A Football Report

By Azeem Banatwalla

The footballing world in its entirety knows what happened before and after the clash between Manchester United and Liverpool yesterday. YouTube is a wonderful thing, isn’t it? So there’s not much point repeating what happened, but in the aftermath of yesterday’s events, debates have sprung up, as they usually do, on Facebook status updates, newspaper websites, and pretty much every space of internet brave enough to host a comments section. United and Liverpool fans are at each other’s throats. United fans say Suarez should have shaken Evra’s hand. Liverpool fans say it’s just a handshake being blown out of proportion. But the essential point of the debate was lost a long time ago. Having had a weekend to sleep on it, let’s see if we can find our heads again.

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By Ulysse Pasquier, writing from Paris

Just a day away from the final group match against South Africa, French football lies in ruins. Never in France have we witnessed such anarchy in the world of sport…but this is much more than just about sport, isn’t it? The “Équipe de France” is truly a part of our culture and is almost considered a sacred institution, even by those who don’t follow football. Other countries where this is the case with their own national teams (England, Brazil,…) can therefore grasp just how much these scandals are hurting French society.

To the extent that President Nicolas Sarkozy felt the need to intervene while in Russia (although I think he really shouldn’t have):

[Translation: In sport just like in life, naturally we cannot always win, and of course do not count on me to reprimand one or the other, that is not my role, but if the events reported in the press are accurate, they are unacceptable.] 

More appropriately, Roselyne Bachelot, Sports Minister, is going to hold crisis talks, Monday 21st, with the team and the coach as it has now become a matter of the state.

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