A Football Report

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Growing up in Japan, Ryu usually only had the photos in the newspaper to assist his imagination in developing the scenery and atmosphere surrounding some of the biggest matches in football. And his imagination has yet to let him down…

Oliver Sparrow, Ulysse Pasquier, and Eric & Jordan Beard of the AFR Team were lucky enough to have an enlightening chat with the well-traveled football photographer Ryu Voelkel, originally from Japan but now based in Paris. As Ryu points out in the podcast, photography is subjective, however Ryu’s unique style seems to capture a sense of universal appreciation in the world of football and beyond. Though Ryu is a freelance photographer regularly flying across Europe to every high-profile stadium imaginable, Nike hired him to be a main photographer in South Africa in its promotion of the World Cup. We talked about what the life of a photographer entails, how he got into the field, and some of his best experiences in his line of work. This is Ryu’s first ever media-related appearance, so we hope you enjoy a truly fresh perspective!

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Spain defeated England 3-1 in the semifinals of the EURO U-19 tournament, and there was nothing better than Sergio Canales’ goal to take the scoreline from 2-1 to 3-1 to cap off yet another great win for La Furia Roja. Just like Canales took Spain into the final with style, finishing off a wonderfully executed set piece, Novalima’s “Yo Voy” has this sequence captured. Listen to it while watching the video, si es posible.

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CSKA Moscow goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev seems set to move to a top English club after spending seven years in the Russian capital. Since finishing third in Euro 2008, Akinfeev has been at the top of many clubs’ lists across Europe but only after his great performances in last season’s Champion’s League have clubs begun to seriously pursue the 24-year-old. Manchester United, a side looking to line up a replacement for the aging Edwin van der Sar after offloading Ben Foster to Birmingham city, and Arsenal, who need to sort out their goalkeeping situation after several seasons with a lack of confidence between the sticks, are the front runners in race to sign the Russian international who is valued at £8 million.

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