The Archive

Bohemians of Prague return to the top flight. Frantisek Bouc reports

In mid June, the Czech Republic’s football community had a few significant issues to deal with. National coach Karel Bruckner came under pressure after his team’s mediocre Euro 2008 form continued with a goalless draw in Wales; rumour had it that former German international Lothar Matthäus could soon take over. At the same time, the Czech Under-21 team was taking part in the European Championship in the Netherlands, where they didn’t get past the group stage. However, this was all overshadowed by the return to the top division, the Gambrinus Liga, of one of the country’s most popular clubs, Bohemians of Prague.

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A long-running corruption investigation seemed to be going nowhere fast, until some remarkable claims against Porto’s president were made by his ex-wife. Phil Town wonders where it will all end

Apito Dourado (Golden Whistle) is the code name for an ongoing investigation by the judicial police into corruption in Portuguese football. The investigation has its roots in the 2003-04 season, when widespread phone-tapping was conducted by the police, following up tip-offs from as yet anonymous sources. There has always been a vague notion of a “system” in the Portuguese game, with, depending on your allegiances, Benfica and FC Porto at the forefront of suspicions, but Apito Dourado is effectively skewering actual protagonists left, right and centre.

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Cameron Carter watches Graham Poll's quest for celebrity, and an economist's attempts to get players to cough up for nurses

Becoming a famous referee is an odd way of turning out. It’s a bit like being a celebrity waiter. Acknowledging Graham Poll’s unique position in society, Inside Sport lent him a camera for his last season to give, in effect, a video retirement speech to his public.

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Poulsen punch penalty pitch invasion leads to chaos in Copenhagen. Kasper Steenbach reports

A week rarely passes without Flemming Østergaard making his opinion known in the Danish press, either about his own abilities, or the lack of same in others. But at the beginning of June, the wealthy 63-year-old, who in ten years has turned FC Copenhagen into a Champions League club, was surprisingly quiet. As chairman of the Copenhagen team, and thereby also Parken, the Danish national stadium, Østergaard had much explaining to do after referee Herbert Fandel was attacked by a drunken spectator during Denmark’s Euro 2008 qualifier against Sweden.

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Pete Green watches Manchester Disunuted, a film about Manchester's splinter club

When Malcolm Glazer seized Manchester United two years ago, the protests at Old Trafford elicited little sympathy from other fans. Maybe the claim that the club was suddenly “not for sale” grated a bit after United had done very well out of plc status since 1991. Maybe, when debt and changes of ownership are commonplace, outsiders saw the violent reaction to Glazer as arbitrary and disproportionate. And, let’s face it, it didn’t help that it was Manyoo. Whatever the reasons, if AFC Wimbledon became everyone’s second favourite club, then FC United of Manchester have not found goodwill so easy to come by.

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