Dear WSC
The revival of Lok Leipzig as detailed in your Germany supplement (WSC 231) is not quite the heart-warming story it might appear to be. FC United have been asked to play Lok in a friendly soon, but they are having reservations about doing so. The main problem centres on the fact that Lok’s support contains a significant fascist element. This is sadly not a new development in the region – extreme right politics have long been seen as a form of rebellion by disaffected youth in the former East Germany. However, there is little sign that the club themselves recognise this as a problem. The fact that Lok’s owner, now a successful businessman, was once the leader of the club’s hooligan fringe (albeit not a neo-Nazi) does not encourage hopes that steps will be taken to discourage the boneheads. As I understand it, the consensus in Manchester is that FC United will play in Leipzig but only if they are able to use the occasion to draw attention to grassroots anti-fascist campaigns in the former DDR. Whether this will be acceptable to the Lok leadership remains to be seen.
Tony Barraclough, via email
The Archive
Articles from When Saturday Comes. All 27 years of WSC are in the process of being added. This may take a while.
Verona were the last team outside the provinciale to win a Scudetto. But, as Luca Ferrato explains, referees had a big say
The long-term significance
This was the last time to date that the Serie A title went to a provinciale rather than one of the big city clubs. “It’s a Scudetto on leave,” Gianni Agnelli, the owner of Juventus would comment, joining the one won by Cagliari in 1970. Verona’s triumph was a watershed between the domination of Juventus and Roma in the early 1980s and the AC Milan-Napoli rivalry at the end of the decade. Maybe it’s just a coincidence, but this was also one of the few seasons in which match referees were selected by a random draw. Usually they are assigned to specific games by a technical committee, which has prompted claims that the big clubs get the officials they want, rather than those who might not be “pliable”.
Saturday 1 “I think it is asking Chelsea a question,” says Sir Alex as Man Utd close to within seven points with a 2‑1 win at Bolton after the leaders are held 0‑0 at Birmingham (“The objective is to chase the game for 90 minutes and we didn’t,” says José). Spurs’ lead in fourth place is cut to two points by their loss 3‑1 at Newcastle while Arsenal thrash Villa 5‑0 with two-goal Thierry Henry starring again. “All I can say is that I want him to stay,” says Arsène, referring to Barcelona’s interest. Portsmouth’s 3‑1 win at Fulham – “We are hitting form like we did this time a year ago,” says Harry – takes them level with West Brom, who suffer a sixth defeat in seven games, 2‑0 to Liverpool. With Watford losing at Palace last night and Leeds going down 1‑0 at Hull, Sheffield United go seven points clear in the Championship’s runner‑up spot with a 1‑1 draw at Stoke. In League One, a 1‑0 defeat of Barnsley takes Huddersfield level with second-placed Brentford, who draw 1‑1 at Colchester. Forest are just five points off the play-offs after a fifth win in seven post‑Megson matches, 3‑1 at Chesterfield. Long‑time League Two leaders Wycombe are now four points outside a promotion spot following a 3‑1 home defeat by Bristol Rovers. Rushden move off the foot through a 1‑0 victory over Torquay, who are now bottom. Gretna become the first third-level club to reach the Scottish Cup final, with a 3‑0 win against Dundee.
With candidate after candidate ruling themselves out of the race, who will take up the poisoned chalice that is the England job?
“What a mess this is,” said Graham Taylor of the latest developments in the selection of the new England coach. And there’s a man who knows about mess. It’s hard to disagree with him as we write, a few days after Luiz Felipe Scolari said no and on the eve of an expected announcement that Steve McClaren will shuffle up the bench to occupy the seat Sven-Göran Eriksson is to vacate. Time, obviously, to dispense with the men responsible for this debacle.
Simon Tyers reports that on European nights Gabby Logan shows her increasing propensity to wear yet more dark eye make up
The biennial search for the least thought-through cash-in on a major football tournament may have been settled right at the outset by the Budweiser Academy. Not only does the humour derive from the basic principle that Americans don’t know the first thing about soccer, a big comment to make when their national side are above England’s in FIFA’s rankings, but it appears whoever storyboarded the advert doesn’t even understand American sport. Bad enough that a real basketball coach, Kevin Cadle, is shown coaching gridiron footballers. Worse that we see a player collecting a punt from the goalkeeper and making off the other way with the ball in his hands, when, if he was aware of American football rules, he should be returning it towards the keeper’s end.