SAUDI ARABIA Group B represents a good opportunity for those nations that have not had great success in the tournament before. Only Saudi Arabia has been triumphant in the continental showpiece, winning three times, the last of which was in 1996 during the country’s ‘golden age’. Unfortunately those days seem quite distant to the … Read more
Preceding the other big international events, such as the Australian Open tennis and the African Cup of Nations, to kick-off the year 2015 is the 16th edition of the Asian Football Confederation’s (AFC) Asian Cup hosted by first-time host Australia. With the tournament kick-off on the 9th of January the countdown to the opening game, … Read more
#457085918 / gettyimages.com The last time I sat down to write about the Portuguese national team, I was flat-out annoyed at the performance that I saw against Albania. Maybe it was a build-up from the dismal display in Brazil during the World Cup, where they crashed out before making the knockout rounds, who knows? But … Read more
#451109480 / gettyimages.com Roy Hodgson will fly home from this summer’s World Cup in a strange situation. Having guided England to their first group-stage elimination since 1950, the FA chairman Greg Dyke committed his full-backing to the 66 year old and announced he would be the man to continue his job until the 2016 … Read more
England Vs Chile Nov 15, 2013 at 8pm (UK) Wembley Stadium It will be an experimental England side that faces Chile in an international friendly at Wembley on Friday. With World Cup qualification secured, the England manager was always likely to use this game, and not the impending friendly against Germany, to assess players on the fringes … Read more
Frank Lampard earned his 100th cap for England two months ago in a goalless draw against Ukraine. Frank Lampard become only the 8th player to make it 100 caps for England after making his debut in 1999. It will be a special occasion for Lampard as he is not only going to Captain his national … Read more
In his first training session with the England under-21s this week, Ravel Morrison provided the winning goal with a cutting through ball that went against his own team and set-up the opposition. On the sidelines, the FA’s development directors Trevor Brooking and Dan Ashworth reacted with humour and playful laughter. They were notably relaxed and … Read more
Winning the 2022 World Cup hosting rights has proven to be a mixed blessing for Qatar. The wealthy Gulf emirate, more than two years after world soccer body FIFA voted in Qatar’s favor, is under greater scrutiny than it ever has been and that it originally had bargained for. Qatar’s suitability as a host is … Read more
Imagine that English football found itself in a similar situation to the one that existed on 8th February 2012, when Fabio Capello left the position of national team manager because of a dispute with the FA over John Terry and the England captaincy. Imagine that in February next year England have successfully negotiated their way … Read more
Arsenal had a horrible first game day, by falling to a 1-3 loss at the hands of an inspired Aston Villa. Benteke scored twice from the penalty spot, after Villa defender Luna scored to come-back from an early Giroud goal. What looked like a dream of a fantasy football manager, turned into reality at Stamford … Read more