Archive - Played in Germany

They loved Big Brother.

Vincent Kompany is the least Bavarian coach Bayern have had since Ottmar Hitzfeld. And the rest of Germany loves him for it.

Apr 24 • Kit Holden

March 2026

Football's rules-based order is crumbling

Could something like the AFCON debacle happen in Germany? Recent examples from Munich and Berlin suggest the country is not immune to the toxic moral…

Mar 21 • Kit Holden

February 2026

Hitler at the Poststadion and Berlin's Olympic dilemma

Ninety years on from Adolf Hitler's first and only visit to a football match, Berlin is once again hoping to host the Olympic Games.

Feb 18 • Kit Holden

January 2026

The winter that changed East German football forever

Reform, realpolitik and Cold War rivalry: Why almost every major club from the former GDR celebrated its 60th anniversary in the last few weeks.

Jan 28 • Kit Holden

Is this the best Bayern side in a decade?

Bayern Munich are once again ruling the Bundesliga with an iron fist. But are Vincent Kompany's side good enough to win the treble?

Jan 16 • Kit Holden

December 2025

The story of Union Berlin's Christmas carol service

In 2003, a group of 89 Union Berlin fans broke into the Alte Försterei stadium to sing Christmas carols together. Two decades on, the Weihnachtssingen…

Dec 21, 2025 • Kit Holden

Fans vs politicians: The battle for German football’s soul

After weeks of fan protests and furious debate, German state ministers meet this week to discuss controversial new stadium security proposals. For some…

Dec 2, 2025 • Kit Holden

November 2025

Berlin: A derby day without a derby

The German capital was on high alert last weekend thanks to a freak occurrence in the fixture list which served up a bitter cocktail of rivalries past…

Nov 4, 2025 • Kit Holden

October 2025

Niko Kovac: The establishment outsider

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac returns to Munich with a point to prove this Saturday. It could be a defining game in a coaching career blighted by…

Oct 18, 2025 • Kit Holden

Why Oktoberfest matters for Bayern Munich

More than just a photo opportunity, the world's most famous beer festival is crucial to Bayern's self-image as the superclub with soul.

Oct 2, 2025 • Kit Holden

September 2025

Can a German team still win the Champions League?

Four Bundesliga teams begin their UEFA Champions League campaigns this week. But do any of them have a realistic chance of winning the trophy?

Sep 16, 2025 • Kit Holden

Germany and the sorrows of young Julian

Germany's defeat to Slovakia was the first great car crash of Julian Nagelsmann's tenure as national team coach. It also exposed a team caught between…

Sep 10, 2025 • Kit Holden