In 1940, Norway's Asbjørn Halvorsen could’ve just been a football man, but he inspired the resistance. Let's find out some more about: The General The Boss The Bronze Team The Captain The Keeper The Westerner The Whisperer The Spirit Asbjørn Halvorsen The General Asbjørn Halvorsen wasn’t a relatable man. He was a polymath. He was his generation’s best footballer, and then their best coach. He spoke multiple languages and was an adept politician. His friendship would save the life of and inspire a future prime minister. His control of language would save the lives of hundreds of others. His executive control of football would pave the way for the modern league system in Norway. But he didn’t have to be any of those things. He could have just been a football man . It’s worth relating to that fact alone when remembering July 1940, three months into occupation, when ‘ Assi ’, as he was known, was summoned into Oslo’s parliament building. He was to face Josef Terboven, the Reichskom
1966 is certainly one of football history's more frequently visited dates. Certainly in England, the World Cup that year evokes a seemingly immeasurable outpouring of nostalgia, but across the wider game the sport was changing in a multitude of different ways. Alongside increasing television footage, growing players wages and the fight for the fair representation of African and Asian countries was intricate tactical developments that would alter the way we saw and played the game. The Netherlands had not qualified for the 1966 World Cup and the nation's club sides had failed to make a significant impact in the juvenile European Cup. Nevertheless, the 1966/67 season would introduce the world to the European game's next dominant power - Ajax. Prior to the 1966/67 season, Ajax had rarely made an impact on the game outside of the Netherlands. Indeed, the height of the club's power had been before the Second World War as the side won five Eredivisie in the 1930s under the ma