Monthly Archives: May 2016

Champion’s League Final: Milan

Championship Final : The Beauty & The Beast Two images endured for me in the aftermath of last saturday’s champions league final in Milan, both taken in the final minutes of a less than memorable encounter .The first that of Atletico de Madrid’s Juan Fran, the other of Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo, just after the two had taken their respective shots at goals during the death by penalty. Juan Fran’s shot hit the bar and his subsequent drowned dog look and pose was that of a man who for ever …

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A game of football not politics

A game of football not politics In the end it came down to who played the best football undeterred by political intolerance and complicity. For ninety-minutes and extra time FC Barcelona were jostled and hacked when not exposed to the occasional attacking forays of their Sevilla opponents. The Barca players held their ground, rose defiantly from their batterings, controlled the ball, played it with all the skill and passion they could muster. A lesser team would have had the soul knocked out of them by Mascherano’s half-time expulsion but they …

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Football without Flags

Football without Flags I’ve lived the most memorable moments of my life just watching my team-FC Bacelona-  playing great football-the kind that is so magical that it has even fans of its historic rivals  rise to their feet and applaud. This is football experienced not just as an act of sublime creativity, but as a moment of solidarity, that transcends the terrible prejudices and misunderstandings and shortsightedeness that plague our daily lives, with only a few genuinely good men and women occasionally showing us the light of what it truly …

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Del Bosque’s hard drive

Pity the housekeeper of  world football’s galaxy. With just over a  month to go  to go before  his team kicks-off in this summer’s European Championships, the Marques del Bosque otherwise known as Vicente may have a clear ambition to once again defend Spain’s crown , but he is faced  with  limited time to mould a team capable of helping him do so.. A heavy schedule of Champion’s League and national  club Cup finals fixtures towards the end of May  affect a range of clubs from which Del Bosque would like …

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Celebrating Sadiq Khan

  As a Londoner this past weekend, I hot foot it  to my nearest human cooperative and patch of nature to enjoy a  rare outburst of  sunny and warm weather. It is a particular joy to have within walking distance of where I live in south London  , one of the most  inspiring and uplifting of London’s  green spaces –Battersea  Park. With late blossom flowering, plains and chestnuts loaded with young leaf, flower beds in full bloom, swans and moorhens nesting on the lake, and excited birdsong hung on every …

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