In praise of Brian Glanville and those who taught us to love sport
Sportswriters have heroes, too, and some of them are fellow scribes who write about flawed heroes. PHOTO: REUTERS
Every World Cup it was tugged from the bookshelf, a coffee stain on one page, pen markings on another, a book as dishevelled as an old companion. Into its learned chapters we dived and invariably emerged sounding smarter.
The man who wrote The Story of The World Cup (published 1993) was born a year after the first Cup in 1930. Once it was impossible to know football and not him. Now Brian Glanville, the writer, is gone, up there in some celestial field, keeping notes on Maradona's cunning.
Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
41 minutes ago
- Straits Times
Tottenham sack manager Postecoglou
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Brighton & Hove Albion - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - May 25, 2025 Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou with the Europa League trophy during a lap of appreciation after the match Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs/File Photo REUTERS LONDON - Tottenham Hotspur have sacked manager Ange Postecoglou, the club said on Friday, despite the Australian guiding the club to their first major trophy in 17 years with victory in the Europa League final last month. Postecoglou will leave two years to the day after his appointment. Spurs beat Manchester United in Bilbao to win the Europa League and book their place in next season's Champions League, but a dismal domestic campaign ultimately cost Postecoglou his job. "The Board has unanimously concluded that it is in the best interests of the Club for a change to take place," Spurs said in a statement. "Following a positive start in the 2023/24 Premier League (PL) season, we recorded 78 points from the last 66 PL games. This culminated in our worst-ever PL finish last season. "At times there were extenuating circumstances - injuries and then a decision to prioritise our European campaign. Whilst winning the Europa League this season ranks as one of the Club's greatest moments, we cannot base our decision on emotions aligned to this triumph." Tottenham finished 17th in the Premier League last season, fuelling pressure on the 59-year-old in his second year at the helm. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
UK visa issues rule Hosein out of West Indies' T20 opener in England
West Indies' left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein has been ruled out of the opening match of their three-match Twenty20 series against England after he and fellow Trinidadian Jyd Goolie were unable to meet visa requirements. The first T20 match takes place at the Riverside Ground in Durham on Friday and the players could potentially miss the entire series. West Indies Cricket (CWI) said on Friday that the updated UK visa entry requirements for Trinidad and Tobago citizens, which came into effect on April 23 and May 12 required both players to submit visa applications and attend mandatory in-person appointments. CWI director Miles Bascombe explained that Hosein, who was selected for both the England and Ireland legs of the tour, could not fulfil the new visa requirements in time as he was playing in the Pakistan Super League, which wrapped up late due to the India-Pakistan conflict last month. Goolie, who was a late addition to the squad, "was unable to secure the required visa waiver, as the transition period for Trinidad and Tobago residents had already expired." "These processes are ultimately governed by UK immigration authorities and remain outside of CWI's control," the board said. "CWI remains optimistic that the matter will be resolved in the coming days, allowing Hosein to join the squad for the remaining matches." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
an hour ago
- Straits Times
Alcaraz returns to French Open final after ailing Musetti retires
Tennis - French Open - Roland Garros, Paris, France - June 6, 2025 Italy's Lorenzo Musetti shakes hands with Spain's Carlos Alcaraz as he walks off the court after retiring from the semi final match REUTERS/Lisi Niesner PARIS - Defending champion Carlos Alcaraz reached back-to-back French Open finals after Italian eighth seed Lorenzo Musetti retired with injury while trailing 4-6 7-6(3) 6-0 2-0 on Friday. Alcaraz, who is attempting to become only the third man to retain his Roland Garros title this century after Rafa Nadal and Gustavo Kuerten, will face either world number one Jannik Sinner or 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic in Sunday's final. "It's never great to go through like this," Alcaraz said, before hailing Musetti's achievement of reaching at least the semi-finals of all four elite claycourt events this year. "He's a great player, he has had an incredible claycourt season ... I wish him a speedy recovery and I'm sure we'll be enjoying his tennis pretty soon." Musetti twice denied Alcaraz the chance to break in the opening nine games before the 23-year-old suddenly dialled up the intensity and snatched the opening set when his Spanish opponent produced errors in a poor service game. A frustrated Alcaraz kicked his bench during the second set but finally found a way through Musetti's dogged defence to draw level after a tiebreak and then produced a dazzling display of power and precision to dish out a bagel in the third set. Musetti, who appeared to be hampered by a left thigh issue midway through the third set, threw in the towel after two games in the fourth. "The first two sets were tough. I had chances to be up in the match but couldn't make the most of them," Alcaraz added. "When I won the second set, I was relieved and I knew that I needed to be aggressive and be myself. I was calmer. I could see clearer and I could play great tennis at the start of the third. "I'm feeling great physically. It's been three intense weeks but I have one more step to take. I'm playing great tennis and I have great confidence. I've been doing great things in this tournament and now is the time to give 100% in the final." Alcaraz said he would tune into the second semi-final on Court Philippe Chatrier to study his potential opponents. "I'm not going to miss tonight's match, it's one of the best we can have right now, Sinner against Djokovic," he said. "I'm going to watch it and enjoy it and take tactics from the match." REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
