Volley

Address from Brent Sancho on behalf of the 13 World Cup 2006 players: I am overwhelmed. On behalf of those of us who have been fighting a long, tough legal battle to get our just due payment for our efforts at the FIFA World Cup, Germany 2006, this moment means more than any …

The 2006 World Cup players finally received payment for their exploits today, eight years after the fact, by Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar. This afternoon, in a press conference at the Diplomatic Centre in St Ann’s, Persad-Bissessar stole a march on Sport Minister Anil Roberts, National Security Minister Gary Griffith …

“Indian fans declare excitement,” a pre-match tweet announced, “over chance to see Sachin and 21 other guys whose names escape me.” The source does not identify the tweeter but it could have been ESPNcricinfo Assistant Editor Allan Gardner, the writer of an online preview to yesterday’s pompously named Marylebone Cricket …

Dutchman Tim Krul might be the first player ever to decide a football match without playing in the active part of the game. Ninety minutes of regulation time plus 30 minutes extra time had expired when Uzbekistan referee Ravshan Irmatov allowed Krul on to the field to replace first choice …

David Luiz, the Brazilian defender with the “Sideshow Bob” locks, finally took centre stage today as the host nation produced its most assured performance of the 2014 World Cup thus far to edge Colombia 2-1 today. But Brazil was battered and bruised by the final whistle. And we don’t just …

On the evidence we have from the just completed three-Test series, new West Indies skipper Denesh Ramdin is going to need a miracle to deliver the turnaround we’re all now looking to him for. So, as a true-true, maroon-blooded WI supporter, I am hoping that, after beating Ramdin’s side 2-1 …

Trinidad and Tobago Football Federation (TTFF) president Raymond Tim Kee’s election promise of a new dawn and an influx of funding from the private and public sector continues to sound hollow in the face of the football body’s continuing financial crisis. Do not bother phoning the TTFA to enquire about …

Trinidad and Tobago national senior women’s team Marlon Charles was officially sacked today by the Trinidad and Tobago Football Association (TTFA), just one month before the inaugural 2014 Women’s Caribbean Cup tournament, which will be staged in Trinidad between August 19 and 26. The 58-year-old Charles, according to a TTFA …

More proof of Lionel Messi’s outer-worldly blessings: when the Argentine captain cannot get the job done, he delegates to an Angel! There was a new name on the Argentina score sheet today but a similar outcome as the South American hopefuls advanced to the Brazil 2014 World Cup quarterfinal round …

Chapter 3: Havelange’s Golden Briefcase: Why is it so heavy when he leaves Zurich? ZURICH AIRPORT, anytime, 1974-1998. The easy thing for Rudi the chauffeur was meeting and greeting the FIFA President when his plane arrived from Paris. Havelange loved to stay a day or more in Paris on his …

France coach Didier Deschamps reaped the benefits of voting “PP” today as 21-year-old rising star Paul Pogba grabbed the decisive goal and produced an assured performance as his team saw off Nigeria 2-0 to advance to the quarterfinal stage. The Nigerian outfit acquitted itself well but no one—not even team …

One man hitting a post has not provoked so much interest since Minister Two Pull tried to roll himself a smoke. The “Samba Boys” go through; but it was a survival story as Mauricio Pinilla and Gonzalo Jaro both hit the frame of the goalmouth. There was no “joga bonito” …