Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
LOVE the idea being suggested by a part-time professional league which operates in the north of England.
The Northern League, said to be one the world's oldest professional leagues, is set to introduce “secret shoppers” to spot officials and players who swear during games.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
THERE may not be much football being played at the moment in the run-up to the start of Euro 2012 but that doesn't mean there hasn't been much activity.
Football purists will be delighted by the news that the game's governing body in England, the Football Association, has decided that small-sided formats for certain age-groups will be mandatory from now on.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
NO doubt Manchester City fans are still wallowing in the glory of their Premier League title success – but it has come at a price.
According to the latest figures, last year City made a loss of £197m – the greatest financial deficit in the history of football.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
THE Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich must thinking that football is a puzzling sport.
Since taking over the Stamford Bridge club nine years ago, the Russian has coughed up million and millions of pounds and has casually sacked a host of high-profile managers for failing to come up with the present he wants the most – a Champions League trophy.
Football Diary
by Patrick O'Connor
THERE can be no denying that the Premier League finale was a fantastic affair, a footballing feast of excitement and thrills as Manchester City tore the title away from neighbours and arch-rivals Manchester United with two injury time goals.
But the result was dreadful news for football in general. A rich man's plaything has suddenly become even more attractive and appealing which means more millions of pounds will be splashed out next season, causing untold damage to the structure and ethos of the game.
YOU would think that any newspaper owned by Rupert Murdoch would be treading very carefully at the moment.
The Australian's media empire is under extreme scrutiny following the phone hacking scandal in the UK and Murdoch himself is seen as having had far too much influence with British politicians over the past few years.