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Perspectives: is an essay series and interviews dedicated to bring sociological, political, economical and cultural thoughts on the game by experts, local actors, thinkers, and researchers. These essays are designed to start conversations, understand the new issues and give policy-oriented takeaways.

If you would like to share your perspectives, please contact info@footballcasestudy.com




011

MONOGRAPH*: THE SOCCEROOS

Australia’s men’s national team has always existed in motion,  between continents, competitions, and identities. Photographer Aleksander Jason chronicles the Socceroos at the 2022 World Cup, capturing a side defined by migration, adaptation, and national imagination. What emerges is a deeply personal portrait of a team, and a nation, still defining where it belongs on the global stage.

Read More Date: December 2025
FCS-ID: MONO—021225—61
Aleksander Jason

010

MONOGRAPH*: CLUB BRUGGE KV

Club Brugge’s rise and resilience tell a distinctly Belgian story, one rooted in passionate supporters, cultural identity, and tactical nuance. Through moments on and off the pitch, this monograph explores how Brugge’s football narrative reflects the rhythms of a city forged by history, passion, and the unifying force of the game.

Read More Date: November 2025
FCS-ID: MONO—021125—32
Raffael Manders

09

MONOGRAPH*: AS SAINT ETIENNE 

Long before modern glitz, Saint-Étienne was French football’s heartbeat, a club carved from industry, community, and collective identity. This monograph traces how its history, myths, and supporters shaped both the club and the city that raised it, revealing a story where football becomes a vessel for memory, belonging, and enduring pride.

Read More Date: October 2025
FCS-ID: MONO—011025—33
Jules Mouillaud

08

THE MAYOR AND THE MANAGER: NEW YORK CITY ELECTS ITS MIKEL ARTETA

In The Manager and the Mayor, Marvin Heilbronn draws a sharp parallel between Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta and mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani—two builders turning belief into structure. From youth-powered renewal to “set-piece” marginal gains (corners vs. the tax code), the piece shows how culture, communication, and detail can transform a club and a city. A timely portrait of process over perfection—and of New Yorkers rediscovering direction. 

Read moreDate: July 2025
FCS-ID: P08/MH21125—1
Marvin Heilbronn

07

TAKE ME HOME, UNITED ROAD

In this deeply personal essay, writer Hijab Shah reflects on a lifetime of divided football loyalties — from growing up as a devoted Manchester United fan in Pakistan to finding new meaning in Aston Villa after moving back to Birmingham. Her first visit to Old Trafford, once a distant dream seen only through screens and magazines, becomes a space to explore belonging, identity, and shifting allegiances. What unfolds is a nuanced portrait of how football connects us to place, memory, and self, even when our loyalties are conflicted.

Read moreDate: September 2025
FCS-ID: P07/HS10925—44
Hijab Shah

06

THE LONG ASCENT: WOMEN‘S FOOTBALL 
AND THE MEANING OF THE AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS

A rainy morning at a Chelsea flea market led writer Jonah Buchanan to a small but powerful discovery: three forgotten snapshots from the 1994 World Cup. Amateur and anonymous, the photographs — a Brazilian fan performance, a shared moment between rivals, and a Dutch supporter’s quiet despair — offer more than nostalgia. They become a lens to examine how ephemeral, everyday images can reveal the deeper human experience of football beyond match reports, connecting spectators across time and space through the simple act of witnessing.

Read moreDate: July 2025
FCS-ID: P06/MH10625—1
Marvin Heilbronn

05

EPHEMERA


A rainy morning at a Chelsea flea market led writer Jonah Buchanan to a small but powerful discovery: three forgotten snapshots from the 1994 World Cup. Amateur and anonymous, the photographs — a Brazilian fan performance, a shared moment between rivals, and a Dutch supporter’s quiet despair — offer more than nostalgia. They become a lens to examine how ephemeral, everyday images can reveal the deeper human experience of football beyond match reports, connecting spectators across time and space through the simple act of witnessing.

Read moreDate: June 2025
FCS-ID: P05/JB10625—1
Jonah Buchanan

04

FOOTBALL IN SUN AND SHADOW


In Football in Sun and Shadow, Harlem Lamine explores how the game lives simultaneously in spaces of visibility and invisibility — from global spectacle to overlooked local realities. The piece traces how football reflects inequality, resilience, and cultural identity depending on where, and for whom, the game is played. It’s a portrait of football not just as sport, but as a lived social landscape shaped by power, history, and community.

Read moreDate: April 2025
FCS-ID: P04/HL40425—32
Harlem Lamine
03

FAITH AND FOOTBALL: A RESEARCH AGENDA FOR RAMADAN IN FOOTBALL


Faith and Football research explores the intersection of belief, identity, and the game, examining how faith traditions shape football cultures, rituals, and community life across different regions. Through research, the project looks beyond results and statistics to understand how football becomes a space where spiritual expression, social belonging, and cultural identity converge. 

Read more
Date: March 2025
FCS-ID: P03/HL30325—39
Harlem Lamine

02

PRAISE FOR EMPTINESS


As football accelerates toward an endless calendar of matches, we’re forced to confront an uncomfortable truth: the athlete’s body is being stretched, optimized, and ultimately discarded in service of the spectacle. In this urgent reflection by Harlem Lamine, drawn from Penser le sensible by François Laplantine, the piece challenges us to rethink our relationship with the sporting body—not as an expendable engine of performance, but as something human, finite, and in need of rest. 

Read more

Date: January 2025
FCS-ID: P02/IHdB10125—1
Harlem Lamine

01

AGAINST NOSTALGIA

 
Are we helpless, or should we bemoan the changes that come one after the other, altering our habits, our relationships and our environment? Should we mourn and contemplate the remnants of our memories? How do we cope with the passage of time and regain a sense of momentum? Especially in football. Perhaps photography can help us to avoid falling into sad passions.    


Read moreDate: September 2024
FCS-ID: P01/AK10924—46
Harlem Lamine
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