ISSUE FOUR RED 1 THE SQUALL Matt Thacker It’s worth repeating here the reasons We are very grateful to all of the people why we set up The Squall four months who have waived fees and donated to ago as a digital football magazine to give The Squall since we announced the freelance writers a forum for their work. project. Special thanks go to: Nick Ames, Not just so they can get paid to write, Philippe Auclair, John Brewin, Kieran but so they have something to aim for, a Canning, James Corbett, John Cross, sense of job satisfaction at a time when Martin da Cruz, Miguel Delaney, Andrew such satisfaction is in short supply. Downie, Peter Drury, Ken Early, Emmet Gates, Sasha Goryunov, John Harding, The Blizzard has never been about the Simon Hart, Gary Hartley, Ian Hawkey, here and now, it’s much more taken with Frank Heinen, Tom Holland, Adam Hurrey, the there and then. And although current Elis James, Neil Jensen, Samindra Kunti, events led to its emergence, we see Jonathan Liew, Simon Mills, James The Squall as serving the same function, Montague, David Owen, MM Owen, showcasing great football writing on Simone Pierotti, Jack Pitt-Brooke, Gavin subjects you are unlikely to read about Ramjuan, Callum Rice-Coates, Philip anywhere else. We hope you enjoy this Ross, Paul Simpson, Marcus Speller, Jon “Red” issue. As Jonathan mentions over Spurling, Seb Stafford-Bloor, Ed Sugden, there, despite the generous waiving of Jonathan Wilson, Suzy Wrack, and fees and donations to date, if The Squall is Shinobu Yamanaka. And huge thanks to not to blow itself out, it will need further Getty Images, for use of the photos. funding. If you are happy to buy this issue, please do so by paying into our bank account with sort code 40-05-17 and account number 71515942, or you can pay via PayPal to paypal.me/thesquall. Any money paid into either of these accounts will be used for the sole purpose of producing future issues. August 2020 2 EDITOR'S NOTE Jonathan Wilson As the 2019-20 season comes to its it did when we launched. Which is to say conclusion with the later stages of the that we will keep going for a little while Champions League in Lisbon, it becomes longer – but we do need your support. apparent just how long-term the impact of the virus may be. The magazine has been funded largely by writers for The Blizzard waiving their fees The situation is fluid but at the time of for last year, but also by kind donations writing, infection rates are beginning from the public. In addition, all editorial to rise across Europe. There are plans and design staff are working for free. for fans to begin to return to Premier Such sacrifices to help the community League grounds in October but there is of readers and writers suggests the initial no guarantee that will be possible. At least spirit that fired The Blizzard’s launch a until a vaccine is found, and maybe after, decade ago still burns. there is no possibility of a return to life as it was before. But The Squall can’t be a charity. It has to stand as a magazine in its own right. We Meanwhile, the full economic impact of needed the donations to launch, but now the crisis is beginning to be glimpsed. we need people to buy the product. Each As losses mount for multi-nationals, issue will be available on a pay-what- sponsorship deals will inevitably shrink. you-want basis. We recommend £3, but Tottenham expect to make £200m less in if that’s a stretch then pay what you can this financial year than they would have afford; conversely, if you can afford more, done. Everybody is being squeezed. The then every extra penny is welcome. And Guardian has announced plans to reduce please do promote us however you can. costs by 12%, with 20% of that to come in sport. Other papers and magazines will be Hopefully we won’t need to exist for too forced into similar cuts. much longer. We’re a temporary product to get us through the crisis and we urge Even though matches are being played, you to support us on that basis. few journalists are allowed in to games, several leagues have been cancelled August 2020 and, with budgets limited, so too are opportunities. The Squall was established as a short-term measure to try to provide at least some work for at least some people and, perhaps more importantly, as a symbol that some opportunities do still exist, remains just as relevant now as 3 AN UNMISSABLE HIGHLIGHTS PACKAGE The Best of the First Five Years features 23 brilliant essays originally published between 2011 and 2016. Buy now at theblizzard.co.uk 4 CONTENTS The Squall, Issue Four – Red 8. Ben Welch, The Science of the 44. Ian Hawkey, No Quarter Given Red Mist The politics that led to Spain forfeiting What happens physiologically when we a European Championship tie against lose our rag? the USSR 14. Alex Hess, The Premier League 50. John Irving, The Dirty Red in Red Cards An interview with Paolo Sollier, the From Brian McAllister to Rafael da Silva, Communist who spent a season in the sendings off that tell the story of Serie A the league 56. Ewan Flynn, Bring Your Dinner 20. Luke Alfred, Greeks Bearing John Sitton, the Rwandan genocide and Gifts the fabled Leyton Orient documentary How Highlands Park rose with two Brazilians signed from Hellenic 64. Huw Richards, The Last Post A trip to East Germany to see what 26. Michael Yokhin, The Unfulfilled turned out to be their last international An interview with Ruben de la Red, forced to retire far too soon 70. Emile Avanessian, The Lord of Misrule 32. Felipe Almeida, Belfort Duarte Sergio Ramos and the art of the red card The rise and fall of a Brazilian icon of fair play 76. The Contributors 38. Tom Reed, They Only Need Seven Men How Northampton failed to beat Hereford, even with a four-man advantage 5 Blizzard Subscriptions BLIZZARD SUBSCRIPTIONS Subscribe to the print version of The Blizzard, be the first to receive new issues, get exclusive Blizzard offers and access digital versions of all back-issues FREE Subscription Options Information for Set Price for Four Issues Existing Subscribers Get a four-issue subscription to The Blizzard — for you or as a gift — for a flat fee including postage and packing (P&P): UK: £40 Europe: £50 Non-Europe: £60 Subscriber Benefits Subscribing to The Blizzard not only means four copies of your favourite football quarterly through your door each year, but you also get online access to all 600+ articles in our back catalogue, Non-subscriber? advert free, through your browser. If you've bought this book as a one-off Subscribers also have access to eBook print copy and don't subscribe, you can downloads of all our previous issues. still access three free articles at www.theblizzard.co.uk each month. See www.theblizzard.co.uk for more You'll have to choose wisely, though, as our archives are enormous. Digital Subscriptions If the cost of postage is prohibitive, or See www.theblizzard.co.uk for more you just prefer digital access and the ability to read any issue, anywhere at any We very much value the commitment of time, then take out a digital subscription our print subscribers and have a policy to for £20 for a year's access. make available new issues, special offers and other limited access events and See www.theblizzard.co.uk for more benefits to print subscribers first. 6 About The Blizzard ABOUT THE BLIZZARD Buy The Blizzard Contact The Blizzard We want as many readers as possible for All advertising, sales, press and business The Blizzard. This is why we make three communication should be addressed to the free articles available to read for everyone, this office: every month, at www.theblizzard.co.uk The Blizzard Digital Version Unit 34, (Current & Back Issues) 4th floor Bedser Stand, All issues of The Blizzard are available Kia Oval, to download for Kindle, Android, iOS London, and PC/Mac via the Amazon Kindle and SE11 5SS Google Play Stores. • RRP: £3 (or local currency Email: [email protected] equivalent). Telephone: +44 (0) 203 696 5730 Website: www.theblizzard.co.uk Printed Version Facebook: www.facebook.com/blzzrd (Current & Back Issues) Twitter: @blzzrd Purchase a physical copy of The Blizzard in all its luxurious, tactile, sensual glory About The Blizzard at: www.theblizzard.co.uk. If you haven’t Editor Jonathan Wilson felt our cover-varnish and smelled Publisher The Blizzard Media Ltd the inner genius, you haven’t properly www.theblizzard.co.uk experienced its awesome true form. Design TriNorth Ltd Read it, or leave it on your coffee table to www.trinorth.co.uk wow visitors. Copyright • RRP: £12 (+P&P) All content is © The Blizzard Media Ltd and may not be reproduced without explicit consent. Thanks to Jeanette G Sturis at the Kingsley Motel, Manjimup, for kind use of Warren Walker’s original sketches of Dog. 7 THE SCIENCE OF THE RED MIST WHAT HAPPENS PHYSIOLOGICALLY WHEN WE LOSE OUR RAG? BY BEN WELCH Zinedine Zidane walks off the Olympiastadion pitch after being sent off in the 2006 World Cup final 8 9 Marco Materazzi grabs Zinédine Zidane biggest stage, prompting reams of analysis, around the chest as another hopeful but this kind of emotional detonation cross is repelled by Italy’s rearguard.