Rwanda as a nation state was close to extinction a decade ago, but the mixed-race side will line-up against the hosts Tunisia in the  opening game of the ANC after financial backing from the country's president, as Alan Duncan writes

If we are to believe FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s assertion that “the philosophy of football is to offer hope”, then it goes without saying that some nations are more in need of football than others. While it is unclear exactly when Blatter started to spread the word, it would be hard to believe that the minute-long silence that followed his laying of a wreath at Rwanda’s genocide memorial in the central African country’s capital, Kigali, on April 10, 2002, did not help in shaping this view.

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Dundee and Darlington have gone into administration after making enemies with their own ambition. Times are still tough for Cambridge United but the supporters trust is now the largest shareholder, as Tom Davies writes

Any football supporters who still need reminding of the perils of roguish, “flamboyant” investors making big promises need only study recent developments at Dundee and Darlington.

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Tuesday 2 An exciting night for several teenagers at Highbury, where 16-year-old Francesc Fabregas is among the scorers in Arsenal reserves’ 5-1 Carling Cup thrashing of Wolves. Two James Beattie goals, one a last-minute penalty, settle the first Hampshire derby for eight years. Joe Cole is banned for two games for his spat when West Ham played at Bolton last April. Ken Bates is steaming: “Those responsible for keeping him waiting seven months should have their wages withdrawn for three months, or be sacked.”

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Ian Plenderleith has a look at football in Lincolnshire in the light of a new book

The 2002-03 season was unusually eventful for Lincolnshire football. Grimsby were relegated from Division One, both Lincoln and Scunthorpe made the Division Three play-offs and League newcomers Boston struggled through their first year after having four points docked for financial irregularities, ultimately securing their status shortly before the season’s end.

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This is the time of year when the news­papers are filled with hopes for the com­ing year, with pleas for respect for ref­erees, less diving and world peace. All very laudable but, really, we can’t be do­ing with any of it. There is only one thing we’ll ask for – that this year’s FA Cup isn’t won by one of the top three, or Liverpool. We’re even prepared to tolerate one of the curses of the modern age, tracking cam­era shots of whooping fans in jester hats and curly wigs, provided they are cele­brating a victory for an underdog.

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