Tuesday 13 June '06
Here˜s one trick the World Cup planners didn’t miss: when fixing the schedule, they made sure that the first match in Berlin would feature Brazil; no other team can hold the attention in a setting as grand...Tuesday 13 June '06
With little else to quibble over, journalists are reduced to discussing formations: is it 4-4-2? Or maybe 4-2-2-2?Tuesday
13 June '06Portugal clung on to the coat-tails of their early goal to take home three points. They were lucky, though, that Angola lacked the experience to exploit their frailties and inhibitionsMonday
12 June '06The best moment came in the 88th minute, and it didn’t result in a goal. In a packed goalmouth, Juan Roman Riquelme had the ball at his feet.Monday
12 June '06This has nothing to do with football or the World Cup but, because I read while in Germany, I guess it qualifies. The Independent of England reports that British local council officials are to adopt an Australian method of dealing with unruly youth: Play popSunday
11 June '06No matter what happens to Ivory Coast against Argentina today, or to Angola tomorrow, Ghana and Togo in the days following, know this: Just coming to Germany on the strength of their football...Sunday
11 June '06The general assumption, from a safe distance, is that the smaller countries have come here to make up the numbers...Saturday
10 June '06The fairytale World Cup of 2002 was firmly laid to rest today as Germany opened the tournament’s latest edition outclassing Costa Rica 4-2 at a packed Allianz Arena today.Saturday
10 June '06Thanks to a Belgian footballer, Slovenians quiz Indians on football in GermanyFriday
9 June '06A day before the greatest show on turf begins, at the spectacular Allianz Arena here, the headlines are dominated by good news, bad news and good news that may not necessarily be that good.Thursday
8 June '06Two days to go, and concerns over football’s fickle nature currently outweigh other thoughts among fans and players alike.Wednesday
7 June '06The fact that Ballack wears the No 13 jersey offers another hint of his pugnacity, his willingness for the fight. Over the next few weeks, his team, his manager and his country need that more than everTuesday
6 June '06Terror threats, a possible Ahmedinejad visit, English hooliganism: they are all keeping organisers busy in the countdown to June 9Sunday
4 June '06With the World Cup here, Subrata Dasgupta’s charming account of learning to belong in Britain is a timely reminder of the intimate pleasures of reconnecting with the footballing greatsFriday
19 May '06The Bose debate should remind us that there’s much to look forward to in Buddha’s BengalWednesday
17 May '06It’s the final everyone wants, the sort of match-up the Very Big Occasion deserves but is rarely afforded. And, seeing it in context of the days ahead, the perfect build-up to the Bigger Occasion.Wednesday
10 May '06A month from today, the greatest show on turf kicks off in Germany, the weight of a billion expectations on its shoulders. It’s a heavy burden — such huge sporting events don’t always live up to the hype.Tuesday
25 April '06Men who run Indian cricket have been seduced by big numbers. For cricket to truly flourish as a professional sport run along global standards, it’s time they look at the fine printFriday
31 March '06The flawed view from Kotla’s Hill B sums up what’s wrong with Indian cricketThursday
30 March '06 Arsenal are four matches away from winning Champions League, they look like they’re up for it
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