Match Fixing: Another Nation Threatened by Corruption and a Dodgy Referee

Ibrahim Chaibou. Not a name you might instantly recognise, but one worth remembering as the latest round of FIFA match-fixing allegations rocks football. With Greece, Finland, South Korea and even Sumo wrestling in Japan under scrutiny, FIFA have now turned their gaze to a couple of bizarre games in the build-up to last year’s World Cup in South Africa. A strange but clearly powerful man,... 

A Year on from WC2010, Has the Rainbow Nation Lost It’s Pot of Gold?

We’re nearly a year on from the World Cup in South Africa. Africa’s finest. Africa’s first. On Saturday it will be the first anniversary of Spain’s first ever global conquest at Soccer City over the Dutch cloggers. Widely recognized as a success on footballing fronts, the only question left to be asked is this: Just how much did it benefit South Africans financially? This week... 

Super Show for Twickenham, Pharoahs Knocked off Their Pyramid. Incredible

Stuart Barnes, the often cynical former England fly-half and Sky rugby analyst could hardly believe what he was seeing. As the wonder of the Crusaders 44-28 victory over the Sharks unfolded in front of 35,094 ex-pats and bemused Londoners at Twickenham last night, Barnesie enthused, “This may be the first Super rugby clash in the northern hemisphere, but after this, let’s hope it’s... 

World Cup: Forget Russia and Qatar, It’s Brazil 2014 We Should Be Worrying About

As the dust settles on the bizarre choice of Russia and Qatar as hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, problems are mounting for Brazil, who will host the 2014 tournament…and the 2016 Olympics. Over the last week, 37 people have been killed, 123 arrested and another 130 detained after police invaded Rio’s Alemao favela—that’s Brazilian for a shanty town—as authorities... 

White Elephants and Wasted Millions: A Warning To the World Cup Hopefuls

You’d expect problems with pachyderms in South Africa, where elephants roam the game reserves in tree-chomping hordes. But since the World Cup, white elephants are the problem. A small herd of them. Magnificent football stadiums lying empty and unused. And that’s just one aspect of the expensive legacy left by hosting the greatest footballing show on earth. The 2010 World Cup hasn’t... 

Phil Vickery Leaves a Big Hole in Rugby Union: The Bull Will Rage No More

The Bull will rage no more. Phil Vickery, England World Cup winner in 2003, finally bowed out of rugby today at age 34 with one of the most emotional farewell speeches of modern times. The Wasps prop and former England captain said from the Wasps training ground in west London: “I’ve had a difficult few weeks. It became apparent I had a neck problem and I was told it was best to... 

Breaking News: Fabio Capello Confirms He’ll Quit After Euro 2012

MIDNIGHT in England and Sky News have just rung. They’re sending a camera crew to the wilderness of Buckinghamshire to gauge my response to the breaking news: Fabio Capello has just announced he will DEFINITELY step down after the 2012 European Championship in Poland and the Ukraine. It’s no surprise. He was always scheduled to leave after four years. But there were those, before the World... 

Wayne Rooney: Working Class Hero Or World Class Cheat? Euro 2012 in Perspective

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2010 FIFA World Cup: Portugal 0 Ivory Coast 0, and the Africans Were on Top

Confession time. Some of us Arsenal fans have a passion for Kolo Toure, the man mountain who holds the Ivory Coast back four together. His brother Yaya, who is about to join Kolo at moneybags Manchester City, is also high in my affections. Arsenal had Yaya as a kid and quickly put him on their books after a fraternal trial, though he played for a club in Belgium. Yaya was allowed to go to Barcelona,... 

The Picture Every World Cup Fan Wants To See: Nelson Mandela Smiling

This is the picture the world has been waiting for, and what a joy it is. Released in Johannesburg today by the Nelson Mandela Foundation and snapped by Debbie Yazbek, it shows Madiba, the beloved father of the Rainbow Nation, smiling with the World Cup as it arrives in South Africa for a nationwide pre-tournament journey. For weeks—months—Mandela has been quiet. There were those who said... 

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