The twenty-second World Cup Finals will be unusual in many ways. Not only will Qatar become the first Arab nation to host the World Cup but also the first to have never qualified (with the exception of Uruguay who were the hosts in the inaugural tournament in 1930). With a population of just under 2.9Continue reading “Qatar 2022 – The most unusual of World Cups”
Category Archives: FIFA
Arsène Wenger and the Biennial World Cup
Photo courtesy of Nelson Ndongala (@whodunelson) at Unsplash.com Arsène Wenger and Mae West may not appear to be natural allies at first glance. The 71-year-old may be blissfully unaware of West’s collection of pithy sayings but in light of his endorsement of Fifa’s plan to host the World Cup every two years it appears thatContinue reading “Arsène Wenger and the Biennial World Cup”
From Marine to San Marino: The Underdog’s Tale
One of the beauties of sport is championing the underdog. There is nothing more memorable or satisfying than when the little one has a chance of toppling the big one. So when Marine drew Tottenham in the FA Cup earlier this year there was frothing excitement on behalf of those who are keen to seeContinue reading “From Marine to San Marino: The Underdog’s Tale”
Football’s Wasteland: VAR, empty stadiums and fractious fragmentation
As I and many others have pointed out until we’re blue (or in some extreme cases purple) in the face the pure aesthetics of football are being steadily eroded for the sake of minuscule and misguided rulings. At its very best football flows with an elegance that few sports can match but under VAR itContinue reading “Football’s Wasteland: VAR, empty stadiums and fractious fragmentation”
The Football Mine 