The last, short-lived rebel-league experiment seven decades ago in Columbia tells us much about why breakaways happenBogotá, Colombia: 9 April 1948. Before the 2pm meeting he had scheduled with a young Cuban lawyer called Fidel Castro, Jorge Eliécer Gaitán, leader of the Liberal Party, decided to go for lunch at the Hotel Continental, five minutes’ walk from his office on Carrera Séptima. He never got to the restaurant. An assassin walked up to him, shot him four times and, five minutes before he had been due to meet Castro, Gaitán was pronounced dead in a local hospital.Violence was inevitable. The Colombian government knew what was coming and desperately sought a way to calm tensions. What could they do to distract...
For too long I’ve avoided confrontation with inoffensive platitudes and nostalgia – now I’m here for clicks and retweetsThe existential crisis for football writers is real as we approach week four without our subject matter. All of us – even the most experienced Sunday Supplementers (your Winters, your Samuels, your Liews), have done “I miss football” and “Does it matter anyway?” We do and it kind of does. So what now?Like a manager desperate for a result at any cost – perhaps you revert back to old tactics, your Wilsons analysing the influence of 1920s Hungarian tactics on Dave Bassett, your Delaneys and all your Harrises giving their mentions another hammering by questioning Middle East states buying Premier League clubs....
An own goal at USA 94 led to horrific ramifications for Colombia’s captain, who paid the heaviest of prices for the failings of society as much as his national teamLife doesn’t end here. We have to go on. Life cannot end here. No matter how difficult, we must stand back up. We only have two options: either allow anger to paralyse us and the violence continues, or we overcome and try our best to help others. It’s our choice. Let us please maintain respect. My warmest regards to everyone. It’s been a most amazing and rare experience. We’ll see each other again soon because life does not end here”Colombia captain Andrés Escobar writes in Bogota’s El Tiempe newspaper following his...
Twenty-three nations have booked their places for the World Cup in Russia, with the holders and Brazil looking in good shape but we rank England in 13th place, below IcelandIf the world champions were frustrated by their failure to win continental honours at Euro 2016 they have certainly taken it out on everyone else since. Germany won 10 qualifying games out of 10 and, even if San Marino’s presence in Group C needs taking into account, a record 43 goals scored suggests things are back in their old working order. So too did their Confederations Cup title in July, achieved with an experimental squad; Joachim Löw can select from an unrivalled depth of talent and, while winning back-to-back World Cups...
Ramsey’s Wales return, Yiadom’s controversial Ghana inclusion, Southgate and Strachan heading in opposite directions and a fairytale comeback for FalcaoGareth Southgate is at the beginning, Gordon Strachan could be approaching the end. But both managers are under pressure before Friday night’s qualifier at Wembley. While Southgate has shown that he is not afraid to make big calls, dropping Wayne Rooney for the fortunate goalless draw in Slovenia, England’s caretaker oversaw underwhelming performances in hisfirst two matches and would not be seen as an inspiring permanent appointment if his team fails to convince against Scotland. The return of Harry Kane and Raheem Sterling should enhance England’s threat, however, and it is Strachan who has bigger problems. Robert Snodgrass has been in...