Had Hungary lifted the 1954 World Cup, as they should have, Gusztáv Sebes would be lauded as one of the greatest of all time. He certainly was
When Guy Roux first took charge of Auxerre, John F Kennedy was president and the Berlin Wall was yet to be built. Over 40 years later, he was still there
In theory, the top teams from Italy and England meeting every year seemed a great idea. Sadly, the Anglo-Italian Cup descended into an ill-fated nuisance
Diego Simeone, one of football’s most respected managers, had to cut his teeth like all others. This is the story of his defining six months in Serie A
The air is warm and the sky is blue. Mount Etna, Europe’s largest active volcano, broods on the horizon, looming menacingly over the city. The smell of fresh fish combines with the…
Euro 2000 was, by almost any measure, a fantastic international tournament. There were plenty of goals, storylines and upsets throughout the three-week festival of football in Belgium and the Netherlands, as well as…
It was not the most popular of appointments. When Antonio Conte departed his post as Juventus manager on the eve of pre-season in the summer of 2014, the Italian champions turned to…
The look on Nathan Dyer’s face said it all. With Leicester City captain Wes Morgan and manager Claudio Ranieri standing to his right, Premier League title lifted proudly above their heads, Dyer’s…
ARRANGING A TRIP TO SAN MARINO IS QUITE THE CHALLENGE. There is no train station in Europe’s third smallest state, let alone an airport. Large pedestrian-only zones mean that parking spaces are sparse,…
For something that is essentially an expendable pastime, football can wield an extraordinary amount of influence. The temporary truce between supporters of fierce rivals Zamalek and Al Ahly helped to overthrow Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak…
Fabio Capello appeared to be on the brink. Two victories in his last 10 games in charge of the Russia national team prompted a crisis meeting with his bosses on Wednesday, talks that…
THE DATE WAS 3 JUNE 2007 and Ivory Coast had just defeated Madagascar 5-0 to qualify for the following year’s Africa Cup of Nations in Ghana. Goals from Saloman Kalou, Yaya Touré,…
As featured on Guardian Sport ARRIGO SACCHI INSISTS that his comments were misinterpreted and not racist, but many remain unconvinced. “Italian football is now without dignity or pride because it has too many…
NINE THOUSAND MILES separate the Newcastle Stadium in southeast Australia and the Faisal Al-Husseini arena, Palestine’s home ground in Al-Ram, just outside Jerusalem. The real distance between the serene beaches and mountains of…
Diego Maradona’s relationship with Naples with unlike that of any footballer with a city before or since. Indeed the city will never forget its adopted hero
It would make for some team: Samir Handanović would keep goal behind a defence consisting of Mauricio Isla, Mehdi Benatia, Cristián Zapata and Kwadwo Asamoah. Gökhan Inler, David Pizarro and Sulley Muntari would provide…
Barely an hour had passed before the inquest began. A brace from Luis Suárez had given Uruguay a vital 2-1 victory over England, all but confirming another underwhelming exit from an international tournament…