It was supposed to be a one-off for London 2012 but the team will be back at Tokyo 2020. Some Scotland players are eager to be involved but only the English are really happyIt was an afterthought as England’s campaign ended at the Women’s World Cup this summer, but reaching the last four opened a door widely assumed to have closed for good seven years ago. England cannot play in the Olympic Games but their success in France means Team GB, coached by Phil Neville, will appear in Tokyo. A concept branded unsatisfactory by three of the four constituent parts will trigger further debate as the Games draw closer.The competitive anomaly is highlighted by the fact Scotland were one of...
While news of Uefa’s sanctions on Bulgaria was breaking, Haringey were facing Yeovil in take-two of an FA Cup tie in which racism caused a player walk-offThe English reaction to Uefa sanctions for racist incidents is now so predictable as to be almost comforting: general, immediate scorn, and another airing for Nicklas Bendtner’s boxer shorts. The deluge began this time within seconds of Uefa announcing its disciplinary committee’s verdict on the shocking abuse from a section of Bulgaria’s supporters, targeted at England’s black players during the European Championship qualifying match on 14 October.The sanction – a full stadium closure for Bulgaria’s next international match, a second full closure suspended for two probationary years, and a €75,000 (£64,800) fine – is...
It was not that long ago Raheem Sterling was being vilified by sections of English press and supporters, and hypocrisy has been rife since Monday’s debacle in SofiaThere has scarcely been a more breakneck reverse ferret than the support now shown by some sections of Her Majesty’s press for Raheem Sterling. You love to see it. Certain papers who cheerily trashed Sterling for so long, for reasons they could never quite put their finger on – but he could – recently seem to have become dimly sentient about the existence of racism.The truly hideous scenes during England’s twice‑halted 6-0 win over Bulgaria on Monday apparently marked a coming of age, with various outlets and pundits now turning on Uefa for...
If the scourge of the game is to be stamped out, then Fifa cannot be soft on transgressorsL ast Monday Fifa’s The Best football awards were held at La Scala opera house in Milan. It was, as usual, an excruciating affair, full of turgid speeches and embarrassing links by the presenters. But amid this face-reddening fanfare the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino, appealed to the audience of football celebrities on a serious matter. He noted that there had been another episode of racism in Italian football at the weekend and declared: “We have to say no to racism in whatever form.”A short while later, Megan Rapinoe, winner of the women’s player of the year award, ribbed Infantino for stealing her...
The group stages have become predictable and merely reinforce financial inequalities between the biggest clubs and also-ransI n the distance the anthem swells. Inappropriate advertising hoardings are covered up. A continent prepares to give thanks to Gazprom for providing them with football. The Champions League returns on Tuesday, unleashing an excited flurry of anticipatory questions: Can Liverpool defend their crown? Will Pep Guardiola stop overcomplicating things and, after a nine-year break, finally lift his third European title as a manager? Will Juventus’s gamble on Cristiano Ronaldo pay off? Are Barcelona and Real Madrid as shambolic as they appear? Who will Paris Saint‑Germain lose to hilariously this time? But mostly, when does the real stuff start?Does any other competition that so...