I have a very unhealthy obsession with football kits. This is why, six months ago I designed a football kit for the Democratic Republic of Congo and sent it to them. They hadn't asked me to do it, I just felt that as their country had adopted a new flag it was about time they updated their kit. DR Congo's new flag is blue with a yellow and red sash across it, therefore I copied that idea and submitted the kit.

Last week DR Congo released their new kit (made by Puma). It doesn't quite have the diagonal sash I wanted but it definitely incorporates some of the ideas I suggested in my email. I'm not deluded enough to believe it was me who swayed the DR Congo FA's mind on this issue, I'm just glad they have made a kit that mirrors their flag.

What is also very nice to see in the kit is the Leopard badge that was made so famous by Zaire (DR Congo's previous name) in the World Cup of 1974 - the first 'black African' side to qualify for a World Cup Finals.

I'm looking forward to seeing Lua-Lua and Nonda lining up in that kit in the African Cup of Nations at the start of next year.

Guam 2 - 5 Mongolia

It may seem like that I have some sort of bizarre fetish for EAFF football. So you'll not be surprised when I post up these clips from youtube of the match between Guam and Mongolia played in Macao earlier this year (23rd June 2007)

Worth watching for the Mongolian's fourth goal alone:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sspy0pQhVYs

What I also uncovered on my soujourns on youtube were some videos of the Guam national squad messing about on their way to Taiwan (presumably for an away match). It's no wonder the islanders have never beaten a FIFA nation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aijn4u--NpU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Djmx-KVxOnc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aijn4u--NpU

I was browsing around youtube the other night and came across one of my favourite World Cup moments of all time. Cameroon vs Argentina in World Cup 1990, specifically Benjamin Massings' 'tackle' on Claudio Cannigia.

It was a great game for many reasons. It's the first World Cup match I ever remember watching. Both kits are superb, especially Cameroon's green, red and yellow kit with unfeasibly large badges.

No one expected a win from the Africans against the World Cup holders, but the nine men of Cameroon won it. 1-0 with a goal from Oman-Biyik.

See the wonderful tackle here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeRlJJbtdHc

Football on the Steppes

I was lucky enough to visit the faraway country of Mongolia this summer. As a football fan who is interested in some of the more bizarre and interesting aspects of the international game I obviously looked up some of the Mongolian's results over the past few years. It's not an impressive record.

Despite being a satellite of the Soviet Union for 70 years football in Mongolia never really took off. As I was reliably informed whilst in Mongolia there are only four sports that are played in the country: Horse Riding, Archery, Wrestling and Drinking (not always in that order). There is another sport that involves ankle bones that is more popular than football.

We are often told that Football is a Global Game. Mongolia is one country that seems untouched by the long arms of FIFA and superstar footballers like David Beckham. The climate of the country may give a reason for that. Sweltering hot summers and freezing cold winters isn't really the type of weather that lends itself to football, the poor Maldivians had to play a World Cup Qualifier in -20C a few years ago. Far from what they are used to.

The Mongolians entered their first World Cup in 2002 and their only successess have been a few wins against Guam in the East Asian Federation Cup (mentioned in a previous blog entry). They really do have a long way to go before challenging the likes of Korea and Japan (never mind qualifying for a World Cup).

Their federation is currently run by a man who goes by the name of Ganbold Buyannemekh, who apparently played for Dynamo Kiev reserves whilst at university in the old Soviet Union. He is the Mongolians most celebrated player, but he will have to perform miracles if he ever wants to see Mongolia in the finals of an Asian Cup or even a World Cup Finals.

Borough United Football Club

The first Welsh club to get past the first round of a European tie weren't Cardiff City. They also weren't Swansea, or Wrexham, Newport County, Bangor City or Merthyr Tydfil. They were the little known club from North Wales, Borough United.

Despite being a Cardiff City supporter for about fifteen years, and spending much of my time reading about Welsh football and some of the odder aspects of the European game until this week I had never even heard of Borough United.

Borough United were formed by a merger of Llandudno Junction and Conwy Borough in 1954. Only fifteen years later (1969) they folded and were no more. Yet, in those fifteen years Borough United packed in a Welsh Cup win and a European Cup Winners Cup run. When you consider how few teams have played in European competition it is incredible that a Welsh club such as Borough United managed it, yet so few years later ceased to exist.

The 1962/63 season saw Borough United's finest cup triumph when they beat Newport County in a two-legged Welsh Cup final (after beating the likes of English club Hereford United, Rhyl and cup holders Bangor City). A 2-1 victory at home and a battling 0-0 draw at Somerton Park was enough to bring the cup up north. A summer of fundraising ensued in order to fund the club's European adventure.

The 1963/64 European Cup Winners Cup contained the likes of Manchester United, Atalanta, Barcelona and Celtic but the Welsh minnows were drawn against the Maltese Cup winners Sleima Wanderers. The first leg, played in Malta ended in a creditable 0-0 draw at the Maltese National Stadium. This meant all Borough United needed to do was beat the Maltese side in order to get through to the second round, and that's exactly what they did. In front of 17,000 Welshmen Borough United beat Sleima by 2 goals to 0. An incredible result for the European first timers.

The second round in those days was the last 16, Borough United were pitted against Slovan Bratislava (now Slovakia then from Czechoslovakia). The challenge was one step too far however and the Welsh side lost out 4-0 on aggregate. Far from the disgrace many would have expected. Especially when you consider that Sporting Lisbon beat Apoel Nicosia 18-1 (on aggregate) in the same round.

The full second round draw is here:

Borough United	v	Slovan Bratislava
Celtic	v	NK Dinamo Zagreb
FC Barcelona	v	Hamburger SV
Fenerbahce	v	Linfield
Motor Zwickau	v	MTK Budapest
Olympique Lyonnais	v	Olympiakos Pireus
Sporting CP Lisbon	v	Apoel Nicosia
Tottenham Hotspur	v	Manchester United

We salute you Borough United. Most may have forgotten you, but you will go down in history as the first Welsh club to get past the first round of a European tournament. Let's hope Rhyl and TNS can take inspiration from this and perform their own European miracle.