Football
Why are football fans such patsies?
I have been called every name under the sun by a great many people since my defence of Arsenal manager…
Was the Borussia Dortmund bus bombing motivated by greed?
It seems the rush to blame the Borussia Dortmund bus bombing on Islamist extremists was wrong. German police have now arrested a…
German football keeps calm and carries on
Germany lost a football match but won a moral victory last night, when Borussia Dortmund were defeated 3-2 at home…
Leicester were right to sack Ranieri
‘Inexplicable, unforgivable and gut-wrenchingly sad’, ‘nobody can delete the history you wrote’, ‘Shocked after last night’s display!’. No, these aren’t…
The Six Nations is the most exciting sport on the planet
Perfection in sport: unattainable, but sometimes you can come close. Moments, people, actions you never tire of watching: Roger Federer’s…
Fifa’s decision to expand the World Cup is a disaster for football fans
Disastrous decisions by Fifa are nothing new. But yesterday’s announcement by football’s governing body that it will expand the World…
The FA’s annus horribilis could be about to get a lot worse
Football is no stranger to scandal, but the scale of the sex abuse allegations now circling the beautiful game is…
In defence of Eric Bristow
The Twitch-hunters, those antsy, intolerant guardians of what it’s permissible to say on Twitter, have claimed another scalp. Eric Bristow’s.…
Stella Creasy: England team’s problem? Too many privately-educated players
The English football team have a problem and everyone knows it. After a string of disappointing results, many fans are…
Why sacking the football manager is a fool’s game
At last, an English football manager who actually deserves to be sacked (or ‘left by mutual agreement’ if you prefer…
In defence of Sam Allardyce
A gastropub in Manchester is a fitting venue for the latest corruption sting on England manager Sam Allardyce. While his poncey…
Transfer deadline day is a countdown to zero and that’s what makes it great
For football fans, today is a special day: it’s Transfer Deadline Day – a branded, almost to Hallmark levels, moniker.…
The return of football marks the return of normality
With parliament in recess, silly season is in full swing. In fact, silly season would be an apt name for…
Premier League? The football finance deals that should be relegated
Finance firms love taking football fans for suckers. The latest is Virgin Money which has this week launched a Manchester…
Spectator competition winners: when sportswriting turns purple
The invitation to supply a report on a Uefa Euro 2016 match written in the florid style beloved of some…
The Spectator podcast: Brexit – the first 100 days
To subscribe to The Spectator’s weekly podcast, for free, visit the iTunes store or click here for our RSS feed.…
Why Juan Villoro is the best football writer you’ve never heard of
Football, unlike cricket, has for the most part been ill served by its writers. For every Brian Glanville and Ian…
My take on the England football team
Apologies for the lack of blogs – I’ve been on jury duty for two weeks. Hang the bastard, regardless of…
Leicester City’s title win is the worst thing to have happened to football
Jean-Philippe Toussaint, in his recent book Football, observes that the sport is ‘measured and appreciated’ in the imagination. Toussaint, an intellectually fanatical supporter…
Why pretend that female footballers are as good as male ones?
Yay – Izzy Christiansen! Yay – Beth Mead! I daresay you were as thrilled as I was to see that…
The art of Jonathan Meades
Ape Forgets Medication: Treyfs and Artknacks Londonewcastle Project (28 Redchurch Street, E2), until 23 April Process, means, method: it was these rather…
Brexit won’t ruin Premiership football but it might spoil the Championship
For football fans, June 10th – the day Euro 2016 kicks off – is likely to be a more exciting…
Why I didn’t sing La Marseillaise last night
When Patrice Evra and the French national football team lined up at Wembley last night, it was a moment of…
The England vs France match was a glorious response to terrorism
Ain’t it rum? Last week sport was morally bankrupt, finished, no longer worthy of taking up an intelligent person’s time…
The strange relationship between Islam, violence and French football
It is not so surprising if the jihadists in Paris were targeting an international football match. There has for years…
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