soccer

The aim of a new grassroots alliance, the Scottish Football Supporters Association, is to 'reclaim the game' for ordinary people and communities – to give Scottish football a real 'democratic moment', says Simon Barrow. This is important culturally and politically, not just for those who like sport. Community ownership and engagement is a core part of the new organisation's purpose.

Rights to free expression and peaceful assembly are under threat in Brazil, Amnesty says ahead of the 2014 football World Cup.

Scottish Greens say the latest legal obstacles facing the fan buyout of Dunfermline Athletic show that a new deal for Scottish football fans is needed.

There are many important issues in public life right now, but for a large number of people in Scotland the future of football, the national game, is no small matter, says Simon Barrow. It is not just about sport, it is also about people, communities, hopes and dreams, culture and values. Put bluntly, who does (and who should) own a sport loved by hundreds of thousands? Whose interests are being served by the way it is presently being run?