The World Cup of Babel: Meet the team(s)

The Premier League and Champions League are now behind us and another rousing summer of football is right around the corner. I’ll be honest, I’m pretty excited about the World Cup. Even if the prospect of watching England trudge to a 0-0 draw against Panama is lurking in the back of my mind, we should at least get a decent Shakira song out of it.

My lovely colleague Ben recently wrote a blog comparing the team here at Babel to his favourite wines. A well-crafted set of metaphors to reflect his sophisticated mind, and pallet. I thought it was a good idea. Are there as many likenesses between PR and the beautiful game as Ben found? Probably not, but, well… I like football, so it’ll be Cristiano instead of Cabernet here thank you very much.

Take a look through our squad reports, including some old favourites and some new qualifiers:

Ian Hood, CEO: Brazil 

A long history of success but never one to dwell on the past, Ian is like Brazil; always looking to freshen things up and move forward to bigger and better things. He’s bold, entertaining and full of magic moments.

Narelle Morrison, COO: Germany

Narelle is like the reigning world champions Germany; strong, precise, always ready, and adapts to every new challenge with fresh vigour. She appreciates and values the strength of a cohesive team.

Matt Humphries, Managing Director: Spain

Spain are the team everyone else wants to watch, because they have a well-crafted style and are among the very best. They play the game how it should be played. Staying true to the essence of what’s made him so successful, Matt has a style that has brought superb results through a perfect mix of patience, skill and creativity.  

Sarah Alonze, Associate Director: Argentina

Argentina! Lively, full of creativity and passion. Sarah is always good value for entertainment and capable of some truly special things. Equally as unlikely to know what makes a good centre back as the Argentinians are.

Katie Finn, Senior Campaign Director: France

The French have all the tools to win in 2018, and so does Katie. Able to seamlessly shift tactics and still maintain an incredible level of quality, she has class and talent in abundance.

Paul Campbell, Campaign Director: Switzerland

Switzerland, due to this quote from their manager Vladimir Petkovic: “My team has an excellent team spirit and a tremendous will to succeed.” Paul is a people person who brings the best out of everyone. A strong core mixed in with top-level creativity. Everyone likes Switzerland.

Sally Douglas, Associate Director: Portugal

Sally is like Ronaldo’s Portugal. An obvious abundance of talent in key areas is hard not to notice, but there’s a crucial work ethic there that can’t be understated. She has the right balance of tactical understanding and determination that mean she’s a match for anyone.

Holly Ashford, Senior Content Writer: Nigeria

Nigeria have reached five of the last six World Cups and qualified for Russia with ease. That remarkable level of consistency screams Holly. She’s always able to adapt to a challenge and produce when it matters. Plus, she’s got a pretty cool style, and I mean, have you seen Nigeria’s kit for this tournament?!

Jen Atkinson, Campaign Manager: Sweden

Without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden have had to rely on hard work and togetherness to get them to Russia. Hard work and Jen are basically synonyms. No ego, just a winning resolve and a willingness to support the team.

Ben Cole, Campaign Manager: Belgium 

Belgium. Definitely. Ben oozes talent and creativity, but stays focused on delivering good work. The pieces have come together to form something really exciting that could spell lots of success this year and beyond.

Sophie Payne, Campaign Manager: Egypt

Sophie is Egypt. A dynamic mix of youth and experience that deserves to be on the biggest stage. She’s organised and intelligent, but with enough creative spark to really light things up. Momentum behind her, she’s definitely one to watch.

Suraj Mashru, Senior Campaign Manager: England

Suraj is our media relations guru and first on the (phone) front line, so it only makes sense to give him the team we’re all going to be talking about; England. Gareth Southgate has given his squad the freedom to just play and enjoy themselves this summer, and Suraj always does his work with a smile.

Dan Parris, Senior Campaign Executive: Uruguay

Dan is like Uruguay; somehow you just can’t imagine him not being there. He’s comfortable on the front foot and has all the talent required to create openings and get results. Thankfully less likely to bite you than Luis Suarez.

Ed Cooper, Campaign Executive: Morocco 

Morocco coach Herve Renard has managed to bring both discipline and flair to a young group that is developing an exciting brand of play. Ed gets it. He has the fundamentals down and has the potential to fly alongside the best in the game.

Declan Bradshaw, Campaign Executive: Peru 

Peru. Young, hungry and full of commitment. Proper guidance and a bit of luck could see them cause a few upsets.

Pippa Woodruff, Campaign Executive: Iceland

Pippa is Iceland *Thunderclap*. A new kid on the block who isn’t to be underestimated. *Thunderclap*. Tactically flexible, loud, unafraid and ready to show she belongs among the very best. *Thunderclap*

Simon Judges, Content Specialist: Costa Rica

This will be Costa Rica’s fifth World Cup, not bad for a country with a population just under five million. Simon has been here before but hasn’t lost any hunger to continue to overdeliver with flair by the bucketload.

Sani Aweida, Bookkeeper: Italy

Italy. Italy didn’t qualify for the World Cup. Sani has no time for such frivolous blogs. Books don’t keep themselves.