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    Ceuta F.C.: A European Team That Calls Africa Home

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    CEUTA, Spain — From the top of Alfonso Murube Stadium, you can see the peninsula of Ceuta stretching out into the Mediterranean Sea. Out on the water, ferries shuttle back and forth across the narrow Strait of Gibraltar to the coastline of southern Spain, just 30 short minutes away. Walk half an hour in the opposite direction and you get a very different view: two 20-foot fences topped with razor wire that mark the border with Morocco.Ceuta, a sliver of land seven square miles in size, hangs on to the edge of Africa, as thin as a toenail. But it is not part of Africa, not officially. This is Spanish soil. Ceuta and the nearby city of Melilla are the only two cities on the African mainland that are officially part of Europe, a quirk of political geography that also makes them the only land borders between Africa and the European Union. That status is why, every year, thousands of migrants approach Ceuta’s walls and wire fences, and try to scale them or swim around them, in hopes of getting one step closer to Europe itself. Hundreds have died trying.Ceuta’s location, though, is not the only feature that sets it apart. It is a rarity for Spain, too, as a city where the Muslim and Christian populations are of similar size. It has significant Jewish and Hindu minorities. Darija, an Arabic dialect, is widely spoken among its 85,000 residents, and depending on the time of day both the call to prayer and church bells can be heard in the quiet, narrow streets around Murube Stadium.Fences mark the border between Ceuta — and Europe — and Morocco.A.D. Ceuta, the club, has its roots in what is now a Moroccan city, Tétouan.The stands at A.D. Ceuta reflect the diversity of the place the club represents.Except on match days, that is, when those sounds give way to the clamor of the drums, songs and chants of the fans of Agrupación Deportiva Ceuta F.C.A.D. Ceuta is one of only two European soccer teams based in Africa, a distinction that is both a point of civic pride and a unifying force in this complex cultural intersection. “Ceuta is a city where four cultures coexist,” said Adrian Suarez, a leader of Ceuta’s loudest ultra group, Grada Sur. His group includes an equal number of Christians and Muslims, he said before a recent match in Spain’s third tier against Fuenlabrada, from Madrid. But in the bleachers, “No one is more than anyone else, nor anyone less than anyone else.”Ceuta’s team embraces that diversity, playing in jerseys bearing a small row of religious symbols on the chest: the Christian cross, the Islamic crescent, Hinduism’s Om symbol and the Star of David.“Our city only appears in the news for bad things,” said Javier Moreno, a lawyer for the club. “For us to be here is not only football. This club belongs to the people of Ceuta, and is also the image of Ceuta in Spain.”A Legacy ClubAt the start of the 20th century Spain held a long slice of North Africa’s coastline, known then as the Spanish protectorate of Morocco. The territory included Ceuta, known as Sebtah in Arabic, but also Tétouan, a larger port city to its south, and Melilla.When Morocco declared independence from France in 1956, Spain relinquished its protectorate. But it kept Ceuta and Melilla, withdrawing into two, tiny toeholds on the continent. The Spanish administrators of the protectorate’s most successful soccer club decided to hold on to that, too.That team, Atlético de Tetuán, remains the only team from mainland Africa to play in La Liga, Spain’s top division. But in 1956 its officials took much of its history and archive to Ceuta, where the team merged with a local club. A.D. Ceuta F.C. is what remains after years of financial crises, mergers and name changes. For the fans and the city it remains Atlético de Tetuán’s historical heir, even if the Spanish authorities consider it an entirely new club.Boys wearing the uniforms of Moghreb Athlétic de Tétouan, the Moroccan club that arose when Spanish administrators moved the team that became A.D. Ceuta to Spanish territory. More

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      ‘I’m the only one who can have it’ – Ex-Chelsea and Man Utd manager Jose Mourinho reveals his unique tattoo

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      JOSE MOURINHO has celebrated his European trophy treble by getting a unique tattoo that only he can have.Mourinho won the Europa Conference League with Roma last season.
      Jose Mourinho has celebrated his feat of winning all three European trophies with a unique tattooCredit: Instagram josemourinho
      He got the Champions, Europa and European Conference League trophies etched onto his arm whilst reminding his peers they couldn’t do the sameCredit: Instagram josemourinho
      And his feat with Roma saw Mourinho become the first manager to clinch all three European titles including the Champions and Europa League.
      The Portuguese tactician lifted the Champions League twice previously with Porto and Inter Milan.
      He also snagged the Europa League during his ill-fated stint as Manchester United’s boss, having previously won the Uefa Cup with Porto.
      And the self-proclaimed ‘Special One’ took his bragging to new heights by crowning the accomplishment with a tattoo consisting of all the trophies along with the clubs he won it with.
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      The Roma head coach unveiled the unique design on Instagram, making it clear that no other boss could do so in the process.
      He wrote: “This is my tattoo. The joy of the Roman people led me to do it. Then I thought about something special, something that would honour all the clubs where I won European competitions.
      “At the same time, I wanted a unique tattoo, one that, so far, I am the only one who can have it.
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      “Alberto showed me some proposals, I just changed a few details. Here is my tattoo.”
      He then linked all teams he achieved the accolades with into the post.
      Jose won seven trophies during two spells at Chelsea, including three Premier League titles, but no European silverware.
      Mourinho’s relationship with the Blues soured after he was sacked during his second spell as club manager in 2015.
      The 59-year-old then stoked the fire by becoming manager of the Blues’ London rivals Tottenham.
      However, his reign at White Hart Lane was cut short after just 17 months.
      He then took a brief hiatus from the dugout before returning to coach Roma last summer. More

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      in Soccer

      Italy’s Victory at Euro 2020 Echoes a Broader Resurgence

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      The national team beat England in the final of the European Championship soccer tournament, and the country wildly celebrated a win that seemed to symbolize renewal after adversity.ROME — The eruption of sheer joy — and car honking and horn blowing and firework exploding and hugging, so much hugging — across Italy on Sunday after its national men’s soccer team defeated England to win the Euro 2020 tournament marked an extraordinary turnaround, not just for a recently beleaguered team, but also for a recently beleaguered country. More