England’s wobbling World Cup bid has been reshaped and reorganised but for all the tactical changes forced on skipper Lord Triesman, the 2018 squad still seems to lack fire-power up front. There are some worthy big guns on board, like Lord Coe and Sir Keith Mills, both architects of London’s successful 2012 Olympic bid, and the articulate ex-Chelsea star Paul Elliott.
One day soon David Beckham will become Sir David Beckham. He has been the most influential English sports figure both on and off the field since the late great Bobby Moore. Bobby was never knighted – a national disgrace in my view. Now Beckham faces one of his biggest challenges on Sunday in the final of the Major League Soccer Championship.
“It was desert in July 2003.”
The Aspire academy for sports excellence – along with the city-centre skyline – is perhaps the most dramatic illustration of the pace at which Doha is changing.
Football is a sport that the majority of people in South Africa are passionate about but, there are real questions as to whether there will be a legacy for them post the 2010 World Cup.
What do the rugby sevens World Cup, tennis’s Sony Ericsson Championships and football’s Club World Cup have in common?