Columnists Archives - Page 72 of 78 - Inside World Football

Mihir Bose: Premier League is something to be proud of but Government still ready to intervene

English football presents a contradiction that could well be the subject of a novel, but not even the greatest of novelists could come up with a solution to its problems.

The last week has provided a vivid illustration of that. It saw a representative of football accompany the Prime Minister David Cameron as he went on his “mission with humility” to India hoping to sell goods and services to the country Britain once ruled.

Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose: We wondered about South Africa but now it is FIFA we doubt

The South African World Cup has proved supremely ironic. We went to South Africa wondering if the country could host the event. We have come away knowing South African can, but we are now not sure if FIFA can manage a World Cup in the modern era of technology.

Our FIFA doubts have to do with its failure to appreciate that it cannot continue to rely on the naked eye to judge all on field events.

Archive

David Owen: No China Crisis yet for Asian 2022 World Cup bidders

David Owen small(1)

On the face of it, Asian bidders for the 2022 World Cup were hit last week by some very bad news.

This took the form of an announcement by a top official at the Chinese Football Association that his powerhouse of a nation wants to host the 2026 World Cup.

“The CFA,” said Wei Di, its general secretary, “is preparing to ask the General Administration of Sport to bid for the 2026 World Cup”.

Andrew Warshaw: World Cup was Africa’s last chance for long time

Andrew Warshaw

Now the vuvuzelas have been put away and South Africa is returning to some semblance of normality, attention will inevitably turn to if and when the African continent will stage the World Cup again.

Whilst the event matched or exceeded expectations both in terms of infrastructure and organisation, the reality is that Africa will almost certainly have to wait at least a generation before it can again embrace the infectious colour and collective enthusiasm that have been hallmarks of the past month.

Archive

David Owen: Final makes case for ice hockey-style sin bin

David Owen small(1)

Football is a remarkably conservative sport when it comes to changing the rules.

Normally, I’m all in favour of a cautious approach to this fundamental matter; it tends to be a sign of a sport in good health.

Columnists

Mike Rowbottom: Creature comforts for English fans

Mike Rowbottom

Superficially, the 2010 World Cup final was contested by two football teams.

But at a deeper level, it was a struggle between and octopus and a parakeet. Or rather, it was an octopus and a Malaysian parakeet against a Singapore parakeet.

Archive

David Owen: Is Spain v Holland a play-off for the 2018 World Cup?

David Owen small(1)

So Spain versus the Netherlands it is.

And an obvious question presents itself for students of the race to host the 2018 World Cup: Is this an omen for the vote in December?

Columnists

Alan Hubbard: Richard Caborn is not the right man to be FA chairman

ALAN HUBBARD PLEASE USE THIS ONE(1)

Kite flying is not listed among the recreational interests of the former marathon running Sports Minister Richard Caborn. But this is precisely what dear old Dick appears to be doing in touting for the job of FA chairman.

“If people are up for change then I’m up for it and yes, I would stand,” says 66-year-old Caborn, who was among those deposed in the reshuffle of England’s World Cup 2018 bidding team.

Columnists

Mike Rowbottom: For Scotland, seeing England in South Africa has been almost as good as beating them

Mike Rowbottom

Hamish Husband has been a travelling member of Scotland’s Tartan Army for more than 30 years, and in the last fortnight has offered a Scottish viewpoint on the 2010 World Cup finals and England’s efforts in several media outlets, including Channel 4 News and the News of the World.

Now this quintessential Scotland supporter answers a World Cup (and Wimbledon) quiz exclusively for insideworldfootball…

Archive

David Owen: An alternative World Cup – watching in the townships

David Owen small(1)

“On the other side of that roundabout, there will be goats by the side of the road.”

Few places better illustrate the vast wealth disparities that still exist in South Africa today than Alexandria.

Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose: England have lost their identity and the Premier League is to blame

Defeats are not easy to take, but they can be a springboard for success provided we are prepared to learn from them. The depressing thought is that England’s annihilation by Germany - and despite the disallowed goal, that is what it was – will not lead to the sort of revolution the national team needs.

So the debate in England has been whether Fabio Capello should stay or go. That is the wrong question.

Andrew Warshaw: Don’t hold your breath for Blatter to introduce technology

Andrew Warshaw

Sepp Blatter’s decision to re-open the file on goalline technology marks a stunning U-turn even by the standards of his undisputed mastery of football politics.

But before fans across the world get too carried away by the FIFA President bowing to global outrage following Frank Lampard’s “goal-that-wasn’t” for England, a little caution would be advisable.

Columnists

Mike Rowbottom: Capello “psychologically demolished” his England players

Mike Rowbottom

England’s World Cup chances were doomed by their manager’s failure to understand or inspire his players, a state of affairs which meant that the team which took to the field had a subsconscious wish to punish him by failing to do their best.

And that ambivalence was strongest of all in the former captain, John Terry, whom Fabio Capello had stripped of his position and publicly rebuked during the group stages.

Andrew Warshaw: Are FIFA embarrassed? They should be

Andrew Warshaw

The line of questioning thrown at FIFA spokesman Nicolas Maingot the morning after the night before Frank Lampard’s already imfamous “goal-that-wasn’t” included the words laughing stock and embarrassment. You can understand why.

When football’s lawmakers ditched goal-line technology once and for all just over three months ago, FIFA general secretary Jerome Valcke said he hoped the decision did not come back to haunt the organisation at the World Cup.

Archive

[b]David Owen:[/b] Germany avenge 1966 and all that – but FIFA the real loser

By David Owen in Bloemfontein

June 27 – I need to make one thing clear at the outset: England were beaten today at Free State Stadium by a much better team: the 4-1 scoreline did not flatter Germany.