Norwegian clubs and players have taken a stand for migrant workers, but who is prepared to follow them? While we should expect no better from the ghouls at Fifa, it remains an enduring ignominy that over a decade after their decision to grant World Cup 2022 to Qatar, apparently widespread global indifference means the tournament remains fully on course to take place in the new-build stadiums of the Arab state. So much so that a qualification process some thought might never happen began this week.Thousands of migrant workers have died in Qatar since Sepp Blatter gifted them their Fifa-approved golden ticket. The state’s own official figures for deaths specifically related to construction for World Cup stadiums are small – three...
There are a handful of goals that are universal, that resonate with almost everybody who follows the game There are a handful of goals that are universal, that resonate with almost everybody who follows the game. Diego Maradona scored two of them in the space of five minutes against England in the World Cup quarter-final in 1986 – goals much better remembered, in Argentina, in England, everywhere, than either of his brilliant goals in the semi-final or than any of the five goals in the final. What makes a goal indelible is far more to do with context and narrative than the quality of the strike or even the stage at which it is scored.There are very few truly universal...
Powerful documentary depicts how the man who won the World Cup with England and then transformed Ireland on and off the pitch squared up to dementiaYou may think there is nothing more that needs to be said about Jack Charlton given all the tributes, stories and retrospectives that followed his death in July but there is plenty more to say and, thanks to Finding Jack Charlton, a powerful documentary, there will soon be more to see.“The trailer [to be released on Tuesday] says: ‘He conquered the world, he transformed a nation, then he faced his greatest challenge,’” says Gabriel Clarke, one of the film’s directors. “Jack and the family showed great courage in enabling us to document it and celebrate...
The building of World Cup venues has, by some estimates, cost thousands of lives. Should we be sitting in these arenas watching football? Or tipping them into the harbour?If you want to be picky, you could say Raheem Sterling chose an ill-targeted metaphor in his statement this week on racial prejudice and the need for a step-change in football’s power structures.Comparing the spread of racism to the spread of Covid-19 is probably not the best way to change those minds most in need of changing. Let’s face it, a global Venn diagram of virus-deniers and bigotry-sceptics is likely to feature a fairly dense overlap, a concentration of people who don’t really think either of these things exist. You hear that?...
The England legend, with one flick of his right hand, mystified Pelé a half-century ago and glamourised his craft from then onPerfection means different things to different people. To some, its pursuit invests life with rich meaning, nobility even, while others merely see a misery-inducing, distinctly Sisyphean, obsession.Most regard it as subjective but, just occasionally, the rarest of moments offer an objective definition. Fifty years ago on Sunday Gordon Banks’s split second of sheer brilliance melded flawlessness, completeness and excellence in one single gravity-defying save from Pelé. Related: Gordon Banks on his famous Pelé save: 'I didn’t even realise I’d made it' Related: From the archive: England 0-1 Brazil, World Cup match report (1970). By Albert Barham Continue reading...