Dragoje Lekovic left Kilmarnock abruptly, leading Graeme Jamieson to rue the small print in players' contracts
Run for the hills! There’s a dangerous new animal out there – The Smart Footballer. This post-Bosman beast preys on unsuspecting clubs, wooing them into his bed by negotiating trendy new contracts before striking them down with a killer sub-clause and fleeing into the night, crisp tenners stuffed into breast pocket.
The World Cup may be in their own country, but Neil McCarthy explains why the French aren't as confident as you might think
There are two main advantages in being the World Cup’s host nation: automatic qualification and playing at home. France, however, appear to be turning them both into disadvantages. After 18 months of lacklustre friendly matches, the French players are finding it increasingly difficult to perform to a background of boos and whistling from their own supporters.
A very basic run-down of the 32 teams at this summer's World Cup
Worried that your lack of knowledge of international football will leave you exposed when conversation turns to the World Cup draw? Fear no more. Our cut-out-and-throwaway guide gives a thoroughly researched journalistic fact about every team, sure to be repeated umpteen times on television from now until the moment ITV show slow motion footage of Romario to the accompaniment of Santana’s Black Magic Woman.
Football is changing due to a new breed of chairmen. David Conn, author of The Football Business, outlines how the game is being affected by those who own the clubs
Beneath the high-pitched hype, English football presents some stark realities. Sir John Hall, former tireless warrior of the ‘Geordie nation’, made £100m for himself and his family out of Newcastle United when it floated on the Stock Market in April. He is now living mostly in Spain. Martin Edwards, chief executive of Manchester United plc, bought into United for £600,000 in 1978. He has recently made £33m cash from selling some of his shares, and retains a 15 per cent stake in United, worth around £60m.
Despite what the media may have you believe, Spain still has a real problem with racism, as Phil Ball explains
On Sunday October 11th, in the Santiago Bernabéu in Madrid, 85,000 people turned up for an anti-racism festival of football – perhaps the biggest sporting event yet in the European Year Against Racism. Cantona, Hugo Sanchez, Hagi, Karembeu, Higuita… you name them, they were out there, doing their bit. On the Monday, the headline in Spain’s football tabloid Marca was, predictably “El futbol gana por amplia goleada al racismo” (Football scores a huge victory against racism). Unfortunately, this is complete crap.