The Archive

Robert Shaw finds Corinthians reeling after the loss of Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano

Crisis at Corinthians is a relative term, but the upheaval at the São Paulo club this season has been staggering even by their standards. The MSI-driven transfer of Carlos Tévez and Javier Mascherano to West Ham triggered renewed difficulties and the hangover from a title win in 2005 has lasted all year. From being carefree, high-scoring table-toppers, the club are now scrambling to avoid relegation. In 2005 they scored 87 goals in 42 games; after 31 outings in this year’s national championship, they had netted only 28 times.

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Update on clubs in crisis, Tom Davies reports

The slow-burning decline of Bristol Rovers this decade has had less attention than other more immediately cataclysmic crises, but matters have come to a head recently with a batch of resignations. Four directors quit in the summer, taking promises of extra investment with them. The spat was sparked by the rejection of a plan by managing director Mike Turl to restructure the club, which would have involved Turl buying £200,000 worth of shares as part of a wider investment plan and the appointment of a new chairman and vice-chairman. But chairman Geoff Dunford and fellow director Ron Craig, who between them held more than 50 per cent of the shares, rejected this and criticised the plan in public. Turl resigned, as did three other directors, including the directly elected supporters’ club representative, citing a lack of boardroom democracy. Increasingly ill-tempered wars of words involving the ex-directors, fans and Dunford have followed, while the team and club continue to stagnate.

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Zagreb was a debacle for Steve McClaren on and off the pitch, with echoes of the worst of his predecessors and, as Jonathan Wilson reports, a faux pas that wound up the locals

It wasn’t just the on-field tactics that Steve McClaren got badly wrong in Zagreb. For a man supposedly so media savvy, his decision to conduct his post-match press conference solely in English (with a “summary” in Croatian at the end; little use for any non-English-speaking member of the Croatian media who might have wished to ask a question) was a howler that eclipsed Paul Robinson’s airshot.

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Nicholas Birch meets players brought to Turkey on agents' promises that are swiftly broken

It was set to be the big grudge match: for Nigeria, the opportunity to repeat last year’s 2-0 victory; for Guinea, the chance of revenge. Then, 36 hours before the August 18 kick-off, came news of the big police swoop on the central Istanbul slum of Tarlabasi. Guinea’s entire midfield was among the 60 people arrested.

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Ballo Ousmane escaped Ivory Coast after the murder of much of his family. As an MP helps him battle to stay in the UK, he isn't allowed to play non-league football even for free. Dan Brennan reports

What a time to be an Ivorian footballer in the UK. Didier Drogba is suddenly flavour of the month again at Chelsea and half of that once most English of institutions, the Arsenal back four, now hails from Ivory Coast.

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