World Cup
Don’t feel sorry for Argentina
It keeps on happening, the passing of sporting titans. First Garfield Sobers and now Kevin Keegan, a couple of the…
Spain has reinvented soccer
There is something intimidating about sporting royalty in the stands. At many great clubs, retired legends seem almost gargoyle-like, perched…
I’m sick of ‘plastic’ football fans
Last week I watched a clip of Ian Wright explaining why it meant so much to him, as a black…
Americans, do your duty: support England
Soccer is not a quintessentially American sport. Just as Brazil is forever the country of tomorrow, soccer is always the…
Thank God for Thomas Tuchel
Here’s an interesting question: had Thomas Tuchel been Portugal’s manager rather than England’s, would he have picked Cristiano Ronaldo to…
The World Cup has revived American soft power
Not only were the England fans outnumbered by 30 to one inside the Azteca stadium, but on their way to…
What kills more: heat or cold?
Absolute mayor Andy Burnham wants more devolution and elected mayors. Do voters want that? – Since 2001 there have been…
The World Cup is evil
I tried to think, Pointless-style, of two of the countries least likely to be participating in the world kicky-ball nonsense.…
Why are the Belgians so bad at football?
Whisper it if you must, but it looks as if Gianni (‘Today I feel gay…’) Infantino might have got it…
Whoops, I’ve given my children a gambling problem
The problem with my gambling, Caroline has always maintained, is not the fact that I nearly always lose. I only…
How does this World Cup compare with the first?
Football fiasco With 48 teams, this is the largest World Cup ever. How does it compare with the first? –…
Does Britain have Bregret? Don’t believe it
In the build-up to the tenth anniversary of the EU referendum, we’ve heard lots of claims about Bregret. There are…
Might England just do it in the World Cup?
The World Cup has never been just a football tournament. Even if we don’t realise it at the time, it…
Leagues apart
How to watch real football
Qatargate and the dubious moral authority of NGOs
The Qatargate scandal haunting the European Union is not merely about corrupt politicians and officials. The deplorable role of a non-governmental organisation is at the heart…
Two football books examine where money is taking the modern game
‘Football holds a mirror to ourselves,’ Michael Calvin asserts in State of Play. Modern football is angrier, more brutal, more…
The view from Paris: ‘Why are Brexiteers so stupid?’
‘Problème est masculin; solution est féminine,’ says Brigitte, the adored French teacher at the British embassy in Paris. Good way…
Real football fans don’t care about race
It’s middle-class commentators – not supporters – who seem obsessed with the number of black players There were altogether too many darkies in England’s World Cup…
This is what happens when you put Brexit in the hands of unbelievers
Well, we did it. No, not Brexit, the World Cup or my (somewhat less) ambitious scheme at Legal & General…
The World Cup has made us proud to be English
Buying fish at Cambridge market on Sunday, I found myself chatting to the fishmonger about the prospects for England in…
Video games like Fortnite are fun — so they must be bad
It was only a matter of time. The headteacher of a primary school in Ilfracombe in Devon has banned ‘Flossing’,…
The true winner of this World Cup? Russia
Like most people with any taste, I like the odd vodka, I love Crime and Punishment, I enjoy Turgenev and…
The great thing about the World Cup is you don’t even have to watch it to enjoy it
Even though I don’t watch much football I love the World Cup because it’s my passport to total freedom. I…
What happened to the teams who scored more than six goals in a World Cup?
Nursing numbers Was there ever a time when the NHS wasn’t in crisis? According to a report by NHS Health…
