The Archive

Thursday 1 The FA say that they will ask for more World Cup tickets when they meet tournament organisers later this month. At present only 20% of tickets for each match are to be given over to fans from the two teams involved. Man Utd fan representatives demand a meeting with club officials after some supporters were ejected for standing up during the Boxing Day match with Everton. “The brutality of some of the security staff has gone beyond a joke,” says a spokesman for United’s Independent Supporters Association. Hearts miss a chance to go back to the top of the Scottish Premier after bottom of the table Hibs come back from two down to draw 2-2.

Friday 2 Celtic get their first league win against Rangers in eleven matches, 2-0 at Parkhead. Rangers’ lead at the top is now down to a point. Paul Gascoigne may be in trouble again after responding to the barracking of Celtic fans as he was warming up by pretending to play the flute in an Orange march style (he’ll plead ignorance again, you watch).

Read more…

USA v Iran may not be the greatest match at this summer's World Cup, but Mike Woitalla hopes it will help to end political hostility

To be considered as soft on Iran has been the kiss of death in American politics since Jimmy Carter’s presidency crashed with a failed attempt to rescue 52 US hostages, who were held for 444 days in Tehran. But Iranians could have felt some relief had Bob Dole defeated Bill Clinton in the 1996 presidential election. Comic relief, that is. Pronounce or spell “Dole” in the Persian language (Farsi) and it comes out as “penis”. (Not that the White House dick has stayed out of the news, but that’s another story).

Read more…

It's been a long time since Austria had a national team worth shouting about, but Mark Brownlow believes the country are looking forward to the World Cup

Until recently, your typical Austrian fan would approach an upcoming international fixture with an air of subdued pessimism. Strong opponents were “too good for us”, while weaker opponents might always turn out to be “another Faroes”. About halfway through the World Cup qualification, as Austria’s chances grew rosier with each passing game, the sweeper in my Sunday league team whispered to me confidentially: “I hope we don’t qualify – we’ll only embarrass ourselves."

Read more…

Australia have once again failed to qualify for the World Cup. Mike Ticher questions what will become of football in the country after their latest elimination

Australia have lost to some curious teams in their efforts to qualify for previous World Cups – Kuwait, Indonesia, Fiji – but France ’98 was surely the worst beating they had ever handed out to themselves.

Read more…

A very basic run-down of the 32 teams at this summer's World Cup

Worried that your lack of knowledge of international football will leave you exposed when conversation turns to the World Cup draw? Fear no more. Our cut-out-and-throwaway guide gives a thoroughly researched journalistic fact about every team, sure to be repeated umpteen times on television from now until the moment ITV show slow motion footage of Romario to the accompaniment of Santana’s Black Magic Woman.

Read more…