CHELSEA FOOTBALL CLUB X COPA90
Diogo Lopes is a multi-disciplined London-based creative with a nigh on two-decade career being at the epicentre of cultural flux and societal change in the capital, a desire to work with those that share a passion to ‘make and represent’ all the while managing to keep it real, as he documents processes in art/fashion/music and beyond in the name of pushing boundaries and aiding in cultural paradigm shifts.
Not only is Mr. Lopes a visceral, remarkable modern creative, he is also a football fan and a lifelong supporter of Chelsea FC. Diogo recently partnered with Chelsea FC, with help from the football media business COPA90, to embark on a project to document via simple means and humility the family and culture of community that surrounds the club, from the fans to the players.
Entitled ‘A Family Portrait’, this project seeks to shine a light on the ‘new’ emancipated culture of community and family, prevalent within and surrounding Chelsea Football Club. This visually documents the familial nature of why Chelsea is touting itself to become a homogenous forward thinking club to be even more proud of, for fans, players and its surrounding community, integral to its positive trajectory is the creation of a family - irrespective of age, gender, colour or creed, its a place to be proud of steeped in shared values & guided by respect.
What has been presented is a truly unique portrait series, captured by Chelsea fan & Director Diogo, fundamentally acting as a time capsule and documenting the end of 2021 - a huge year in Chelsea Football Club's history. Showcasing a mix of faces from the club’s community, players, fans and creators unite as equals, forming an extended creative family and entertaining fans in the process.
TNO gain access to some of the exclusive imagery from BTS and the fire in the booth, from Reece & Lauren James through to Kep Arrizabalaga, Mason Mount and Ngolo Kate we see an air of family intimacy, humility, and most importantly the future.
We caught up with Diogo and had a chat regarding all things creative cultural and football.
First and foremost - why is CFC your team?
I was born and lived in Porto, Portugal until I was 12. A couple years prior my father immigrated to the UK to find work was around the same time Mourinho moved to London to manage Chelsea FC and brought along some familiar faces with him. I had been watching the premier league on TV for many years, I was a big fan of Arsenal’s Gold and Burgundy kits, of Manchester United players, but I never felt properly connected to a team on this side of the water until the special one came to town.
Since then, CFC became my team, and it felt like the Portuguese players that passed over the years were an extension of the family as I didn’t know many other kids like me when I finally moved to London in 2005. Quaresmo, Deco, Bosingwa, Ricardo Carvalho, Maniche, Meireles… all my cousins.
What’s your first memory of CFC that set your pulse racing and you knew this was your team for life?
The impact that Mourinho had on his first season at CFC was enough for me to be hooked. There hasn’t been many people from where I’m from that have made a global impact on the game as he has. But beyond football - watching from a far, it became very much this success story of someone that’s come from the same place as me doing their thing and performing at their best in a foreign country. When I then moved to the UK, I used that energy as much as I could to get through things.
As a Chelsea fan, London cultural insider and creator what drew you to curating this project alongside COPA90?
Having spent the past 6/7 years documenting cultural scenes in the music, fashion, cultural, and football sectors across the world, but I never thought about documenting my own team. Over the last year or so with spatial and financial restrictions, I have been pushing and developing a series of of photographs that are created using an analogue photo booth. The booth for me is a very personal space and a great equaliser for seeing people in the same light regardless of who they are, what they believe in, where they’re from, the language they speak, etc - Inside the photobooth, everyone is equal.
So I wanted to see what some of my favourite players would look like in that space, and COPA90 helped me bring that to life, and bring together the Chelsea FC family and for that I’m very grateful.
Are football clubs and the surrounding traditions, customs and innate way of life (led by multi disciplinarian content) a means to change the game?
Everything affects everything and it’s important for clubs to interact with various disciplines that it’s surrounded with, in order for things to change. The way a club acts has an impact on the team, but also a much bigger impact beyond the players. Club culture, fans, supporters, away day armies, arm chair shouters, casual viewers are so important and the club has be able to be a platform for change. The game isn’t just about football, teams and players are and have been platforms that can strike huge local and global change, and therefore clubs need to surround themselves with people that want those changes so that they can work together on making them happen.
How do you think footballers can best operate and advocate, to galvanise the disparate elements of culture in the capital teams yet also on a global level - and do you think it is now a responsibility?
As clubs, some footballers have become huge platforms in their own right and with so many people looking up to their every move, they need to have a good team around them to advise on the type of things they could be advocating for and how to best go about it. It needs to feel genuine, it should feel natural and not forced.
It’s great to see strong voices in clubs, that are leaders and examples to the rest of the team - and in turn the team support them and become their own strong voice and leaders for others to follow and so on. The world is watching, so you have a platform, you should try and make a change even if on a small scale.
Is there anything CFC need to address on a cultural level and do you think this applies to football in general : ie : building empathy and awareness around football clubs?
To keep addressing social equity with the game and outside is something that is important for CFC to do, and something for football clubs and communities globally to push for further. What’s stopping clubs from also being educational platforms if they reach so far and wide? If we’re pushing for club culture to develop, the club must also be an example across the world and nationally. It starts at the root.
What can regular intelligent content made by provocateurs do for football culture and clubs?
It will absolutely cause change, and change is good. It often feels like change is only made by players, and clubs often play it too safe. Intelligent work/projects/art made by people that want to see things in a different way backed by clubs with the same point of view will be an example for everyone that loves this game.
Premier League winners or Champions League winners - what would you prefer?
At the moment, Premier League — 100%. We know we can win the Champions League, we have a great team, but we need that consistent quality and perseverance that other teams have and we have lacked over the past few years.
