football

In a move that came as a surprise to nobody in football, Chelsea yesterday rewarded manager Avram Grant for getting them within a goalpost’s width of their first European Cup by terminating his contract. According to a statement released on the club’s website Saturday afternoon, …

While all eyes were fixed on Moscow last night, the Russians braced for a traditional British hooligan rampage, trouble actually flared up closer to home on Fulham Broadway. Disgruntled Chelsea fans gathered there after their team crashed out of the Champions’ League final on penalties, …

FA Cup final day dawns and, as supporters representing the competition’s former temporary home in Cardiff return the visits made by Arsenal, Chelsea, West Ham and Millwall they are joined by fans of Portsmouth, the club who have retained the trophy for the longest time …

For the first time since Tottenham Hotspur dashed Nottingham Forest manager Brian Clough’s dreams of FA Cup glory in 1991 the final is being contested without a representative from English football’s current Big Four. Just before 3pm on Saturday the fans of Portsmouth and Cardiff …

Wembley Stadium is a modern marvel – Conde Nast in particular were mightily impressed by it – and it is surely one of the finest footballing cathedrals in the world today. So how come it hasn’t yet been given the glad-eye from UEFA when they …

It’s considered the most lucrative game in world football. The team that wins the Championship playoff final earns entry into the Premier League and all the trappings of fame and money that come with it. Some estimate that promotion can earn a club upward of …

“Everything is better with a bit of humour.” So said Roberto Donadoni, as Italian football manager the incumbent of one of the most pressurised posts in the world, last Monday night in a special seminar organised by Birkbeck College Sport Business Centre. A healthy dose …

In football, as everywhere else in 21st century life, the issue of “local versus global” is coming increasingly to the fore. This week the Birkbeck College Sport Business Centre in Bloomsbury, renowned for its research into the business of sport in general and football in …

A Premiership title decided well before the final day and an FA Cup final between Portsmouth and Cardiff City are not likely to enchant English football’s television paymasters around the world. Many football fans are delighted at Wembley’s unexpected May guests, but a predictable league …

If you want to see title-challenging Chelsea entertain Wigan at Stamford Bridge on Monday night you can expect to fork out between £40 and £65 for the privilege, but tonight you can watch a cup final there for free as Chelsea host Manchester City in …