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

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.

A selection of headlines from stories in the news. They use English in a way that you might think is intended to confuse but it's all perfectly clear to the native speaker.

Football Diary

by Patrick O'Connor

FABIO Capello and Harry Redknapp have been the names in the headlines this past week but for the majority of football clubs in England there are more pressing matters.

Apparently those wise men at Fifa are planning to scrap the emergency loan window (whereby clubs outside the Premier League can loan players outside the main transfer windows) in 2014.

Football Diary

by Patrick O'Connor

LIKE many people I thoroughly enjoyed watching Spain again demonstrate the art of possession football in their European Championship win over Scotland.

But Neil Warnock, the outspoken manager of Premier League side QPR, isn't a fan of what he describes as 'tippy-tappy football.'

A selection of headlines from stories in the news. They use English in a way that you might think is intended to confuse but it's all perfectly clear to the native speaker.