Sepp Blatter claims racism won"t be solved by running away like Kevin-Price Boateng and AC Milan

Posted on January 10, 2013 by adminsports

Racism will not be solved by 'running away' like Boateng and Milan, claims Blatter

By
Adam Shergold

PUBLISHED:

12:23 GMT, 10 January 2013

UPDATED:

12:35 GMT, 10 January 2013

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has urged players not to leave the pitch in protest if they are subjected to racist abuse, saying 'running away' is not a long-term solution to stopping discrimination.

It follows the actions of AC Milan player Kevin-Price Boateng, who led his teammates off the field after being abused during a friendly with Italian lower league club Pro Patria last week.

Boateng was highly praised for his protest, including by Blatter, but the football chief warned that a repeat in the future would not make the problem go away.

Not a solution: FIFA president Sepp Blatter said Kevin-Prince Boateng's protest (below) was not the right way to stamp racism out of the game

Protest: Kevin-Prince Boateng leads his AC Milan teammates from the field after being subjected to racist abuse

'If you remember the Boateng problem and him running away, I made a comment on that and I still have the same feeling – it was good what he has done in order to give this impact by saying: “Listen – look at what has happened,” Blatter told Sky Sports News.

'But it can't be the solution because you can never solve any problem in your life – in your private life, in your public life, wherever – by running away.

'This is now to day “Listen, if you don't take care of our sport, we will do it.” It was a warning, but it can't be the solution.'

Protest: Boateng wears an

Protest: Boateng wears an “AC Milan against racism” t-shirt before the Serie A match with Siena last weekend

Blatter went on to make some vague promises about calling a meeting to discuss the problem of racism in the game.

He said: 'What we shall do now – and I am thinking about this – we shall make a kind of summit or discussion with all the actors concerning discrimination and racism.

'There must be a lot of solidarity and understanding that we have to eradicate it. But it can only be done if all the actors are participating, and actors are also the spectators.'

The full interview with Sepp Blatter will be shown on Sky Sports News HD Special Report at 7.30pm on Monday

Martin Samuel: Mario Balotelli, you"re not worth the hassle

Posted on October 8, 2012 by adminsports

Listen, Balotelli, you are not worth the trouble any more

UPDATED:

21:30 GMT, 7 October 2012

There comes a point at which Mario Balotelli becomes more trouble than he is worth. And inch by inch, he would appear to be getting there.

Substituted against Sunderland on Saturday, Balotelli marched straight down the tunnel, ignoring his manager Roberto Mancini and his team-mates, who were holding a slender 1-0 lead at the time.

His presence on the touchline would have made no difference to the outcome but it would have demonstrated solidarity, a sense that all at the club were in it together, in what has been a difficult season so far.

Why always him Mario Balotelli is causing problems the Manchester City manager could do without

Yet Balotelli left without a backward glance, departed from the ground soon after the final whistle and headed back to Italy for international duty. No doubt he had a plane to catch. As did Mancini, this being a break in the Premier League programme.

Maybe Balotelli is also a quick dresser. Billy Bonds, lion-hearted captain of West Ham United, used to be heading south through the Blackwall Tunnel when most of his team-mates were still lathering up the Head and Shoulders. It did not mean he wasn’t committed.

More from Martin Samuel…

You don't need a top hat to be a posh boy, Ed
04/10/12

Martin Samuel: England crave the old ego on stilts, not Pietersen Lite
03/10/12

Martin Samuel: Loud, brash and arrogant, but let's hope Team USA stay that way
02/10/12

Martin Samuel: It might get even harder, but it can't get any better than this
01/10/12

Martin Samuel: Why Moyes can feel the fourth and break Everton into the Champions League cartel
30/09/12

Martin Samuel: Superhero McIlroy falls to earth as Americans shatter his aura
29/09/12

Martin Samuel: John, don't fall into Suarez trap… just say sorry
27/09/12

Why has friendly, beautiful Chicago got the second city blues
27/09/12

VIEW FULL ARCHIVE

Yet Bonds would not have deserted his club in a show of petulance on being substituted. He would not have done anything that would have placed even an ounce of extra pressure on his manager on what was, otherwise, a very good day.

Manchester City were anxious to point out that Mancini has put up with far worse than this from Balotelli without it being the last straw. But why should he have to put up with anything at all

How long does he have to offer excuses and mitigations, or see achievements overshadowed because Balotelli wants to operate beyond the strictures of the team ethic

There are some at City who would have dealt with the problem in the summer. It is not the first occasion Mancini has been forced to treat Balotelli as a special case.

The Mansour family are not in the habit of over-ruling the manager on team matters, but one wonders whether there will come a time when Mancini tires of being the lone speaker in Balotelli’s defence.

He can be a quite brilliant footballer, too, we know that.

During last week’s Champions League tie with Borussia Dortmund, there seemed to be some dispute between Balotelli and Sergio Aguero over who would take City’s late-awarded penalty. Move away from the ball, Sergio. Balotelli is the best penalty taker in the country, arguably the world. The moment he stepped up, the stadium was confident that City would salvage a point.

Unfortunately, there is no slot in football for a place kicker. Balotelli cannot remain on the sidelines ready to be called to action in those moments that define a game.

Not that this is all he offers; more that the rest of it comes with a maintenance bill attached. There is always a price to pay for Balotelli’s involvement: but the cost is beginning to outweigh the benefit.

Balotelli has scored five goals in his last 16 appearances for Manchester City. Not all of them have been starts, but compare this to the 16 matches before: eight goals. And to the start of last season: five goals in seven.

Storming off: Balotelli was substituted and headed straight for the dressing room during City's win

Balotelli’s powers are waning; but his capacity for distraction, his nuisance value, is not.

His first season was difficult. Understandably so. A young man in a new country and a new league, Mancini was his father figure and his nurturing nature was admirable.

And scoring so prolifically last season — between September 21, 2011 and December 12, 2011 his record was 11 goals in 14 matches — the time spent indulging Balotelli seemed very much relative to worth. Not any more.

I'm outta here: Balotelli made for Italy

For one goal every three appearances in the strongest roster in the Premier League, Balotelli should be devoting time to keeping Mancini happy, not the other way around.

The ECB dropped Kevin Pietersen from the squad and quickly discovered his value was greater than imagined. They were right to make a stand but there is more than a hint of pragmatism in his return.

Had England retained the World Twenty20 crown, for instance, or convincingly defeated South Africa in the final summer Test, would his rehabilitation have been as necessary

Similarly, Cristiano Ronaldo. At more than a goal a game for Real Madrid, he is worth the time the club must spend nursing his ego.

Yet if Mancini once placed Balotelli in the same category, the strength of his feeling may soon dissolve. There is a transfer window looming in January and there will again be voices within the organisation counselling to make Balotelli part of it.

Eventually Mancini might be minded to take their advice.

If a quick getaway is what that the player desires, how long must City stand in his way

FA's silky skills won the day but no-one was happy with the result

Since 1989, Chambers and Partners have been researching the legal profession in the United Kingdom, identifying its leading protagonists through interviews with thousands of lawyers and their clients. They rate Jonathan Laidlaw QC as one of the eight ‘star silks’ practising at the criminal bar in Britain.

And this was the man chosen by the Football Association to present their case against John Terry.

A lot was written about Terry’s engagement of leading barrister George Carter-Stephenson, to plead his defence. The picture painted was of a man who needed the best available legal mind, to give his flimsy case credibility.

High profile: Jonathan James Laidlaw

One presumed from here that the FA were on such sure ground, they could almost be represented by a senior member of their in-house legal team.

Not quite. As Treasury Counsel, Laidlaw brought Britain’s first war crimes case and acted as prosecution in the trial of the Provisional IRA bombing of Canary Wharf, the Official Secrets Act prosecution of David Shayler, the Jill Dando murder trial, the trial of the Al Qaeda cell that planned pre-9/11 attacks in the United States and United Kingdom, the trial of the Al Qaeda attack on Glasgow Airport and of Delroy Grant, the ‘Night Stalker’, who received four life sentences and is believed responsible for roughly 100 cases of rape, sexual assault and burglary.

Laidlaw is described by Chambers as ‘an extraordinarily able advocate’ with ‘lethal cross-examination skills’, a ‘mean way with closing speeches’ and ‘advocacy skills right out of the top drawer.’

And this was the FA’s silk of choice. You might say they needed the win. Laidlaw’s brand of excellence does not come cheap. He would certainly have been an upgrade even on the estimable Duncan Perry, the barrister who prosecuted Terry at Westminster Magistrates Court.

Then again, just as Terry required a silver-tongued performer to convince that his offensive words were not said in anger, the FA would have wished for an equally smooth operator to explain why it changed article 7.3 of its regulations this summer to lower the burden of proof in civil cases and why it ignored article 6.8 and an earlier suggestion to Terry that a not-guilty verdict from Westminster’s Chief Magistrate would apply to his FA case, too.

Whatever problems the world has with Terry — and it is entitled to plenty — the FA process stands up to no greater scrutiny than his defence.

The most laughable speculation suggests the governing body could now investigate Ashley Cole, for the supposed evolution of his evidence. He gave an interview to the FA and then, when his recollections were presented as a statement for signature, had a word inserted that strengthened Terry’s case.

The disciplinary panel found this a bit whiffy and as good as called Cole a liar. Yet suppose the FA wished to pursue the matter No tape was placed on Cole’s interview and the FA did not initially disclose the written notes taken by a former employee, even to police. The FA want it all ways.

The four-match ban given by an independent commission containing an FA vice-president from Huntingdonshire, a chairman the FA appointed and a third member who — for the duration of the hearing — was on the FA payroll, seems soft, considering the violence of the language in question and the conclusion that Terry and his cohorts had systematically lied about it for almost a year.

Not guilty: Terry was cleared of the charges in the criminal courts back in July

Yet because the FA’s behaviour in this matter has been inconsistent, to put it mildly, they were once again disinclined to make the final connection between racist words and racism. So Terry, like Luis Suarez, isn’t racist. He’s just a bloke who calls a black person an FBC and then lies about it. Which is, coincidentally, precisely the sort of thing a racist might do.

Chelsea are under increasing pressure to remove Terry as captain and understandably so, yet the FA won’t join the dots on Terry — and didn’t on Suarez — because to do so would almost certainly provoke further challenge in a higher court, shining light on a process that could not withstand rigorous scrutiny.

So we have this horrid compromise, in which the punishment is harsh enough to imply the FA is serious about racism, but the verdict is not so damning that the guilty party has no option but to appeal. Leaving nobody happy.

AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT…London Orient

The increasingly desperate Barry Hearn, having rubbished the Olympic Stadium as a football venue for several years, now wants his club, Leyton Orient, to groundshare there with West Ham United.

'You would have the commercial Premier League entity, coupled with the local community club serving the community,' he says.

And how will Hearn continue serving that community /10/07/article-2214240-155C8DC9000005DC-515_634x415.jpg” width=”634″ height=”415″ alt=”Care in the community: Barry Hearn wants to move to the Olympic site and change Leyton Orient's name” class=”blkBorder” />

Care in the community: Barry Hearn wants to move to the Olympic site and change Leyton Orient's name

They were Orient Football Club (1888), Clapton Orient (1898), Leyton Orient (1946), Orient (1966) and Leyton Orient again (1987). The final alteration was most significant, though, because it came after a supporters campaign organised by the fanzine Leyton Orientear.

The fans wanted Leyton back. Not London. No self-respecting Orient fan would want London inserted in the name, because it means nothing.

A London club could come from anywhere: north, south, east or west. Orient aren’t from London, they’re from Leyton. To get to Brisbane Road, alight at Leyton station and walk down Leyton High Road. You don’t get more Leyton than that.

Hearn bangs on about community but clearly has no idea what it means. Leyton Orient’s community is Leyton. That’s why it’s in the name.

Roy's on right track with David… and Rio

David Bernstein should remain chairman of the Football Association, we are told, because he has developed a strong friendship and working relationship with England manager Roy Hodgson.

Why should this matter /10/07/article-2214240-152F6DB2000005DC-464_634x384.jpg” width=”634″ height=”384″ alt=”How to make friends and influence people: Roy Hodgson landed himself in hot water this week” class=”blkBorder” />

How to make friends and influence people: Roy Hodgson landed himself in hot water this week

Rovers return

Sven Goran Eriksson is believed to be among those interested in taking over at Blackburn Rovers. He rejected that chance many years ago, surely

Hanson off

Peter Hanson says he will not be sending Jose Maria Olazabal many Christmas cards, having being left out of Europe’s Ryder Cup pairs in three of four sessions.

Limited: Peter Hanson barely got out on the course during the Ryder Cup triumph in Chicago

Hanson did not play Friday morning, or all of Saturday, and his sole contribution prior to the singles was partnering Paul Lawrie in a 5&4 defeat by Bubba Watson and Webb Simpson.

His case for inclusion would have had greater credence had he proved Olazabal wrong on Sunday, instead of losing to Jason Dufner. Hanson was the only European not to get on the scoreboard at Medinah, rather proving Olazabal’s point.

Hillsborough: Everton tribute to Liverpool victims

Posted on September 18, 2012 by adminsports

Merseyside united: Classy Everton's show of solidarity encapsulated by Moyes' tribute

UPDATED:

07:22 GMT, 18 September 2012

They were scenes that proved there are far more important things in life than football.

Before a ball had even been kicked between Newcastle and Everton at Goodison Park, the blue side of Liverpool had already shown their class.

In a moving show of solidarity, two mascots, one young girl in Everton blue and one small boy in the red of Liverpool, led the players on to the pitch.

Solidarity: The two mascots' numbers combined to read 96, the number of those who lost their lives in 1989

Respect: The Everton team showed their support to the victims' families

As they emerged in front of the teams from the tunnel, the numbers on the back of the shirts became visible, the girl’s was the number 9, and the boy had the number 6.

This neat touch was, of course, implemented for Everton to show their support to the families of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough disaster.

The players and mascots assembled on the centre circle before The Hollies’ He Ain’t Heavy was belted out of the speakers accompanied by a photo collage of the 96 victims of the disaster.

The players, the staff, the officials and the fans inside the stadium, among them Trevor Hicks and Margaret Aspinall, applauded throughout the song as the faces of those who lost their lives in 1989 poignantly lingered on the screen.

Solidarity: A banner inside Goodison Park showed the unity in the city

Leighton Baines dedicated his strike – the first goal in the 2-2 draw with Newcastle – to the memory of the Hillsborough disaster victims. His father, a Liverpool fan, had survived the incident.

Baines said: 'I'd dedicate it to them definitely, but then it's hard to relate me scoring or the game in general with Hillsborough in some respects, because football pales into a certain level of insignificance when you compare the two.

'But I thought what we did at the start of the game was a nice touch and hopefully now people can start to move forward, and perhaps get some of the closure that they need.'

Rival support: Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson (right) and Mike Phelan were at the game

Everton
manager David Moyes expressed his support for the victims’ families in
the form of strongly-worded, yet emotive, programme notes.

Moyes said: 'I, and everybody
at Everton, stand alongside the families who have challenged the
authorities over what has been proved a travesty.

‘I'm a football manager, a supporter
and a father, and I applauded the families who continued to fight for
the ones they loved. I believe everybody in the world of football will
have been shocked by the wrongdoings surrounding Hillsborough which were
exposed last week.

‘As part of the football family, I,
and everybody at Everton, stand alongside the families who for so long
have challenged the authorities over what has now been proved a
travesty. I am not only a football manager, I'm a football supporter and
a father, and I applaud the families who continued to fight for the
ones they loved.

Joint effort: Everyone in the stadium applauded before the game began

Everyone in the stadium applauded before the game began

‘The
outcome was nothing short of disgraceful. We have all been brought up to
believe and trust in authority. The authorities who were responsible
for ensuring the safety of supporters that afternoon let themselves
down, as have the government parties who have been in power since.
‘Praise must go to Andy Burnham and the families for getting disclosure.'

Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre
said: 'I would like to extend a heartfelt thank-you to all the staff and
fans at Everton Football Club from everyone at Liverpool for the
display of support you have shown the Hillsborough families tonight.

'We’ve always been great rivals on
the pitch but off it, the two clubs have always supported each other. In
the immediate aftermath of the disaster, Everton Football Club was
there for us and that solidarity was on display again last week when the
Hillsborough Independent Panel’s findings were revealed.

Revelations: Last week it became known that the police had attempted to incorrectly blame fans for the incident

Them too: Newcastle's players joined in before the match

'At times like this, football
rivalries take a back seat – something that makes this city unique and I
think supporters of both clubs can be immensely proud of the way they
have conducted themselves over the past days, weeks and years since the
tragedy.'

Last week, an independent panel
revealed that the police had attempted to blame the fans inside the
stadium for the tragedy, which cost 96 lives and changed the landscape
of football forever.

For everyone to see: Fans were proud to be associated with banners more commonly seen at Anfield

Barcelona"s Andres Iniesta named UEFA"s best player in Europe

Posted on August 31, 2012 by adminsports

Simply the best! Barcelona's Iniesta pips Ronaldo and Messi to top European gong

UPDATED:

17:54 GMT, 30 August 2012

Andres Iniesta was named UEFA's best player in Europe at an awards ceremony in Monaco.

The Barcelona midfielder, who inspired Spain to retain their crown at Euro 2012, won the vote by 53 sports journalists representing each of UEFA's member nations.

He was chosen ahead of Barcelona team-mate Lionel Messi and Real Madrid midfielder Cristiano Ronaldo.

UEFA created the honor after France Football magazine combined its traditional European award with FIFA's world player prize.

In a league of his own: Barcelona's Andres Iniesta was named UEFA's best player in Europe

Club division: Barcelona's Iniesta and Lionel Messi stand on stage a few feet apart from Real Madrid's Cristiano Ronaldo

Well done: UEFA president Michel Platini congratulates Iniesta as Messi and Ronaldo look on

Team solidarity: Iniesta is congratulated by Messi as Ronaldo stands by

London 2012 Olympics: We planned to hug then cross the line, reveals Brownlee

Posted on August 12, 2012 by adminsports

We planned to hug then cross the line, reveals Brownlee

UPDATED:

22:31 GMT, 11 August 2012

Alistair Brownlee, warned by Olympic
bosses against trying to stage a triathlon dead-heat with his brother,
Jonny, claims he had planned an alternative display of fraternal
solidarity at the finish line in Hyde Park last week.

Brownlee says he wanted to stop short
of the finish and wait for his brother so they could enjoy a fraternal
embrace before he ran in to take the gold medal just a metre ahead of
Jonny.

But the plan was thwarted by the silver
going to Spain's Javier Gomez, with the younger Brownlee taking bronze, a
further 20 seconds behind, having served a 15-second time penalty.

Oh brother: Alistair Brownlee (left) consoles brother Jonny, who won bronze

Alistair, 24, said: 'We knew we couldn't cross the line together because it would have contravened regulations and it would have been impossible to make it a tie, so the plan was for me to stop a few metres before the line and wait for Jonny to catch me up.

'Then we would have embraced and celebrated before I, as the obvious race winner, would have jogged in ahead of Jonny to the finish line. It would have been a very special moment for us if that had taken place but winning gold and bronze was very special anyway.

'Of course there was always the danger that Jonny would have run straight past me to win – but if he'd tried I would have tripped him up!'

Gomez ruined that plan but cannot prevent Alistair's next idea, to run in the 10,000metres at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow after astonishing the sporting world by completing the 10k in Tuesday's triathlon in 29min 7sec, despite stopping to collect a flag and walking the final few metres.

'I'd love to compete in the 10k at Glasgow,' he revealed, committing himself further than at any point during the week.

'There's no way I'd ever turn my back on the triathlon but it would be a welcome break from just training for the tri, and it could be part of my overall training. I'm 24, I'm Olympic and world champion, so it'd be nice to try something different.

'I reckon I could get down to the lower 28-minutes mark, which would be good enough for me to represent England at the Commonwealths, I'd hope. Providing the timetable allows it I'd like to give it a shot. The qualifying requirement for the 10k in Glasgow is not massively quick, so it's a target.'

The Brownlees could go on to dominate the Commonwealth Games, with both gunning for the title separately as well as pairing up to win team gold for England. They plan to do the same at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, too, especially if the IO C ratify a move to add a team competition to the individual in the Olympic triathlon, a decision expected next year.

But if Jonny, 22, hopes big brother will make way for him in Rio, then his idea was dashed on Sunday night.

'I wouldn't be disappointed if the results were reversed and Jonny became Olympic champion in 2016 and I won bronze – but I'd be happier if I defended my title successfully,' Alistair said. 'I certainly won't be moving aside for my brother. He'll have to beat me.'

London Olympics 2012: Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee warned about dead-heat

Posted on August 5, 2012 by adminsports

Brownlee brothers warned: We'll throw you out if you try to stage a dead-heat

PUBLISHED:

21:30 GMT, 4 August 2012

UPDATED:

21:30 GMT, 4 August 2012

Britain's star triathletes – brothers
Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee – have been warned by their world
governing body that they will be instantly disqualified from the biggest
race of their lives if they attempt to cross the line together.

Olympics 2012

This draconian message, aimed to
prevent what many observers might see as a heart-warming moment of
fraternal solidarity, is being delivered to prevent a second 'fixing'
scandal at the London Games after they made headlines for all the wrong
reasons last week when eight badminton players were sent home in
disgrace for deliberately trying to lose.

World No 1 Alistair, 24, and world No
2 Jonathan, 22, are hot favourites to dominate the London 2012 men's
triathlon in Hyde Park on Tuesday.

Scroll down for more

On the right track: Brothers Jonathan (right) and Alistair Brownlee are favourites for the triathlon

Alistair is the reigning world
champion and has been the dominant force in his sport for several years
while Jonathan sealed world silver behind his older brother last
September in Beijing.

More than once in the past, the
Yorkshire siblings have finished a gruelling triathlon, which involves a
1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run, and then crossed the line at
the same time.

Ian Ladyman"s Euro 2012 diary: Ronaldo shows he"s not so bad with special message

Posted on June 23, 2012 by adminsports

Ian Ladyman's Euro 2012 diary: Ronaldo shows he's not so bad with special message

UPDATED:

23:33 GMT, 22 June 2012

Cristiano Ronaldo's words into a TV camera after his winning goal on Thursday were reported in Spain as an attack on rival Lionel Messi. In fact, Ronaldo — a father to two-year-old Cristiano Jnr — said: 'Filho, e para ti' which means, 'Son, it’s for you.'

Man of the moment: Ronaldo celebrates after scoring his winner against the Czech Republic on Thursday

Lviv’s livId locals

Lviv's 200million Euro 2012 stadium was a fancy affair but fans of the local team are not so enamoured. Indeed supporters of Karpaty Lviv — whose average attendance is 10,000 — want the team to return to their old stadium after a run of bad results at Arena Lviv.

Tabloid toubles

One English tabloid reporter — now back home — has made a habit of upsetting coaches during post-match press conferences out here. His farewell offering was to ask Paulo Bento how much Ronaldo is now worth after his stunning quarter-final display in Warsaw. Portugal boss Bento threw his translation headphones down and stormed off.

Is he really asking me this Portugal coach Paulo Bento

Winds of change

Some good news from Gdansk, where the decline of the shipbuilding industry decimated a yard that once employed 20,000 people. The birthplace of the Solidarity movement in 1980, the yard is now back in action making turbines for wind farms.

Euro 2012

Really, Andrei

Former Manchester United winger Andrei Kanchelskis made his fortune in England but clearly has no love left for our game. Ukrainian-born, he offered this damning assessment on tomorrow night’s quarter-final with Italy. ‘Both teams are equal, both teams are bad,’ he scoffed.

Thumbs up for…

The Germans. Recognising that one English journalist had attended seven of their press conferences here, they arranged for defender Mats Hummels to sit down with four UK writers ahead of last night’s quarter-final. Class, that.

Thumbs down for…

Portuguese legend Luis Figo. You may be famous but when an airline assistant gets you out of a pickle at the automatic check-in machine it is customary to say thank you. What a rude man.

Euro 2012: Deyna of destiny as past and present merge in Poland

Posted on June 8, 2012 by adminsports

Deyna of destiny as past and present merge in Poland

UPDATED:

23:00 GMT, 7 June 2012

A group of German tourists were being given a history lesson on Solidarnosc Plac. They were outside Gate No 2 on Doki Street, where Lech Walesa once stood and changed the world.

here. There is a direct line. Welcome to Poland, where history lives.

History lives: A statue of Kazimierz Deyna was unveiled in Warsaw this week

A couple of miles north, past the odd red-and-white Polska flag draped from a window, the new Lechia Gdansk stadium was being prepared for Sunday's Group C opener between Spain and Italy. It is some structure, an amber bowl to reflect the mineral that gave Gdansk its trade, able to hold almost 45,000.

Euro 2012 email button

To the west of the city, the old Lechia stadium looks in good nick, too. Germany, to whom Gdansk remains 'Danzig', are training there. Around 8,000 locals watched Mesut Ozil and Co on Wednesday.

This is the ground where, in 1983, Walesa was smuggled in to see Lechia play Juventus in the second leg of a European Cup- winners' Cup tie. Giovanni Trapattoni, Michel Platini and Zbigniew Boniek were playing for Juve.

The ruling Communist Party were cracking down on Solidarity, Walesa's trade union federation, and Walesa has recalled: 'The stadium was packed, the crowd shouted Solidarity's name. It sounded really perfect. It did upset the Communists and the secret police. It was a big moment. We needed to show the Communist Party that they weren't the only power in Poland. They felt paralysed by seeing how united we were at football matches.

'Sport was one of the ways we met each other and found out how much we had in common. We were much closer because of football.'

On Wednesday, on the Polish equivalent of News at Ten, two grinning nuns were interviewed in a stand as Germany trained. That came after a report on the return of the ashes of Kazimierz Deyna to Poland. The former Manchester City midfielder was killed in a car crash in San Diego in 1989. A hero of 1974, when Poland came third in the World Cup, Deyna's ashes now lie in Warsaw, where Legia fans have also paid for a statue. History mingles with the present.

History lives: A statue of Kazimierz Deyna was unveiled in Warsaw this week

If Deyna's name was a reminder of better days for Polish football, the nuns revealed again the significance of Catholicism – not so long ago, Celtic's Polish goalkeeper, Artur Boruc, was known as the 'Holy Goalie'. There is a picture of another, Pope 'Jan Pawel II', on Gate No 2. Yesterday started a religious holiday across Poland that lasts until next Tuesday. In the middle of Gdansk you could smell the incense marking Corpus Christi.

What football fever there is felt on hold – Poland's primary sports star over the past decade has been a ski jumper called Adam Malysz and domestically football has been in the doldrums for almost 20 years. Widzew Lodz were the last Polish club to reach the group stage of the Champions League and that was in 1996. Former sports minister Jacek Debski was murdered in 2001 by a bullet to the head, which preceded a destructive match-fixing scandal. Today, Poland have the lowest FIFA ranking of the 16 teams at the Euros.

Still there are arguments. Grzegorz Lato, another famous name from the Seventies – 100 caps, 45 goals – is the FA president. He and others omitted Poland's eagle from their new kit. There was an outcry and a quick relaunch. Jan Tomaszewski, another historic figure – Brian Clough's 'clown' from Wembley in 1973 – is a pundit and MP. He says he will not be supporting Poland because there are allegedly too many foreigners in the team.

Support: Fans of Legia attend a ceremony dedicated to Kazimierz Deyna

Bordeaux's Ludovic Obraniak is one of the accused. Born in France, like centre half Damien Perquis, Obraniak has a Polish grandfather. Left back Sebastian Boenisch has played for Germany's Under 21s.

'This foreigner debate has not been particularly good for me,' Obraniak said this week. 'There's a similar one in France. I feel Polish, but I know I'm not 100 per cent Polish.'

It is five years since UEFA gave Poland and Ukraine the go-ahead, a day described by the then Polish FA president as 'the most important in Polish football ever'.

A good start tonight in Warsaw would help ease anxiety, and should spur excitement. Poland host Greece, who qualified above Croatia, conceding just five goals in 10 matches. The Poles have been playing friendlies since 2009. They have lost 6-0 to Spain and drawn 2-2 against Germany.

A home win is hardly guaranteed, but one would tee up next Tuesday, when Russia are Poland's opponents. That has the potential to captivate not just Poland but beyond.

That, for current Prime Minister Donald Tusk, is the aim. The political hope is that Euro 2012 transforms perceptions of the country. This will be seen as the first major eastern European tournament, but Poland wants to be known as central Europe, as a bridge.

'The greatest investment of Euro 2012 isn't the wonderful stadiums, the great airport terminals, the roads and railway stations,' said Tusk. 'It's investment in the brand and reputation of Poland among the hundreds of millions who will watch it on TV, and the hundreds of thousands who will come here and won't judge us only on sport.'

What cannot be ignored is that the estimated 20billion pumped into infrastructure concerns the population at a time of recession; Solidarity are threatening tournament strikes over pensions but Poland is not convulsed politically, as Ukraine is.

If optimism feels fragile – Walesa spoke of 'the lack of self- confidence as a country' recently – perhaps they are just waiting to see if they can pull it off.

'We may not have everything quite buttoned up,' Walesa added. 'But Poland has already won.'

England plan floral tribute to Norway after Anders Breivik murders

Posted on May 25, 2012 by adminsports

England stars to present Norway with floral tribute after tragic Breivik murders

UPDATED:

09:01 GMT, 25 May 2012

England will show their support to a grieving Norwegian nation ahead of Saturday’s friendly in Oslo.

Roy Hodgson's team will present their counterparts with flowers to show their support to a grieving nation in the wake of the murders committed by Anders Breivik in Oslo and on Utoya Island.

According to The Telegraph, the mascots will then take flowers and distribute them among the fans at the Ullevaal Stadium.

Tribute: England players will present players with flowers

Solidarity: The England players are keen to show their support to a grieving nation

Rangers in crisis: New owners could liquidate club

Posted on April 1, 2012 by adminsports

Rangers could yet be liquidated under new owners, admit administrators

UPDATED:

08:49 GMT, 1 April 2012

Rangers' administrators have admitted liquidation is a possibility for the Ibrox club under new owners.

Duff and Phelps have given a deadline of Wednesday for best and final bids, before choosing a preferred bidder.

In the running are Chicago-based Club 9 Sports, the Blue Knights, headed by former Ibrox director Paul Murray, and a Singaporean consortium.

Winning feeling: Rangers celebrate beating Motherwell on Saturday

Hitherto, a move out of administration through a Company Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) was the focus of the administrators, but they have now given serious credence to the possibility of the club having to be liquidated.

'The preferred option remains a CVA and it remains an option for all of the bidders,' co-administrator Paul Clark said.

'And we still think it's achievable and we're still recommending that as the preferred course of action to the bidders.

'We must accept, though, that we have in Rangers a financially-stricken institution and there is an amount of toxicity in there as a result of what's gone on.

Solidarity: Rangers fans show their support for their stricken club

'So all of the options have to remain open and it may be that some of the bidders decide that they would rather start afresh.

'We cannot rule out the winning bid could prefer a different structure that meant the sale of the business to a new company and in that eventuality it is certainly possible that Rangers would be liquidated.

'But it would only be done so after the football club was made safe.'

Sports Bound Guide

Sports Bound Guide. Fresh Sports News

Tag Archives: solidarity

Sepp Blatter claims racism won"t be solved by running away like Kevin-Price Boateng and AC Milan

Martin Samuel: Mario Balotelli, you"re not worth the hassle

Hillsborough: Everton tribute to Liverpool victims

Barcelona"s Andres Iniesta named UEFA"s best player in Europe

London 2012 Olympics: We planned to hug then cross the line, reveals Brownlee

London Olympics 2012: Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee warned about dead-heat

Ian Ladyman"s Euro 2012 diary: Ronaldo shows he"s not so bad with special message

Euro 2012: Deyna of destiny as past and present merge in Poland

England plan floral tribute to Norway after Anders Breivik murders

Rangers in crisis: New owners could liquidate club