Wimbledon is here…. and more British disappointment awaits
The Wimbledon tennis championships are back again this year… and of course the British tennis fans continue to wait, in vain, for a home-grown success in SW19. The last local success to date in the singles has been Virginia Wade, which was way (way, way, way, way) back in 1977…. and don’t expect that barren spell to change any time soon. Andy Murray has replaced Tim Henman as the ‘Great Brit Hope‘, but expect him to go out in the early rounds. My bet’s on Roger Federer to triumph again this year.
Ex-player Ince appointed first Black British Premiership manager
Congratulations to Paul Ince, who will make history by becoming the first Black British manager of a Premiership football club.
Ince, the former West Ham, Manchester United, Inter Milan and Liverpool midfielder, was appointed Blackburn Rovers boss, and signed on a three-year contract. He replaces Mark Hughes, who left to join fellow Premiership club Manchester City.
After two brief successful spells as managers of both lower league teams Macclesfield and MK Dons, this will be a huge step up for him. There will be a lot pressure on him from the start to do well at Ewood Park. It’s not so long ago that football sportswriters questioned the commitment of black players in the professional game. The same is being now is being asked of potential black managers, but if Ince succeeds at Blackburn, it will inspire more professionals to follow his example.
Good luck, Incey!
Favourites battle to stay in ‘Euro 2008′
The two football teams that fought in the World Cup final in Germany less than two years ago face elimination from Euro 2008 tonight.
France and Italy face going out of the competition after both teams had lost one and drawn one of their two opening games. They both had one point each ahead of tonight’s final games in Group C. It would be sad if either team fail to reach the quarter finals, but that’s football.
UPDATE :Italy go through after beating France 2-0 to finish second in group C.
Why ‘Euro 2008′ is better without the home nations
One of the best things about the European Football Championship, which began on Saturday in Austria and Switzerland, is that none of the home nations are in it. I thought initally that I wouldn’t be interested in the games. Surprisingly, I was wrong.
Yesterday, after I finished work, I managed to rush home to catch the last moments of Germany versus Poland on TV. It’s great that one can watch a game and actually enjoy it. It’s great that the local police don’t have to worry about the presence of the English team and fans ruining the tournament. It’s great that TV commentators have to be objective and to concentrate more on the other teams, rather than just mention England all the bloody time. It’s great that the pubs remained mostly peaceful, even on a warm, Summer weekend.
Long may it last.
England win last night in the football….
….but the nation wasn’t interested as it was only in a friendly against Trinidad & Tobago. Football’s going to be boring this summer…
Football ‘quota plan’ is just plain crazy
A controversial plan to boost the number of home-grown players in any one team was approved earlier today by the world football governing body, FIFA, at their annual congress in Sydney, Australia.
The President of FIFA, Sepp Blatter, will introduce a ruling forcing football clubs to field a minimum of six home-grown players in their starting line-ups. The plan was approved by a majority of delegates. If all goes to plan, the ruling will be put in place for the season 2012-13.
Yet the ruling has been widely criticised, particularly by politicians in the European Parliament, because it breaks EU regulations on freedom of movement. Many of the top European sides may also have to consider their options on whether to challenge the decision.
The plan could also seriously affect the performance of the English Premiership’s big teams. Because of the lack of decent home-grown talent, many teams have been forced to look abroad for new players. The number of English players in the Premiership has fallen below 40 per cent in recent years. If it hadn’t been for foreign players, there wouldn’t have been any teams from England challenging for the Champions’ League this year. I believe many suspect that Blatter put forward this plan because of what’s happening in the Premiership.
Imposing such a quota would be immoral, illegal, and totally unworkable. This ruling needs to be exposed for what it is… a sham.
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London
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