Dear WSC
Trevor Fisher (Letters, WSC 301) is nearly right. When Alex Ferguson was accused of driving on the hard shoulder in 1999, he hired Nick “Mr Loophole” Freeman as his lawyer. They argued successfully that he should not be punished as he was
suffering from an upset stomach and needed to get to the training ground quickly to use the toilet. I have always slightly suspected he got away with it because nobody in the courtroom wanted to spend a moment longer than necessary with that gruesome, messy mental image in their head. Which is now in your head. No need to thank me.
Jim Caris, Prague
The Archive
Articles from When Saturday Comes. All 27 years of WSC are in the process of being added. This may take a while.
The UK’s governing bodies should follow Europe’s lead when it comes to abandoned matches, argues Charles Ducksbury
Two identical events in recent football matches in Scotland and Italy had entirely different outcomes. Visitors Hibernian led Motherwell 1-0 at half time in an SPL match in December. This was a surprise, as Motherwell are fighting for a European place while their opponents are embroiled in a relegation battle. After the teams failed to appear for the second half, supporters were asked to evacuate the stadium due to an electrical fire in one of the floodlights. The game was abandoned and rearranged for February, starting goalless, with a full 90 minutes to play. Motherwell won the “replay” 4-3.
The problem with all-seater stadiums is that you have to stand up, argues Huw Richards
It was nice of Arsenal to provide the away fans with padded seats, if somewhat less charitable to retail them at £35 a shot. It was too bad that the only time we were able to sit in them was during half-time. Swansea’s first trip to the Emirates earlier this season epitomised what you might call the all-seater paradox. The theory behind all-seater grounds, compulsory in the top two divisions since 1994, is that they stop people standing. In practice, particularly if you are an away fan, everybody stands.
Andy Brassell on the French midfielder who filmed his adventures at the 2006 World Cup
The recent screening of Vikash Dhorasoo and Fred Poulet’s film Substitute at the Institut Français’ Ciné Lumière in London was prefaced by a drinks reception in the adjoining library of the Grade II-listed Art Deco building. The elegance of the setting could make many footballers feel ill at ease. The now-retired Dhorasoo seemed more comfortable here than he would have been at some of his clubs.
The rules which determine international eligibility must be looked into, argues Steve Menary
Equatorial Guinea’s run to the quarter-finals of the Africa Cup of Nations augurs badly for the credibility of future international tournaments. Only five players in the co-hosts’ squad were born in the country. Nine came from Spain, Equatorial Guinea’s former colonial rulers, but players such as Thierry Fidjeu and Narcisse Ekanga – the perpetrator of a shocking dive regularly revisited on YouTube – seemingly have no links to Equatorial Guinea at all.