Global Football

There were punching bags that fought back more bravely; and babies who held on to their candy longer. Even when Spain was a genuine global superpower and its conquistadores colonised most of South America, the Spaniards never managed to get Brazil under their thumb. So what chance did they have …

“Everybody out! Crawl back into whatever hole you came from!” Like a crabby parent who returned home too early, Mexico goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa spoiled the samba party yesterday with a defiant performance against the host nation as Mexico and Brazil played to a goalless draw at Fortaleza. Flip! On went …

The good news is that Portugal played like World Cup champions; the bad news is we mean the 2014 version of Spain and not the one that lifted the trophy, four years ago. After Spain’s 5-1 humbling to the Netherlands on Friday, there was more pain for fans in the …

Argentina was not exactly fluent, there were umpteen misplaced passes in the final third and its two star strikers, Sergio Agüero and Gonzalo Higuain, look like they should be hosed down with WD-40. It was a largely sloppy performance from the World Cup contenders. But there was one Messi moment …

“How would you like it if I have Mario Balotelli kick in your back door, eh? Would you like that?” Italian “wise guys” are renowned for unanswerable questions and the England football team certainly could not find the right response yesterday as the “Azzurri” launched its 2014 World Cup campaign …

Chapter 2 Best of Friends: The Crime Boss and the Boss of World Football (By Carolina Mazzi) IT IS RIO’S WEDDING of the year. The father of the bride is Brazil’s biggest gangster, racketeer and, they say, murderer of 50 rivals. He stays out of jail by paying off the …

Spain football fans might one day log their 2014 World Cup adventure in a file titled: “How to lose a World Cup in five goals.” Defending World Cup champions have made losing starts before; France lost 1-0 to Senegal 10 years ago and, 12 years earlier, Argentina was stunned 1-0 …

Brazil got its 2014 World Cup tournament off to a confident start yesterday with an emphatic victory against plucky but limited opponents in Sao Paulo. But enough about the Brazilian police’s bruising triumph against roughly 300 protesters, two CNN journalists and an Associated Press photographer that got too close to …

The Trinidad and Tobago national football team displayed its battling abilities over the last week with gutsy performances in defeats to World Cup-bound teams, Argentina and Iran. But, closer to home, local football remains in near crisis mode with half of the national teams inactive while the Trinidad and Tobago …

The Trinidad and Tobago team national football completed its mini-South America tour this afternoon in Sao Paulo, Brazil with a 2-0 defeat against World Cup-bound Iran. The result follows a 3-0 loss against Argentina on Wednesday in Buenos Aires. Argentina and Iran are both drawn in Group F of the …

The Trinidad and Tobago national football team was thrown into mourning today as 29-year-old goalkeeper Marvin Phillip received word from home that his 10-month-old son, Maitai, was found dead at the Anointed Angels daycare in Edinburgh, Chaguanas. Police are investigating the incident. Phillip, a Point Fortin Civic goalkeeper with 44 senior …

Trinidad and Tobago midfielder Ataullah Guerra said he had no regrets about his bow to Argentina captain Lionel Messi and described the international friendly between the two nations, which the “Soca Warriors” lost 3-0, as “an amazing experience.” “He is a football God,” Guerra told the TTFA Media. “This was …