Latest news with #Kollar
Mint
29-05-2025
- Sport
- Mint
The 55-year experiment to turn Paris into a capital of soccer
PARIS : Before Paris Saint-Germain's players left this week for the most important match in the club's history, they already knew what awaited them when they returned. If they become European champions on Saturday night in Munich, then by Sunday, they would be back in the French capital parading past a million people on the Champs-Elysées. More than a cause for celebration, though, victory in the Champions League final would be the culmination of a plan to put Paris on the map as a global soccer city, 55 years after the club was founded to do precisely that. 'We have a short history," club historian Michel Kollar says, 'but a history that we respect." Most of Europe's major soccer teams were founded over a century ago, by sailors, factory workers, and concerned citizens hoping to keep rowdy men out of pubs. Inter Milan, its opponent on Saturday, was founded in 1908, before the invention of the traffic light. Paris Saint-Germain was a more modern invention, created from whole cloth by French businessmen who couldn't believe that Paris was Europe's only major city without a top-tier team. Now, nearly six decades later and lavishly funded by the sovereign-wealth fund of Qatar, PSG is one of the richest, most powerful clubs on the planet. And on Saturday night, against Inter Milan, it hopes to win the Champions League for the first time. Back in the early days, however, the club's raison d'être was simply to provide a tenant for the newly renovated Parc des Princes, a brutalist stadium in the capital's genteel 16th district. 'It was a total paradox that a city like Paris didn't have a major football club," Kollar says. 'Paris was a city that had everything, a capital of fashion, art, history. But there was a real void for a sports team." The project was nearly abandoned at least once. Not all Parisians were clamoring for a soccer team—many viewed the sport as little more than a working-class pastime. Still, the founders pressed on. Created through a rocky merger of an entity known as Paris FC and a club called Stade Sangermanois from the suburb of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, PSG found that its toughest rival in the early days was paperwork. It took a media campaign and a 20,000-member subscription drive just to get the club off the ground. But from 1973, it found its footing once it was taken over by the French fashion designer Daniel Hechter, the man responsible for the red stripe on the navy jersey. What it couldn't find quite as quickly was a broad base of fans. In a culture where fandom is transmitted through parents, grandparents, and the deep roots that bind a club to a city, relevance couldn't be manufactured. Fans would visit the Parc des Princes as if they were going to the theater. Players looked around the stands and saw an audience, not supporters. Initially, Paris tried to fix that problem with glitz. The club that would one day sign the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, David Beckham, Neymar, and Lionel Messi had developed a taste for superstars early. Within a year of its formation, PSG went after the biggest name in soccer, an aging Brazilian forward named Pelé. The deal was all but signed, only to fall through at the last minute. True relevance would have to come the old-fashioned way: on the field. PSG's first league title finally came in 1986, a full half-century since the departed Racing Club de France had last brought a championship to Paris. Fans began flocking to the Parc des Princes, too. Club president Francis Borelli had supported the creation of supporter groups known as Ultras, who made it their singular goal that PSG overtake older clubs such as Saint-Etienne and the hated Olympique Marseille as the biggest club in France. Only the rise of violent fan clusters in the 1990s gave a hard edge to home games that made the Parc des Princes a deeply inhospitable place. It took the death of a fan during a brawl between rival PSG factions in 2010 for officials to ban the Ultras. They only made a negotiated return in 2016. By the time they came back, the club had undergone existential change. No longer owned by fans or local businessmen, Paris Saint-Germain had become the property of Qatar Sports Investments in 2011. The tiny Gulf state had been growing its influence in France, buying aircraft and luxury property, while winning the favor of French President (and noted PSG supporter) Nicolas Sarkozy. Now Qatar, which also controls French soccer's biggest broadcaster, had a flagship. Under the slogan 'Dream Bigger," the Qatari owners plowed in money and set about turning the club into their best approximation of a luxury fashion house. PSG imported A-listers from Hollywood and exported team stores to Tokyo, Seoul, and Fifth Avenue. The club inked merchandise collaborations with Air Jordan and The Rolling Stones, while. Jerseys showed up at Fashion Week. What did any of it have to do with winning soccer matches? Absolutely nothing. But in the club's latest iteration, sports was only part of the plan. As a vehicle for Qatar, PSG's ambition was to become an icon for the City of Light—much the way a Yankee cap represents New York, even if you've never heard of Aaron Judge. Lionel Messi, Kylian Mbappé and Neymar were signed by PSG with the goal of delivering Champions League success. 'Because, Paris," Fabien Allègre, the club's longtime brand director, told The Wall Street Journal in 2022. 'Without being arrogant, all that's best in the world—in terms of architecture, design, food—is all made here." Except PSG wasn't the best in the world, especially when it came to the Champions League. For all of its investment in talent, and its 11 French league titles over 14 years, PSG still hasn't conquered Europe. The closest it came was 2020 when a billion-dollar side led by Neymar and Kylian Mbappé finished as runner-up to Bayern Munich. The irony these days is that PSG is back in the biggest match in club soccer without them. Neymar moved to Saudi Arabia, Mbappé signed for Real Madrid last summer, and Messi came and went after two unhappy seasons. All of them left having failed to deliver the trophy that Paris craves most. 'Players like those brought even greater expectations," Kollar says, 'but Parisians aren't a patient lot." The current version of the squad, whose average of 24 made it the youngest in the Champions League, is viewed as a little more sympathetic. But after 55 years, Parisians feel that they're done waiting. 'Winning a trophy for the first time is always the hardest," manager Luis Enrique said. 'We need to finish the job." Write to Joshua Robinson at
Budapest Times
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Budapest Times
Szentkirályi asks mayor to sanction Kinga Kollár for acting against Hungary's interests in Brussels
Alexandra Szentkirályi said that Tisza's representatives in the capital had openly admitted to holding the view that they benefitted politically "if things are bad for the Hungarian people". Alexandra Szentkirályi, Fidesz's group leader in the Budapest city assembly, has asked the city's mayor to sanction Kinga Kollár, who is both a municipal representative and MEP of the opposition Tisza Party, under rules which ban local government representatives from activity that could undermine the public trust required to carry out their duties, arguing that Kollar had acted against Hungary's interests in Brussels. In her speech before the start of the assembly's business on Wednesday, Szentkirályi insisted that Kollar had forfeited the right to her mandate, saying she had 'acted against the interests of the people of Budapest and the Hungarian people', and had lost the trust of the public. The Fidesz politician said Kollár had 'expressed shame' for being Hungarian and had openly declared in an EP committee meeting that the conditionality procedure under which 21 billion euros of EU funding has been withheld was 'a very effective tool' of blackmail against Hungary. Szentkirályi said that Tisza's representatives in the capital had openly admitted to holding the view that they benefitted politically 'if things are bad for the Hungarian people'. Szentkirályi said local government representatives had a duty to represent the interests of the community, adding that 'a person working in Brussels' who lobbied against her country with a view to denying funding for Hungarian frontline services such as hospitals had no right to a political position. Szentkirályi then submitted the motion to the mayor, requesting the launch of a procedure against Kollar under the Local Government Act. In response, Dorottya Keszthelyi of the Democratic Coalition said that central government officials who were effectively blocking EU development funds 'should be ashamed of themselves'. Meanwhile, Dávid Vitézy, the leader of the Podmaniczky Movement grouping, noted that the EU budget period until 2027 began 52 months ago, yet Budapest 'has not yet received a single forint from the funds'. He urged the assembly to invest in planning from its own resources, arguing that Hungary would regain access to EU funds and the city would be under huge pressure to tap the funds by the funding deadlines. He insisted that the government was 'blocking EU funds that have already been released by the European Commission'. 'Budapest has not received any funds for many years now,' said Vitezy, turning to Szentkirályi 'to take action to ensure that the government releases these funds'. Regarding the Rakosrendezo area of the city, where future property investments depend on clearing dumped waste, he said, he noted that the mayor, Gergely Karacsony, had contacted construction and transport minister Janos Lazar more than sixty days ago to start negotiations on its development, but to no avail. At the start of the session, representatives commemorated Pope Francis with a minute's silence at the behest of Bela Radics of the Fidesz-Christian Democrats.
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
From urn to canvas: Turkish artist used ashes for portrait of deceased
YALOVA, Turkey (Reuters) - Hakan Kilic and his family celebrate his mother-in-law's birthday every year in Turkey's Yalova province next to a portrait of her made from her cremated ashes. Serap Lokmaci, who occasionally works with sand for her drawings, approached the family with the idea of painting a portrait of Katalin Kollar, the mother-in-law, with her remains after hearing that she had been cremated. Kilic said the family was interested in the idea of having a portrait of Kollar, who was Hungarian and had been cremated in Hungary. They originally brought half the ashes to Turkey, where there are no crematoriums, to spread them in the Bosphorus Strait, but after Lokmaci's suggestion, decided to save some for the portrait. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. It was a strange feeling having a portrait made from ashes of a deceased family member in the house, Kilic said as he unwrapped a second portrait that the artist painted of Kollar last week. "At first we got excited when we passed it... but with time we got used to it. We feel like a family member is there," he said. Kilic married Kollar's daughter and the family takes the portrait down from the wall to celebrate Kollar's birthday every year. "We buy a small cake. My wife, our children and I light a small candle together. We put (the portrait of Kollar) at the top of the table. My little son blows out the candle," Kilic said in an interview. Lokmaci, the artist, said the process of painting with ashes was like "a farewell ceremony, a spiritual journey" for her. In the small studio where she works in Urgup, a town in central Turkey's Nevsehir province, paintings and pottery line the walls. Lokmaci's portraits of Kollar were her first using ashes. She worked at her table with the canvas laid out in front of her, at times sprinkling the ashes on an adhesive. "The aspect that affects me the most is that I see a kind of existence after death," Lokmaci said. "There are times when I see her in my dreams after the work is finished. In other words, I am under its effect for a while."
Reuters
07-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Reuters
From urn to canvas: Turkish artist used ashes for portrait of deceased
YALOVA, Turkey, March 7 (Reuters) - Hakan Kilic and his family celebrate his mother-in-law's birthday every year in Turkey's Yalova province next to a portrait of her made from her cremated ashes. Serap Lokmaci, who occasionally works with sand for her drawings, approached the family with the idea of painting a portrait of Katalin Kollar, the mother-in-law, with her remains after hearing that she had been cremated. Kilic said the family was interested in the idea of having a portrait of Kollar, who was Hungarian and had been cremated in Hungary. They originally brought half the ashes to Turkey, where there are no crematoriums, to spread them in the Bosphorus Strait, but after Lokmaci's suggestion, decided to save some for the portrait. It was a strange feeling having a portrait made from ashes of a deceased family member in the house, Kilic said as he unwrapped a second portrait that the artist painted of Kollar last week. "At first we got excited when we passed it... but with time we got used to it. We feel like a family member is there," he said. Kilic married Kollar's daughter and the family takes the portrait down from the wall to celebrate Kollar's birthday every year. "We buy a small cake. My wife, our children and I light a small candle together. We put (the portrait of Kollar) at the top of the table. My little son blows out the candle," Kilic said in an interview. Lokmaci, the artist, said the process of painting with ashes was like "a farewell ceremony, a spiritual journey" for her. In the small studio where she works in Urgup, a town in central Turkey's Nevsehir province, paintings and pottery line the walls. Lokmaci's portraits of Kollar were her first using ashes. She worked at her table with the canvas laid out in front of her, at times sprinkling the ashes on an adhesive. "The aspect that affects me the most is that I see a kind of existence after death," Lokmaci said. "There are times when I see her in my dreams after the work is finished. In other words, I am under its effect for a while."
