by Alex Bellos
Distinguishing features: Male walia ibexes are about 1.4 metres tall and have light brown coats and white bellies. They also have enormous, curved horns, which can sometimes be more than 1 metre in length. Old males have thick black beards. The females are a lighter colour and a bit smaller, with thinner horns.
Animal behaviour: Ibexes are fantastic jumpers. They have to be, since they spend their days jumping up and down sheer cliff-faces looking for plants to eat. An ibex can jump about 2 metres high without a running start.
Smart footwear: An ibex hoof is the best climbing shoe in the animal kingdom. The hoof is made up of two thin toes, each with a sharp, jagged edge that is perfect for clinging on to tiny footholds on steep and rocky cliffs. A soft, textured underside presses against the rock to give extra grip.
Would walia ibexes be any good at football? They would be amazing at jumping for corners, although they would need to be careful not to puncture the ball with their horns. The sturdy grip of their hooves means they would never skid in the rain, but they may be more interested in climbing the stands than staying on the pitch.
VENOM-ENAL
Country: Mozambique
Nickname: The Mambas
Why? Mambas are venomous snakes, meaning that they will bite attackers to inject venom, or poison, into them. Two of the four species of mamba live in Mozambique, including the black mamba, which is one of the most feared snakes in the world.
What are they? Black mambas are the longest snakes in Africa. Their average length is about 2 metres but they can grow to longer than 4 metres. Despite their name, they aren’t actually black, but various shades of brown and grey.
Distinguishing features? The insides of their mouths and tongues are completely black, as if they have been sucking an ink-flavoured lollipop. When threatened, they will open their mouths, revealing the black inside. This defensive posture is a warning that the mamba might bite. You don’t want to be bitten by a black mamba! A few drops of their venom will kill you, sometimes in only half an hour.
Animal behaviour: The black mamba is the world’s fastest snake. They can slither at around 12 miles per hour, which is about the same speed as a human running fast. While they zoom along, they hold their heads up a metre in the air, which adds to their menacing appearance.
Fearsome reputation: Mambas are feared throughout Africa and feature in many legends and myths. But even though they are deadly enough to kill a human, they are generally shy creatures who avoid threats.
Would mambas be any good at football? The snakes would be super speedy running up the wing and good at slithering past defenders. The opposition team would scarper in fear of being bitten. But not having any feet is a big barrier to footballing success.
GILL-INGHAM FC
Country: Comoro Islands (or Comoros)
Nickname: The Coelacanths
Why? The coelacanth (which is pronounced see-lah-kanth) is a fish that lives in the ocean around the Comoro Islands, which are between Madagascar and the African mainland.
What are they? The coelacanth is one of the world’s most fascinating fish. They are huge, growing up to 2 metres long. They weigh about 14 stone and are also famously ugly.
Distinguishing features? The coelacanth has been around since well before the dinosaurs, making it one of the world’s oldest species of fish. They were first discovered as fossils. Scientists assumed that the fish had become extinct millions of years ago until one was discovered in 1938. Only about 500 of them are believed to still be in existence, making them one of the rarest fish in the world.
Animal behaviour: Coelacanths don’t have fins like other fish. Instead they have four fin-like limbs that move one after the other, just like a trotting horse. The coelacanth helps us understand evolution, which is the process in which animals slowly change their characteristics over millions of years. For example, hundreds of millions of years ago there were fish in the sea but no animals living on the land. Gradually, some fish evolved and emerged from the water to become land animals. Some scientists believe that these first land animals evolved from fish like the coelacanth.
Fish-brained? The coelacanth brain is tiny, only taking up about 1.5 per cent of the space inside its skull. The skull also has a special hinge, so that when coelacanths open their mouths wide – to eat big fish – their skull splits in two.
Would coelacanths be any good at football? Their limb-like fins make them the best underwater kickers of the ball, and their huge size and ugly appearance would scare opponents. But with their tiny brains and wide mouths, they might eat the ball (and the other players).
MAMMAL MIA!
Mammals are a type of animal that are warm-blooded, have backbones and have either fur or hair, like cats, dogs … and humans. Most of Africa’s best loved animals are mammals, like these ones:
BIG CATS
The lion is the largest of the big cats in Africa, and a symbol of strength and power around the world. It is therefore an obvious choice for a team nickname. Cameroon are the Indomitable Lions. Senegal are the Teranga Lions. (The word “teranga”means hospitality in Senegal’s Wolof language, and reflects the country’s pride in being welcoming and generous to visitors.) Morocco are the Atlas Lions, which is a subspecies of lion from the Atlas mountains, although none has lived in the wild there for almost a hundred years.
LITTLE FOXES
The fennec fox is a tiny animal, even smaller than the domestic cat, but that didn’t stop Algeria, one of the most successful teams in Africa, choosing it as their nickname. The habitat of the fennec fox is the Sahara desert, which means it has to be tough to survive in extreme conditions. The fox’s distinguishing feature is jumbo-sized ears, which help keep it cool by getting rid of excess heat.
TINY RODENTS
But the smallest of all the mammals used as a nickname was chosen by Benin and is … the squirrel! The first president of the Benin Football Federation suggested the name in the 1960s, since the squirrel is a plucky little thing that can climb high. However, many people in Benin feel that the team would perform better if they were named after a more aggressive, stronger animal, since bushy-tailed squirrels are unlikely to strike fear into the hearts of opponents. The sports minister has suggested the Emerging Panthers, and another suggestion was the Bees of Benin. Buzz buzz!
DEAD AS A DODO
An animal is considered endangered if there are so few of them left it is likely they will all die out. An extinct animal has died out. In the last 500 years, at least 250 species of animal have become extinct. The most famous of them, the dodo, lived on the island of Mauritius. This tubby bird with a long beak died out because humans destroyed its habitat and also killed it for food.
The Mauritius football team are nicknamed the Dodos, but this isn’t because good footballers are an endangered species there, or possibly even extinct! The dodo is now a national symbol for the island, a reminder that animals can die out if we don’t protect them.
ZOOLOGY QUIZ
1. Which of the following is a mammal?
a) A snake
b) A bee
c) A sea urchin
d) A whale
2. Cameroon are known as the Indomitable Lions. What does indomitable mean?
a) Impossible to defeat
b) Impossible to dominate
c) Impossible to eat
d) Impossible to catch
3. Which team has won the Africa Cup of Nations – the competition between the best African teams – the most times?
a) Egypt
b) Cameroon
c) Ghana
d) Nigeria
4. Guinea-Bissau are known as the Djurtus. What is a djurtu?
a) African wild guinea pig
b) African wild dog
c) African wild goldfish
d) African wild tortoise
5. The Liberian striker George Weah is the only African footballer to have won the FIFA World Player of the Year award, which he did in 1995. What new job did he take up in January 20
18?
a) Coach of Liberian national team
b) Coach of Football School
c) Librarian
d) President of Liberia
Which country is famous for bagpipes, berets and football? Not Scotland, not France, but Spain! The country is mucho brilliant at football, having won the World Cup in 2010 and the Euros three times, most recently in 2008 and 2012. Many top players, like David de Gea, Gerard Piqué and David Silva, are Spanish.
Spain is made up of many different regions, such as the Basque country (where they wear berets), Galicia (where they play the bagpipes) and Catalonia (where they dress up as cats – only joking!). In this lesson, we’re going to discover how the politics of Spain – that is to say, how the country is organised into different regions – make its football so exciting. Whether in La Liga or on the European stage, the teams are unlike anywhere else in the world. ¡Bienvenido a España!
THE REAL DEAL
Madrid is the capital of Spain, and the city’s biggest football club is Real Madrid.
Originally, the team were called Madrid. But, in 1920, the King of Spain allowed the club to incorporate the Spanish word real, which means “royal”, into their name. From their early days, the club were associated with the ruling class. They even started to use the crown in their team badge. What a crowning glory!
In the 1950s, Real Madrid won the first five editions of the European Cup, the competition we now call the Champions League. The club’s number one fan, who was prepared to support Real Madrid over other Spanish teams, was the military leader of Spain at the time: General Francisco Franco.
Franco used Real Madrid’s success, and the exhilarating way the team played, for his own political goals. His military government was deeply unpopular internationally because it was a dictatorship. This style of government is when a person or a small group rules with almost unlimited power and uses force to stop opposition. Franco used Real Madrid’s wins to make Spain look like it was a thriving and exciting country with lots to offer, when actually it was a brutal and dangerous place to be if you opposed his rule.
With such powerful support, Real Madrid became one of the most famous things about Spain. No team has won the European Cup more times than they have and, in 2018, the team was the first to lift the Champions League trophy three seasons in a row. They are also one of the richest clubs in the world. That’s real success!
Many people believe that the Spanish government still favour Real Madrid over the country’s other teams. Opposition fans complained that during the Franco era, which lasted from 1939–75, referees always favoured Real Madrid. In one match against Barcelona in 1966, the referee played 11 minutes injury time and blew the final whistle as soon as Real Madrid scored the game’s only goal. He claimed his watch had broken! Complaints about favourable treatment from referees continue today.
RIVAL ACTION
Real Madrid’s biggest rivals are nearly 400 miles across the country: Barcelona.
In fact, the competition between the two clubs is probably the greatest footballing rivalry in the world, so much so that the match between them has its own name: el clásico, from the Spanish word meaning “classic”, as in outstanding. The reason why Real Madrid and Barcelona dislike each other so much is a long story … so long it goes back centuries.
Barcelona is the second biggest city in Spain, and the capital of the region of Catalonia. About 800 years ago, the region became an independent country – the Principality of Catalonia – with its own laws, language and customs. But after a war in 1714, it became part of Spain. At the time, many Catalans did not want to be part of Spain – and over 300 years later, some still feel the same way.
The Barcelona football team has become a symbol of pride for the region. Barcelona have won over twenty Spanish league titles and, since 2000, four Champions League trophies. To many fans, every goal Barcelona scores against Real Madrid is a goal for Catalonia against Spain, as if the ancient war between them is still happening on the football pitch.
In recent years, many Catalans have wanted Catalonia to be independent again. The campaign for independence is the reason why if you watch a match at Barcelona’s Camp Nou stadium, you will notice that fans start chanting after 17 minutes and 14 seconds, which is to remember the year 1714.
Just as Catalonia has different customs to other parts of Spain, Barcelona makes a point of doing things differently to Real Madrid. While Real Madrid often (but not always) buy the biggest stars, known as galácticos, from around the world to win trophies, Barcelona focuses on teaching young players a possession-based style of play in their academy. The club encourages coaches to pick these local talents to represent the best of the region. Barcelona’s most successful coach, Pep Guardiola, and two of its greatest players, Sergio Busquets and Xavi Hernández, are all born and bred in Catalonia.
Barcelona fans are proud of the differences between them and their great rivals from Madrid – especially when they are winning!
BEST OF FRENEMIES
Even though Real Madrid and Barcelona are fierce adversaries, when it comes to the Spain national team the clubs have to put their rivalry to one side. It can be difficult to play as a team alongside your arch-enemies, but the Spanish have shown it can be done! When Spain won the 2010 World Cup, NINE of the players who started the final played for either Real Madrid or Barcelona.
This spirit of friendship fell apart, though, after a series of particularly angry clásico matches in 2011, and defenders Sergio Ramos (Real Madrid) and Gerard Piqué (Barcelona) fell out. Luckily, the pair patched things up in time to help Spain win Euro 2012!
Spain has other hotly-contested local rivalries all over the country. These derbies are all big games:
MATCH REGION
Real Oviedo v. Sporting Gijón Asturias
Celta Vigo v. Deportivo La Coruña Galicia
Athletic Bilbao v. Real Sociedad Basque Country
Sevilla v. Real Betis City of Seville
Las Palmas v. Tenerife Canary Islands
WAKE ME UP BEFORE IAGO
Galicia is in the north-west of Spain, close to Portugal. Like other regions, it has its own language, its own customs and … its own weather: the coastal area is famous for being colder and wetter than the rest of Spain. Brrr!
Galicia also has its own fierce football rivalry, between clubs from the two most populous cities: Celta Vigo from Vigo, and Deportivo La Coruña from nearby A Coruña (“Aˮmeans “theˮ in Galician). Both used to compete in the Galician regional championship, but General Franco put an end to that competition in 1940.
Celta have never won a major trophy, while Deportivo were nicknamed Super Depor when they won their first and only La Liga title in 2000. With little chance of major trophies, these two teams put more emphasis on winning the local derby – victory counts as a good season for some fans!
One of those fans is Iago Aspas, who grew up in Vigo and started playing for Celta aged eight. He has scored some of the most important goals in the club’s history and was top scorer in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He is loved because he has told the fans he will support Celta until the day he dies – and he would not even date a girl from A Coruña. True love!
BASQUING IN GLORY
The Basque Country is a region in the north of Spain, which is home to Athletic Bilbao, the club that sits third in Spain’s all-time trophy table, after Real Madrid and Barcelona. (The Basque country also extends a little into the south-west border of France). Athletic is also the only team, apart from the big two, never to have been relegated from La Liga. Its record is particularly amazing because the club only picks players from the Basque Country, which has a collective population of about two million.
The other teams in La Liga choose players from anywhere in the world, which means they can choose from seven billion people. But gutsy Athletic have shown they are a match for the big fish by only playing local talent.
One of the reasons Athletic protects its Basque identity so fiercely is because of
the way General Franco tried to stamp out Basque culture in the last century. Franco banned the use of the Basque flag and the use of the Basque language (Euskara) in public. But Franco’s plan backfired. Now the Basque language is the region’s main language, flags are everywhere and Athletic Bilbao is one of the strongest symbols of the Basque people. That’s why you won’t find Athletic ever signing a Brazilian wing-wizard or a tough-tackling Russian defender. It’s the Basque way or no way!
How could Athletic Bilbao possibly be so successful with this approach? The club has actually found strength in being so selective:
1. Local pride
Athletic players grew up supporting the club and understand the fans because they are fans too.
2. Belief in a common purpose
Athletic players know that they don’t just represent the club, or the city of Bilbao, but the whole idea of what it is to be Basque.
3. Winning is not the most important thing
Athletic fans want to watch local players in their team – even if they get relegated! Success comes from sticking to the Basque-only policy rather than the number of trophies that they win.
