, an enigma for so long, have outplayed a woeful Nigeria and deservedly won on penalties to reach March play-offs. Should be favoured to get through what will be a real mixed bag
November 16, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Some of these WCQ ties have been quite brilliant – one of the best weeks in calendar living up to its reputation. DR Congo, an enigma for so long, have outplayed a woeful Nigeria and deservedly won on penalties to reach March play-offs. Should be favoured to get through what will be a real mixed bag
Reposted by Nick Ames
No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...
Sweden into playoff after losing Graham Potter’s first game in Switzerland
Sweden will try to qualify for next year’s World Cup via the playoffs after losing Graham Potter’s first match as coach 4-1 in Switzerland
www.theguardian.com
November 15, 2025 at 11:50 PM
No fairytale for Graham Potter just yet. Report from Geneva: www.theguardian.com/football/202...