Football and foreign languages combine to take over Glasgow

Language experts are using the beautiful game to encourage people to learn French and German. The Alliance Française and the Goethe Institut have taken over Glasgow with their football festival Goal! Tor! But! (GTB). Libraries, art centres and even bars and resturants are hosting film screenings and exhibitions in the run up to a two-day football symposium at Hampden Park.

Ann-Christine Simke is the programme coordinator for Goethe Institut.

She said: "As part of France hosting Euro 2016, there were funds available for us to facilitate a project around football and its long-standing cultural, political and friendship elements, rather than just looking at it as a sports game.

"It was really important to us not just to have film screenings in the west end but to have events around the whole city.

"So, for example, we're working with Grier’s Bar in Easterhouse where they are showing football-themed films to customers, including, of course, the classic - Gregory's Girl."

Football will be on the big screen everywhere from the Centre for Contemporary Arts to Grier’s Bar with a season of free films including Douglas Gordon’s Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.

In the run-up to the World Cup in Brazil, they commissioned artists from all over the world for a football exhibition and these works are now on display in Glasgow.

Uruguayan artist Paula Delgado is showing her work Sálvanos, or Save us, at Elder Park Library, the Mitchell Library and Platform in Easterhouse.

Paula said: "Uruguay is a secular country but it seems that football almost replaces religion. Everyone remembers the 2010 World Cup where Uruguay, which had not had much previous success, finished in fourth place.

"My work is a digital photography and sound installation and shows images of the player Edinson Cavani while the soundtrack of commentator from a match against Napoli plays, telling Cavani he is an angel, and comparing him to a god."

Viewers can also see images of the Afghan women’s football team and fan pubs in Berlin from Parkhead to Pollokshaws.

There is also a filmmaker attempting to become a goalkeeper in the Spanish Regional League to children playing in the dust in the heart of the Chilean countryside.

The two-day final event at the Scottish Football Museum, on April 27 and 28, will look at the problems football has, such as sectarianism in Scotland and anti-Semitism in Germany.

From Scotland, Show Racism the Red Card and The Midnight League are taking part, as well as Colours of our Scarves, a Scottish Government-funded project run by Supporters Direct Scotland.

Ann-Christine added: "That was at the core of our idea, to have different ways of looking at football - not just the positive aspects of it but the problems too and see how other countries work to overcome these.

"Hopefully people engage with the festival and at least think, 'Well, I never thought about the game in that way'.

"We also hope it gets them thinking about different languages and the opportunities to learn them."

The full programme can be found at www.goaltorbut.com