About: football
Lille football club commits to reaching carbon neutrality
Lille's football club, Losc, has committed to reaching the commitments of the UN-sponsored "Climate Neutral Now" initiative and is the first French club to do so. EURACTIV France reports.
Virus outbreak pushes Euro 2020 football cup to 2021
Europe’s football governing body UEFA decided on Tuesday (17 March) to delay the Euro 2020 tournament one year, as the coronavirus outbreak forced the organisation’s hand after threatening to play havoc with the sporting calendar.
Milan offers some cheer to suffering bars as coronavirus cases climb in Italy
Bars and clubs in Milan can re-open in the evenings, local authorities announced on Wednesday (26 February), in the first rollback of tough restrictions imposed at the weekend to try to contain a coronavirus outbreak in Italy.
French stadiums should ban fungicide use this year
Fungicides, which are pesticides used to combat fungi, could be banned from French football stadiums this year. EURACTIV France reports
The French MEP bashing football clubs over their flying habit
Green MEP Karima Delli has latched out at football clubs for their contribution to climate change as big teams prefer flying for short distances instead of using alternative, more sustainable modes of transport.
FIFA commits to carbon-neutral 2022 football World Cup
FIFA aims reach carbon neutrality at the next World Cup, to be hosted by Qatar in 2022, in spite of the numerous environmental challenges linked to the location of the event, according to a recently released sustainability strategy.
Ewald Lienen: Football Rebel for Future
German football veteran Ewald Lienen is convinced that football is political and bears social responsibility. Today, the Technical Director of FC St. Pauli is committed to climate protection - not only on the pitch.
Greek PM expels MEP Zagorakis amid escalating football spat
Greece's conservative Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has expelled MEP and former footballer Thodoris Zagorakis from the ruling New Democracy party amid growing tensions between the country's two football giants, Olympiakos and PAOK. But the spat over football could also spell some trouble for the government.
French football clubs revisit transport modes in bid to reduce carbon footprint
With the travel of football players and fans having a significant impact on the environment, France's football clubs, including amateur ones, have started developing initiatives to reduce travel. EURACTIV France reports.
Germans push back against green alternatives to artificial football pitches
The EU is considering new curbs on microplastics, a decision which could also affect the synthetic turfs of countless football pitches in Germany. Yet, replacing all surfaces by real grass, although more environmentally-friendly, is hardly feasible. EURACTIV Germany reports.
Hoffenheim on tree-planting mission in Uganda
Football club 1899 Hoffenheim is planting trees in Uganda to help protect the environment. In the past, sustainability in football meant switching off the stadium lights in the evening, but many clubs are now breaking new ground.
Four clubs would lead the Premier if climate friendly politices were the goal
A study conducted in England has listed its football teams according to their environmental performance and four Premier League clubs - Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham - are leading the table.
Playing with feelings: Football’s role in climate protection
Football plays a big role in the lives of many Europeans. Football clubs can reach people on an emotional level, and some use this to raise awareness about sustainability. One such example is Schalke 04, which drives environmental awareness in a traditional German coal region.
Study: Top 20 world footballers responsible for over 500 tonnes of CO2 emissions
The best players in the world are producing at least 505 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year only by travelling, way over the average, a study revealed.
German football club on a mission to defend the climate
With thousands of fans travelling to matches and giant stadiums being built, football has a considerable climate impact. Some clubs are increasingly aware of this and try to limit their carbon emissions. A club from the small city of Mainz has been leading the movement for a decade.
Qatar imparts World Cup lessons…even before kickoff
Qatar has pledged to host not only the most sustainable World Cup in the middle of the desert, but is already sharing lessons from the event three years before the teams even begin to play.
Trees for goals: the teenager playing to end deforestation
Lesein, a 15-year-old Kenyan, is one of the thousands of youngsters around the globe who have joined Greta Thunberg in her fight against climate change. He has been planting trees for every goal he scores since 2018, as his way of contributing to the fight.
Lyon football club attempts to reconcile sport with environment
Olympique Lyonnais' newly-built OL City complex has been designed to be more environmentally friendly, though it initially attracted criticism for requiring a longer commute. EURACTIV France reports.
Fans back call for phasing out single-use plastics from UK stadiums
A survey conducted by YouGov shows football fans support for environmental NGOs' call to clubs in the UK top four divisions to eliminate single-use plastics from their stadiums.
EU will not ban artificial turf pitches but could impose restrictions
The European Union will not ban artificial turf pitches, at least yet, but the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) is looking at alternatives, as this material is an important source of microplastics.
Forest Green Rovers, the world’s greenest football club
A vegan menu, bamboo-made t-shirts, an organic pitch, a stadium 100% powered with renewable energy… in less than a decade, the Forest Green Rovers has become the first carbon-neutral club in the world. EURACTIV interviewed its manager.
How sustainable can football be?
Football inspires, it brings people together and is like a religion to some – as we may well see at the Women's World Cup final in France on Sunday. But football also has its downsides: heaps of rubbish, squandering of water and a big CO2 footprint. The Life Tackle initiative now wants to change that.
The football tournament you’ve never heard of
Eight football teams will duel it out in the foothills of the Caucasus this month to decide which is the best in Europe. But you will not find Germany, Italy or Spain on the match list and none of the teams taking part are fully recognised by the international community.