Transfer window

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Rather than anecdotal personal stories that I think are kind of funny maybe I should just stick to plain (boring?) facts.

The World Cup in Russia starts on June 14th. The opening match is between Russia and Saudi Arabia. I am looking forward to it.

Today was transfer deadline day for clubs in Europe. It is only really in England where much attention is paid to it. Arsenal spent a lot of money on a player who won't be at the World Cup, Gabon's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who transferred from Borussia Dortmund. Chelsea loaned Michy Batshuay to Borussia Dortmund and Chelsea bought Olivier Giroud from Arsenal. A happy merry go round.

Leicester's Riyad Mahrez thought he was going to Manchester City for a lot of money but Manchester City thought it was too much money. So now he's staying at Leicester and probably sulking for a few weeks. Then he'll realize that he should probably start playing good football again so another team will want to spend a lot of money on him in the summer. He also tried that last summer and nobody paid a lot of money to take him away from Leicester. Third time a charm? Or destined to remain a reluctant Leicester hero forever?

And on July 15th the World Cup will end and a lot of players who many of us have never heard of will of a sudden be valued at over £50m by agents all over Europe.

A fan: this is what we live for

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This one could be a justification(?), an explanation(?) of what makes us crazy football fans happy, how our minds tick, especially in this age of silent forms of media. Huh? Allow me.

It could be the World Cup. It probably will happen during the World Cup. It could be frantically trying to follow your local team's very important match while you are on a family holiday. Whatever the circumstance, there are many similarities. Those in the know will nod their heads ('ah, yes, it's happened to me"). Others who don't feel the inescapable (call it ridiculous) need to follow a football team, or any team might think, "ok, I see". Or maybe still think we are all ridiculous.

Today was a good example. The team that I have followed, supported, willed to win every Saturday since 1981, Aston Villa, were playing a crucial match in the Championship (English second division) at Sheffield United this afternoon, evening in England. Before today Villa were fifth in the table, United seventh. Teams 1 & 2 get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season. Teams 3 to 6 enter the playoffs to earn one more spot. It's a tight race. A win for Villa could have seen them move into second place, depending on Derby County's result. A win for United and they would be only a point behind Villa.

So that's the background. Now here's the scene. I'm at work but have to leave at halftime to catch a train home. At work I've got twitter and BBC text on in the background. Really, I was working. Nothing happening, apart from reports on constant United attacks and moans from Villa fans about how terrible they are today.

I walk to the bus. Phone battery is low. Will it last? Still no score. I get on the train. Twitter and BBC are both still alive on my dimmed screen, now in battery saving mode. The last "battery under 10%" warning has come up. I text Kristine to tell her why calls or texts may go unanswered. How long do I have? It's around the 75th minute and that flashing light is teasing me, taunting me: "ha! you might not to get to see the final result." Cruel, cruel technology.

BBC gives me the facts: United have the better chances, an onslaught even. Villa are holding on. Twitter gives me what the fans are thinking and seeing. As always the comments range from "awful and abysmal" to "this could be a hard earned, well earned point". With the battery ready to give up at any second I feel I have to choose. Close one window. But I can't. What if one updates quicker than the other and I miss a goal.

Then the first, potential "oh no" moment happens. "Derby just scored", somebody tweets. It's about the 85th minute. BBC are not confirming it. How many times can I refresh without my phone dying? That would increase their lead over Villa to 5 points. Still no confirmation. Why not?

Now before I get to the 90th minute let me add one detail to the scene. I'm on the upper level of a GO Transit train. GO trains proudly advertise that the upper level is a "quiet zone" on all rush hour trains: phones must be on silent and no phone conversations. What is rush hour? When is it? Nowhere does it say it on any of its' posters. Happy hour in most bars lasts at least 2 hours. So how long does rush hour last and when does it start and end? An important detail, which could have been more important if I wasn't by myself when the 90th minute came around and this happened.

"Snoddy, what a goal." "Snodgrass, you beauty!" "Snoddy, 1-0". Robert Snodgrass scores for Villa. And what does the crazy football fan in the quiet zone on the train do? Only thing I can do. I send a yesssssss!!!! tweet to my Scottish friend who always updates me on Villa scores when I'm not able to follow. And he's Scottish. And so is Snodgrass. I have to celebrate and it's the first outlet that comes to mind. I refrained from professing my love for all things Scottish. But I was close.

And what about that Derby goal? Ruled out for offside. Scored, but not counted, by another Scot. Derby draw, Villa win. Villa in third, one point behind Derby. A long way to go yet. This was one match. There are many more to be won or lost. But "turning point in the season" comes to mind.

And the phone? It keeps playing it's cruel tricks on me. Half an hour later on the bus home my pocket buzzes and it's Kristine calling me. So much for all those final warnings and flashing lights. So much for the "we are never going to see this through to the end." Cry wolf, I tell you.

Today it was the train and the phone. Sometime in June and July it may be an important meeting, or internet problems. There will be obstacles but the challenge in overcoming them to keep updated is almost as exhilarating as it must have been for those Villa fans in the stadium today as the clock hit 90 minutes.

Hooligans and terrorists

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On a lazy day I scanned Google for the latest World Cup news. It's easy to put a story together from a few headlines.

"No tolerance for hooligans at Russia World Cup - UK police chief ."

"SAS squad 'to guard England team during Russia 2018 World Cup amid fears of ISIS terror attack'."

"World Cup 2018: Hotels in Russia hike prices by up to 18,000% to cash in on flood of England fans."

"Russian World Cup campsite with chipboard loos and water from well charges £63-a-night."

So the police are going to busy with dealing with hooligans and the threat of terrorism. Chances are anybody English having a good time after a few beers will be dealt with in a no-nonsense, probably over the top way by police with no patience for drunken idiots. And they'll all be called "hooligans".

The campsite with chipboard loos is in Kaliningrad where England play their final group match. Fans can rent a two person tent there for £63/night or pay $3,125 for a three person apartment which normally costs £17.

Between hooligans, terrorists and daylight robbery hotel owners it's not easy running a World Cup.

The greatest? Roger Federer.

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The day cannot go by without a cross-sport mention of Roger Federer, the man who just keeps on going and going and who seems nowhere near retirement. Twenty Grand Slam titles and counting. And he's 36.

Can there ever be a footballer equivalent? It's a hard comparison, an individual vs team sport. Sir Stanley Matthews played top division football in England until he was 50. That alone is an amazing feat, to keep himself in good enough shape to be playing at that level. And he came back from a number on injuries. He, and his team's, only won one FA Cup but his dedication and self-discipline to keep going is admirable.

Pele was probably the greatest in terms of honours won: three World Cups, and a number of Brazilian and South American Championships with Santos. And he scored over 1200 goals. That he is the only player to have won three World Cups should probably make him the Federer of football. It's not easy to have been young and spectacular in 1958 and older and still quite brilliant in 1970. Like Federer that takes a lot of self-motivation.

Regardless of whether there is a football equivalent today really should be the day to remember Federer as one of the greatest athletes ever.

Kabul

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If I always want to be positive and celebrate the joy of the World Cup, do I mention the horrible suicide bomb attack in Kabul today that killed 95 people? Yes, I do. Because it was always my intention to record events that happened over theses 1000 days. I usually turn to football as a distraction, or comfort, for people who have suffered a terrorist attack like this but I wonder if the poor people of Kabul, living under the threat of attack for so long can even think of football, or cricket.

It's another case of what do I know? What do most of us know who have never lived through something like this. We enjoy our weekend football and look forward to summer football in the even years. And some of us hope, still like we did when we were young and innocent, that football can make everybody happy and end the want for any wars. We can always hope.

Alexis Sanchez

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Still playing on despite the injury. There's none on the bench so I'll carry best I can. I'll do it for the team.

'Twas the first day that Alexis Sanchez played for the "greatest team in the world, the team and manager he had always dreamed of playing for" after the team and manager he really thought were the best in the world decided he wasn't that great of a player worth spending silly money on.

First World Cup subs

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I'm injured, rolling around on the grass, one hand on my shin, the other furiously waving at the bench that I need to be taken off. But the physio has come on, in his tracksuit and carrying his sponge and bottle of water, followed by the doctor in his suit. They both tell me that we have used three subs already, so can I suck it up and sort of look useful? If we go to extra time we can take advantage of the new rule allowing a fourth sub, but until then...can you walk?

So I'll soldier on. What the hell? What's one day amongst 1000.

Did you know that the first substitution in a World Cup qualifying match happened in 1954? Horst Eckel of Germany was replaced by Richard Gottinger in a match against Saarland. (This was the only time that the region of Saarland, at the time occupied by France participated on its own in a World Cup before returning to join West Germany).

The first substitution allowed in a World Cup finals was in 1970. The Soviet Union brought on Anatoliy Puzac for Serebrannikov.

And if there are any spelling errors here today, I blame the lack of rule for the allowance of a substitute countdown-er. The international association may be hearing about this.

Glenn Murray; praise for Saintflet; Nations Cup draw

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Brighton centre forward Glenn Murray and his wife were arrested today on charges of tax evasion.

The draw for the Nations' Cup took place today. Germany, France and Holland are in one group. Fascinating, on paper. But will they take the competition seriously? Malta were drawn with Kosovo, Azerbaijan and Faroe Islands. Malta's chances of getting out of Division D look slim already. But, can new manager Tom Saintflet work some magic.

The BBC ran a story today about Saintflet, painting a picture of him as a coach who has performed miracles with smaller footballing countries. It described how he is looking to pull Malta out of it's minnow status. It was an amazingly positive story, a romantic story of the small country winning against all the odds, led by the messiah coach. A little too fairytale for anybody who follows Maltese football. This is a coach with more than 20 jobs in a 20 year career. The BBC calls that well experienced.

How does the Nations' Cup actually work, and how does it run alongside European Championship qualifying? There are about as many explanations out there as there are about the offside rule. And just like the offside rule, it should be very easy to explain but why can't anybody make it simple? In a nutshell the Nations' Cup replaces friendly matches in the international calendar. Matches will be played from September-November this year. In March 2019 the Euro qualifiers will start. Twenty teams will qualify. The other four teams will come from playoffs amongst the four group winners in each division of the Nations' Cup. But if one of those group winners has already qualified for the Euros then the next best team in that division will compete in the playoffs. The expectation is that all the teams from Division A will make it through the qualifiers. So the Division A playoffs will be made up of the best Division B teams.

Get it? That was easy. Now how about the offside rule....

Arsenal beat Chelsea today and will play Man City in the final of the Carabao Cup on February 25th. Mouthwatering. It's just too bad that the competition has a name that makes it sound like a pre-season exhibition non-tournament.

Nations Cup

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On a Tuesday night in January when the football on was the Carabao Cup semifinal and there is sickness in the house and you are wishing that everybody is fit and healthy very soon what is there to think about when it comes to football (other than reporting that Man City beat Bristol City 3-2 to reach the Carabao Cup final)?

I did think about tomorrow and the draw for UEFA's new Nations Cup which starts in September. I will have to go over the format one more time. I think I've almost got it. More about that tomorrow.

But for today it's goodnight from me.....and it's goodnight from him.

Musical chairs in Saudi Arabia

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Yesterday I mentioned that Bert van Marwijk is one of the candidates being considered for the Australian manager's position. He led Saudi Arabia to World Cup qualification but was fired last September after being unable to agree on a new contract.

In case you forgot, van Marwijk's replacement, the Argentinian Edgardo Bauza, was fired after five friendlies. Bauza was available after being shown the door by Argentina in the middle of their very disappointing qualifying campaign which saw Lionel Messi announce his retirement from the national team. The Saudi Arabia position was filled in November when another Argentinian, Juan Antonio Pizzi, was appointed. Pizzi was looking for a job after he resigned as manager of Chile after they failed to qualify for Russia.

I felt for Pizzi and his players' failure. As I had mentioned on numerous occasions they must have been exhausted after all the football they played in the last 4 years. Brazil '14, winning the Copa America '15 and '16 in the summers, Russia '18 qualifying and the players' seasons with their clubs in between all that. Pizzi must be looking forward to an easier for years with Saudi Arabia.

Trouble in Australia

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All is not well with football in Australia. Soon after the joy of qualifying for Russia the Socceroos manager, Ange Postecoglou resigned. That was quickly followed by a major disagreement over the governance structure of Football Federation Australia which has put the whole of football in Australia into a state of turmoil with a real threat that FIfa will step in and take control.

In short, the FFA chairman, Steven Lowy, and the clubs that make up Australia's A-League are at loggerheads over the composition of the FFA Congress, which manages football across the country. The clubs want one more representative on the board but Lowy is worried about rich club owners having a bigger say in how football is run. He argues that grassroots programs will suffer.

Fifa have suggested that the structure proposed by the clubs is more in line with Fifa's methods. Fifa could intervene and disband the FFA and impose a "normalisation committee" which would, in effect, take over the management of football in Australia. To add to the chaos, the Minister for Sport, Greg Hunt, hinted recently that if Fifa does take over then Australia could miss out on hosting the women's World Cup in 2023 which they are currently bidding for. This has been viewed as direct influence of the government into the affairs of the FFA. Fifa has in the past suspended countries where the government has become involved in the affairs of the national football association. The worst outcome of all this would be Australia losing their spot at Russia 2018, although this is not feared to be a real possibility at this point.

In the midst of all this uncertainty the FFA also need to find a new team manager. The expectation is that a high profile foreign candidate will be chosen to lead the team for the short term, from February until the end of the World Cup. A new manager will then be appointed to take over up until at least Qatar 2022. The favourite for this long term position is the Australian Graham Arnold, currently in charge of Sydney FC. The list of international candidates includes Roberto Mancini, Jurgen Klinsmann, Bert van Marwijk, Slaven Bilic and Marcelo Bielsa. The rumours of who is the top choice are varied. One report suggested Mancini has priced himself out of the job and that van Marwijk might have the lowest wage demands.

The Socceroos have friendlies lined up in March against Norway and Colombia. They hope to have a manager by mid-February. With players spread out all over the world it does not leave much time for proper preparations for the World Cup. It would be a huge pity for all Australian fans if their team's chances of a successful participation in Russia are thwarted by all this turmoil.

The player swap

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I overcame the jet lag by staying up super late. And now, yes, you guessed it, I'm exhausted.
I have just enough energy to celebrate the swap of players that is going to happen imminently between Man United and Arsenal. A good old fashioned swap. We'll give you Sanchez if you give us Mkhitaryan. But who will get the better dea?

And if you really want to celebrate with me: Aston Villa won their fourth consecutive match today and are now three points behind second placed Derby County.

Jetlag in the lead

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Jetlag: 1
Your favourite world cup countdown-er: 0

But I've made it to the second round and I'll get better and better from now on, heading into the knockout stages. This is when it really matters.

I blame lack of sleep

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Moving along, June 30th sees the start of the second round of Russia 2018. That's it. Back from Malta and sleep is needed.

Memories re-created

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June 29th brings the preview of each day of Russia 2018 to a temporary halt. There are no matches that day, with the last 16 kicking off on the 30th.

The day of rest and reflection on the excitement of the group stages is a good reason for me to reflect. A few days in Malta remind me again of the strong correlation between my earlier life here and my love for football. So many stories are stories around football. So many memories can be explained with a connection to what match was being played, on TV or at "the stadium". Dates, places, events: chances are football was involved. Memories of education from my Dad? What I remember the most are players' names and teams from the '50s and '60s. That was a good education.

And when my brothers and I weren't playing football on the roof in between World Cup matches we were playing the table version. This week we didn't make it outside. But we did find the time and, creatively, the space for the indoor entertainment. Good times.

David Platt....it's there!

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A few quick thoughts today.

June 28th, Russia 2018.
Japan vs Poland: what a fascinatingly interesting bizarre combination of teams.

Senegal vs Colombia: what an intriguingly interesting match-up. Open and fun comes to mind. The football that is.

Panama vs Tunisia: this is the World Cup, right? That's what makes it so much fun to watch. When you ever watch these tow teams play each otherwise. Well maybe you won't because you'll be too busy watching.....

England vs Belgium......and see if England can get the draw or win they need after messing up one, or both, of the easier matches against Panama and Tunisia. Or will we see more of the latter two at England's expense. Whatever the permutations may be, talk of England-Belgium gives me a good excuse to recall the memory of another hot, summer night (really, not a cliche, it was very hot) watching David Platt's grand introduction to the world stage in the 119th minute of England-Belgium at Italia '90.

Cyrille Regis

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June 27th at this year's World Cup is the day when the teams in groups E and F play their final first round matches. Germany and South Korea should be a confirmation of the Germans' top spot in the group and Mexico-Sweden could be a winner takes all (or at least second place) battle. In Group F Brazil might have a tricky match against Serbia, or they might canter to an easy win. At the same time Switzerland will probably be hoping they cab beat Costa Rica and secure second place.

Germany and South Korea have played each other before on June 27th. It was in 1994, when the Germans won 3-2.

On June 27th 1998 Brazil beat Chile 4-1 in the last 16 on their way to the final. Uncannily, Brazil have played Chile two other times in the last 16 in my World Cup lifetime and they were not on June 27th but both on the 28th. Brazil won 3-0 in South Africa in 2010 and after penalties four years ago in Brazil. It's a pity Chile aren't at this year's tournament to almost guarantee Brazil a win on the 27th or 28th.

Today can't end without a mention of Cyrille Regis, who sadly passed away today at the age of 59. Cyrille Regis put West Bromich Albion on my football radar. They were Cyrille Regis' team. He was the strong striker who scored lots of goals. It was only years later that I heard of, and understood, the amount of racial abuse that he, and his teammates Laurie Cunningham and Brendon Batson suffered from fans all over England. For me as a young fan, Regis scored goals. That's all that mattered. How the three of them made it to where they did through the endless amount of abuse aimed at them is horrendous and incredible. And I was oblivious to the stories of what pioneers they were for black footballers in England. And through it all, Regis was a gentleman and somebody who always had time for everybody.

I hope he rests in peace and watches over a World Cup in Russia where players from all over the world are treated with equal respect by all fans.

June 26th 2018

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June 26th, 2018: final matches for Groups C and D. It's easy to see that all four teams in each group could still be in with a chance of qualifying. France and Argentina are the obvious favourites in each group, but it's not easy to pick a second placed team behind the French from amongst Denmark, Peru and Australia or who of Iceland, Croatia or Nigeria will join Argentina in the second round.

On June 26th it's France vs Denmark, Peru vs Australia, Nigeria vs Argentina and Iceland vs Croatia. Nigeria and Argentina played almost to the day (June 25th) four years ago and it was a pleasing on the eye 3-2 win for Argentina. Both teams moved on in Brazil. Iceland are going to have the hopes of many a nuetral fan behind them, hoping they make it as far as possible. There is usually a favourite underdog team at a World Cup, but not normally a European one. Costa Rica, Angola, Ivory Coast, New Zealand are a few that come to mind. The Europeans are too big and powerful to warrant support from the fans looking for a team to follow. What a continuation of an amazing story it will be if Iceland can make it to the last 16. And then in one-off knockout matches who knows what could happen.

Peru will be hoping for a better end to the group stages than at their last World Cup in 1982. That year the played Poland in the "group of draws" and by losing 5-1 they messed up the whole boring equilibrium of the group. If it had been a 1-1 or 0-0 draw all teams would have ended up with 3 points and the tie-breaker would have been even more interesting than what it was. Poland won the group. Italy and Cameroon both had three points and an equal goal difference (0). Italy finished second because they had scored one more goal than Cameroon.

There's an interesting aside to the story of that group in 1982. The standings posted on Fifa's website, in its record of that World Cup, have Cameroon in second place. Are Fifa trying to change history and deny that Italy went on to win that World Cup after scraping through by having drawn 1-1 with Peru, whereas Cameroon could only manage a 0-0 draw with the South Americans?

June 25th 2018

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June 25th at the World Cup will be the first day of last round of matches in Group A and B. The two matches in each group are played at the same time to eliminate any chance of teams playing for a certain result based on what happened in an earlier match. It's usually a pretty exciting day of switching TV channels to see what's going on in each match. Unless your team has been eliminated already and then you find yourself sadly watching them "play for pride."

In Group A, Uruguay play Russia while Saudi Arabia play Egypt. What a match the latter could be if both teams are still in with a shot of qualifying. My prediction is that Uruguay will have qualified already and Russia will still have a lot to play for. They will be hoping for a good result of their own but also hoping that Saudi Arabia do them a favour against Egypt.
Group B sees Portugal take on Iran and Spain play Morocco. The smart money would be on Portugal and Spain winning and playing for first and second place.

What do you think of my predictions? What do I think of my predictions? Consider this: every World Cup or Euro for which I have entered a betting pool at work or school I have been out of contention very early on.

Mulligan

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I'm taking a mulligan. Good night and may the force of the World Cup be with you.

That ref!

Day -154 WorldCup2018

I'm taking a slight detour again. It's not too bad though because I'm up to June 23rd at this year's World Cup and it's not a particularly inspiring day of football. Yes, I will admit that myself. And I will probably still watch as much as I can.

The matches: Belgium-Tunisia, Germany-Sweden and South Korea-Mexico. It just crossed my mind how interesting it would have been if Belgium were playing Tunisia's North African neighbours, Morocco, considering the riotous celebrations in Brussels after Morocco qualified for Russia. But they're playing Tunisia, not Morocco, so no story there.

Today the referee who awarded the non-existent penalty to Switzerland in their qualifying play-off victory against Northern Ireland admitted he made a mistake. Ovidiu Hategan's decision led to the only goal over the two legs. The "Oops, I messed up, my bad, sorry" does nothing for Northern Ireland. Maybe he's only speaking out to pre-empt any criticism that he didn't make the list of World Cup referees because of that mistake. Ah well, Mr Hategan now you know what it's like to stay at home and miss out on your dream of being at the World Cup because somebody else screwed up. No. Hold on. It's your fault you're not going. No sympathy.

The mighty Wolves

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Please excuse the non-continuation of my sequence of going through each day of Russia 2018. I know you will all understand.

My thoughts today are with the mighty Wolverhampton Wanderers of the 1950's, Billy Wright et al. The memory of their greatness, and who gave me those memories, will live on with me forever.

June 21st 2018

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June 21st 2018 is another World Cup day that may not be a stay-at-home-to-watch day for some. To others it's a day of three fascinating matches.

Denmark vs Australia: don't you just think an open match which either team could win?

France vs Peru: France against Peru? Whenever would we see this. The classy, talented French, amongst the favourites, against the tough, disciplined, with a touch of flair Peruvians. This could be a classic.

Argentina vs Croatia: this could be a bigger classic than France-Peru. When Croatia are good, they can be very good and they have the players to almost rival Lionel Messi for moments of individual brilliance.

Looking back at the World Cup history of June 21st there are a couple of matches which I remember very well, for the match itself but also for events off the pitch. But what amazed me more was, despite my World Cup memory that I am so proud of I came across a couple of matches which I have absolutely no recollection of.

On June 21st, 1990, in Italy, Uruguay beat South Korea 1-0 and Spain beat Belgium 2-1. There is nothing in my memory. Nothing. This was the World Cup of the crazy contrasts which made it memorable. The football was for the most part boring. There were few goals and many matches played at pedestrian pace. But it was Italy, I was in my late teens, it was a summer to enjoy. The football made it perfect. But, no, Uruguay, Korea, Spain, belgium. Nothing. On the same day I remember England labouring to a 1-0 win against Egypt, and the Republic of Ireland stubbornly holding Holland to a 1-1 draw.

The 21st of June would have been right in the middle of end of year school exams. I probably sacrificed the first matches for studying. And my brain in protest has probably banned any memory of the events.

There are two June 21st events I remember well. In 1982 France beat Kuwait 4-1. That's not the story. What I will leave you to Google (because I have described in detail before) was why the Kuwaiti players were ordered to leave the pitch and why the referee overturned a perfectly good French goal. Read about the phantom whistle, heard only by the Kuwaiti players and the Prince.

June 21st 1994 was the day of the Diego Maradona goal celebration on steroids. Literally. Watch the video of Maradona's pretty good goal and the bulging eyes, face in the camera celebration that followed. A couple of days later, Maradona was gone, kicked out of the World Cup by Fifa for testing positive for a cocktail of drugs. It was a sad ending for the football genuis, definitely not a stable one.

On June 21st, 2014, Lionel Messi the greatest Argentinian since Maradona, scored a spectacular late winner against Iran. Messi has lagged behind Maradona in acclaim and admiration because he has not done for Argentina what Maradona did. Will this June 21st see an even better Messi?

June 20th 2018

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Moving along. Russia 2018, June 20th, a day for the minnows to make a name for themselves against their stronger opponents.

Portugal play Morocco, Uruguay take on Saudi Arabia and Spain will hope for a comfortable win against Iran.

There's just one short story I have today from a past June 20th. In 1982 Spain were not the Spain of today. They hadn't qualified for the two previous World Cups and were under enormous pressure to perform at home and give the Spanish people a reason to celebrate a few years after the end of the Franco dictatorship. Their opening match was an unconvincing 1-1 draw against Honduras. On June 20th they faced Yugoslavia and it was a match tinged with controversy with Spain benefiting from the kind of refereeing decision that looked like it came from a referee feeling the pressure of being in charge of a match involving the host country.

Yugoslavia took the lead after 8 minutes. In the 14th minute, Spain were awarded a penalty for a foul that clearly took place outside the penalty area. The Yugoslavs were incensed. The Spanish penalty taker missed the penalty and the ref decided it needed to be taken again. Spain scored, their opponents were even angrier and went on to concede the winning goal in the second half.

I always mark 1982 as the year my football life started. I remember that World Cup well for Brazil and Peru's white shirts whit the red sash and Platini and Tardelli and so many more happy moments. But I also have a memory deep in my head of that controversial penalty. Nowadays Spain are a team that can be reasonably expected to win the World Cup and will hopefully not need any favours against Iran on June 20th.

June 19th 2018

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Just as the Christmas holidays always seem to go by too quickly and after they're over you always wish that you enjoyed every day a little more, so does the World Cup seem to rush by and before you know it the days of three, or four, group stage matches are over and then it's the final. And the next day? Nothing. The countdown to the next one starts.

I've been going through the Russia 2018 matches day by day and I'm up to June 19th. And already Russia will be playing their second match. So enjoy June 14th-19th because the excitement of your team's first match will be over and now we'll be moving on to the different, nervous excitement of the make or break second match.

Russia's second Group A match is against Egypt. On the same day Group H teams play their first matches: Colombia vs Japan and Poland vs Senegal. On paper this could be the least exciting group, but let's hope we are surprised.

Japan and Colombia also played on June 19th in 2014. While Japan played Greece (0-0) in one of the few boring first round matches in Brazil, Colombia beat Ivory Coast 2-1 in a match more typical of the fun football in brazil.

Japan also played on June 19th in 2010 when they lost 1-0 to Holland. I decided to be a little scientific and do some research into what the odds are of Japan having better luck this time round on June 19th. Apparently, the number 19 carries misfortune as it is pronounced "juku" which when written in Kanji can mean "multiple suffering." That probably explains Japan vs Greece in 2014. Multiple suffering, not for Japan playing the match, but for us watching it. Colombia may have a good day on June 19th this year.

June 18th 2018

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Another day, another World Cup day to look forward to. June 18th is significant at this year's World Cup as it is the day that Panama play their first ever World Cup match. You will remember that the Panamanians made it at the expense of the USA, and a goal in their final qualifying match which wasn't really a goal because it didn't satisfy possibly the most important of all the necessary criteria for a goal to be a goal: the ball didn't cross the line.

England also start their World Cup campaign on June 18th. Tunisia are their first opponents, the same opponents they faced in their first match of France '98. England won that won 2-0 and I'm sure they would be happy with a repeat, a comfortable, no fuss win to get them going. A few years further back in history, on June 18th 1986 England played Paraguay in the last 16 of the Mexico World Cup. England had needed a win in their final group match to qualify for the second round. A Gary Lineker hat-trick against Portugal was a welcome tonic after dismal performances in the first two matches. Lineker scored two more and Peter Beardsley added a third. In the win against Paraguay. Diego Maradona and the Hand of God ended England's hopes in the quarterfinals.
 
On June 18th South Korea play their first match in Russia, against Sweden. June 18th is a notorious date, or one of celebration, depending on your loyalties, for Korean football. It was on this day in 2002 that South Korea beat Italy 2-1 in the World Cup quarterfinals. It was a second controversial win in a row for the Koreans, but should have been the greatest day in the footballing history.

Panama's opening match in Russia is against Belgium. While England are always one of the hopeful teams, Belgium will be playing with not a small amount of pressure and expectations that their incredibly talented generation of players will play like genuine contenders to win the whole thing in Russia.

June 17th 2018

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Sunday June 17th is one of those World Cup days which the not so die-hard may consider a ho-hum day of fixtures and may be tempted to do other things which they find exciting or think necessary like gardening or re-arranging their Panini doubles. Then they'll remember that Brazil are playing in the late match and realize what fools they've been.

Before Brazil play their opening match against Switzerland, Costa Rica and Serbia start the day, followed by Germany and Mexico. The first one could be one of those surprisingly memorable matches or it could be a cause for regret for not having planted those new flowers in the garden instead. The second will depend on how brave Mexico are to attack the Germans.

On June 17th, 1962 (also a Sunday) Brazil beat Czechoslovakia in the World Cup final 3-1 to win their second consecutive title. In 1994, the opening matches of that year's World Cup were played on June 17th. Holders Germany beat Bolivia 1-0 in the opening match which was about as forgettable as Germany's last World Cup match, the 1990 final. In the second match Spain and South Korea gave the Americans a little more reason not to hate soccer yet as they played out a 2-2 draw.
Spain and South Korea had played each other exactly four years earlier in Italy, on June 17th, 1990. Spain won this won 3-1.

At Japan/South Korea 2002, Mexico lost 2-0 in the last 16 to the USA, on June 17th. In South Africa, on June 17th, 2010, Mexico beat France 2-0 in what could be regarded as one of Mexico's greatest victories except they were playing a French team who's fighting spirit was aimed only at their team mates and coach and not their opponents. And on June 17th, 2014 Mexico did achieve a great result: a 0-0 draw against hosts Brazil.

So June 17th is a mixed bag for Mexico. They've had all three results so this can only mean one thing: something spectacular and unusual is going to happen, a last minute winning goal off the crossbar, decided by goal line technology.

June 16th 2018: Special day

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June 16th will be a great day at the World Cup. It is the one day that four matches are being played at different times. The highlight is the fascinating Argentina vs Iceland. I've written a lot about this already and will probably come back to it closer to the date. The other matches are: Peru-Denmark, France-Australia and Croatia-Nigeria.

June 16th 1982 was also quite a special World Cup day. Three matches were played, each with a unique story. England beat France 3-1, significant not only for England making a winning return to a World Cup after missing out on 1974 and 1978 but for Bryan Robson scoring the opening goal after 27 seconds, one of the fastest World Cup goals.

Spain, under immense pressure as the hosts could only draw 1-1 with Honduras in their opening match, the Spanish equalizer coming through a penalty in the second half.

The biggest result of the day was Algeria's 2-1 win against West Germany. This was Algeria's biggest ever result and looked to put them on track for a place in the second round. Even they came unstcuk against Austria they did beat Chile. It was the controversial "arranged" 1-0 German win over Austria that sent the Algerians out.

Saturday, June 16th, 2018. Matches start at 6am, Toronto time and will be played at three hour intervals. It'll be a good day to be "busy".

June 15th 2018

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Yesterday I looked back at what happened on June 14th (opening day of Russia '18) in Brazil'14. The second day of this year's World Cup features one of the most eagerly awaited group phase matches, Spain vs Portugal, and also one of the most fascinating. It's one of the reasons that make World Cups so exciting: Egypt vs Uruguay is not a match that would ever happen unless they meet at a World Cup, and it's intriguing to think of a clash between one of the best African teams and a team of similar standing from South America.

Add in the fact that Egypt are coached by an Argentnian, Hector Cuper, and the current Liverpool star, Mohammed Salah, on one side against the former Liverpool hero, Luis Suarez, on the other and there are some interesting sub-plots.

Egypt last played in a World Cup in 1990, and Uruguay were in their second consecutive one after returning in 1986 having missed 1978 and 1982. Neither of them played on June 15th, but it gave me a reason to look back at them both at Italia '90.

Egypt were in a tough group with England, Republic of Ireland and Holland but came very close to making it to the second round. They drew with Holland and Ireland, and lost 1-0 to England. England topped the group with 4 points. Ireland and Holland both had three and they both moved on as the second placed team and one of the best third places teams.

For Uruguay a win against South Korea and a draw with Spain saw them grab a best third placed spot. They went on to lose to Italy 2-0 in the second round.

This year, Uruguay come in as South America's second best team in qualifying and Egypt, with Salah in incredible form, look like they are ready to go one better then 1990. This could be a day, and match, to mark in your calendar.

June 14th 2018:Opening Day

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Maybe if I started doing this before midnight I would have more energy to write something deep, insightful and sensible.

Russia 2018 starts on June 14th. On June 14th, 2014, Costa Rica beat Uruguay in both countries' opening match of Brazil '14. After Uruguay took the lead in the first hal it looked like it would be a routine, expected win for them. However, Costa Rica came back with three second half goals and their performance was typical of a lot of the fun on display in Brazil.

Costa Rica went on to reach the last 16 ahead of Italy and England. There they played Greece in one of the most boring World Cup matches I have ever watched. What turned the previously carefree Ticos into this mundane football team was either the effect Greece had on them (hardly a team full of excitement) or the need for a result. They got it and made it to the quarterfinals where they only lost on penalties to Holland. Who can argue with results?

Fabio Quagliarella

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Today was going to be the start of a ramping up of World Cup news seeing as we are now in a World Cup year. But there is time for one more special story.

Aston Villa won 5-0 today against third-placed, giant-killing Bristol City.

As good as that sounds, that is not it.

This is with thanks to a friend for bringing it up. The unfortunate, emotional, sad story of Fabio Quagliarella. He was in the news last Saturday when he scored two injury time penalties in Sampdoria's 2-0 win over SPAL. But this story wasn't about last minute winners.

The former Italian international grew up watching the great Diego Maradona lead his beloved local team, Napoli, to heights of football greatness that the city and it's passionate fans had never seen before. Quagliarella dreamed of captaining Napoli one day. It took a while but at the age of 26, in 2009, he signed for Napoli and it seemed like his football, and personal, dream had come true.

It turned out to be a nightmare and after a year he was sold to Juventus and instantly branded a traitor by the whole of Naples for going to their bitter rivals. It was especially hard to take for the fans after Quagliarella had declared his love for Napoli and his desire to spend the rest of his career there. It looked like he was just another footballer tempted by money over loyalty.

It was only in March of last year that the truth came out and he could reveal the truth for his, what turned out to be, heartbreaking departure. He was terrorized by a stalker who turned out to be a local policeman, Raffaele Piccolo who Quagliarella thought was helping him deal with a password issue on his phone. Quagliarella and his family befriended Piccolo, and invited him into their home to help the family deal with the stalker. Quagliarella received letters accusing him of being a paedophile, of working with the local mafia and being a drug dealer. His father and him were threatened with being shot or their house bombed.

Finally, Piccolo was found out, partly by Quagliarella's father, and last year was jailed for four years and eight months. Quagliarella had since moved on from Juventus to Torino and now Sampdoria. At the age of 35 the chances of him returning to Napoli as a player are slim. But he is now welcome back in Naples, no longer a traitor but a victim.

And his city has love for him again, and support. On March 13th the Napoli ultras hung a banner at the start of their league match against Crotone. It read:

"You’ve lived through hell with enormous dignity. We will embrace you again, Fabio, son of this city.”