Mihir Bose's Blog, page 24
January 21, 2016
Isha Johansen and the other side of FIFA
Inside World Football
Isha Johansen, President of the Sierra Leone Football Association, has a little game she plays with taxi drivers whenever she comes to London. The taxi is taking her to Oxford Street, Selfridges, and the taxi driver asks, "Going on another shopping spree are you? Going to shop till you drop?"
"No," replies Johansen, "I am just going to pick up some makeup. I'll give you two guesses about what I do for a living?" The taxi driver responds, "You are a model or you are in acting or something like that?" and Johansen says, "No, I'm in football". This prompts the taxi driver to ask, "Are you a football agent or something?"
Isha Johansen, President of the Sierra Leone Football Association, has a little game she plays with taxi drivers whenever she comes to London. The taxi is taking her to Oxford Street, Selfridges, and the taxi driver asks, "Going on another shopping spree are you? Going to shop till you drop?"
"No," replies Johansen, "I am just going to pick up some makeup. I'll give you two guesses about what I do for a living?" The taxi driver responds, "You are a model or you are in acting or something like that?" and Johansen says, "No, I'm in football". This prompts the taxi driver to ask, "Are you a football agent or something?"
The BITTER truth about illegal betting and match fixing – the government should make legal changes to their gambling laws.
London Loves Business
The revelations that tennis players may have taken money to lose matches has once again raised the question how sports can cope with illegal betting and match fixing. It is all very well to say, as some have, that the answer is to ban betting from sport. This is both ridiculous and impossible.
The very nature of sport makes betting inevitable. A Mozart concert can take you to a world which is beyond Lionel Messi’s football magic. But there is one huge difference between listening to Mozart and watching Messi with a ball at his feet - that is the element of surprise. Even when Messi is at his best there is no guarantee that his wizardry will ensure victory for his team. For all the magic of Mozart’s music a surprise conclusion to the concert is not something you will experience.
The revelations that tennis players may have taken money to lose matches has once again raised the question how sports can cope with illegal betting and match fixing. It is all very well to say, as some have, that the answer is to ban betting from sport. This is both ridiculous and impossible.
The very nature of sport makes betting inevitable. A Mozart concert can take you to a world which is beyond Lionel Messi’s football magic. But there is one huge difference between listening to Mozart and watching Messi with a ball at his feet - that is the element of surprise. Even when Messi is at his best there is no guarantee that his wizardry will ensure victory for his team. For all the magic of Mozart’s music a surprise conclusion to the concert is not something you will experience.
The History of Modern France by Jonathan Fenby & How the French Think by Sudhir Hazareesingh
History Today
‘France’, said Charles de Gaulle, ‘cannot be France without grandeur.’ The country’s recent history suggests the great man was nearer the mark when he moaned how impossible it was to manage a country ‘of 246 different kinds of cheese’. André Malraux famously observed: ‘When the French fight for mankind, they are wonderful, when they fight for themselves, they are nothing.’ November’s horrific Paris attacks by Islamic terrorists, rightly, generated much sympathy for the country. However, will France’s current President, François Hollande, be able to follow in the great traditions of France and show the world how to deal with one of the foulest scourges of our time?
Against this background, these two books could not be better timed. Jonathan Fenby knows the country well and argues that the French have become ‘prisoners of their past’. It can no longer prosper because the country that bequeathed the world exceptional ideas such as Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité has been outpaced by the rest of the world.
‘France’, said Charles de Gaulle, ‘cannot be France without grandeur.’ The country’s recent history suggests the great man was nearer the mark when he moaned how impossible it was to manage a country ‘of 246 different kinds of cheese’. André Malraux famously observed: ‘When the French fight for mankind, they are wonderful, when they fight for themselves, they are nothing.’ November’s horrific Paris attacks by Islamic terrorists, rightly, generated much sympathy for the country. However, will France’s current President, François Hollande, be able to follow in the great traditions of France and show the world how to deal with one of the foulest scourges of our time?
Against this background, these two books could not be better timed. Jonathan Fenby knows the country well and argues that the French have become ‘prisoners of their past’. It can no longer prosper because the country that bequeathed the world exceptional ideas such as Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité has been outpaced by the rest of the world.
January 13, 2016
Hebdo’s ancestry – Letter to The Times
The Times
We need to consider how Charlie Hebdo came into being before discussing if it went too far, says Mihir Bose
Sir, The debate about whether Charlie Hebdo’s journalists went too far (letters, Jan 13) needs to consider how the magazine came into being. It got its present name after its predecessor, L’Hebdo Hara-Kiri, was banned by the French government in November 1970. This was because after the death of Charles de Gaulle in his village of Colombey, the magazine published a front cover which read: Ball Tragique A Colombey 1 Mort (Tragic Ball at Colombey, 1 Dead). After the ban the magazine renamed itself Charlie Hebdo, a title which was itself an impertinent reference to de Gaulle.
I am not for one moment arguing that Charlie Hebdo’s journalists should not have published what they did, but the ban on its previous incarnation reminds us that even in the land which gave us those wonderful ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, sometimes governments feel that journalists go too far.
Mihir Bose
London W6
We need to consider how Charlie Hebdo came into being before discussing if it went too far, says Mihir Bose
Sir, The debate about whether Charlie Hebdo’s journalists went too far (letters, Jan 13) needs to consider how the magazine came into being. It got its present name after its predecessor, L’Hebdo Hara-Kiri, was banned by the French government in November 1970. This was because after the death of Charles de Gaulle in his village of Colombey, the magazine published a front cover which read: Ball Tragique A Colombey 1 Mort (Tragic Ball at Colombey, 1 Dead). After the ban the magazine renamed itself Charlie Hebdo, a title which was itself an impertinent reference to de Gaulle.
I am not for one moment arguing that Charlie Hebdo’s journalists should not have published what they did, but the ban on its previous incarnation reminds us that even in the land which gave us those wonderful ideals of liberty, equality and fraternity, sometimes governments feel that journalists go too far.
Mihir Bose
London W6
January 9, 2016
Former England captain David Gower on how to save Test cricket – At Home
Financial Times
Batsman turned TV presenter says India has too much power over the game and urges the governing body to ‘grow a muscle’
David Gower had warned me it might be difficult to find his new London flat, just off Portobello Road, as it is part of a development in north Kensington to convert Victorian townhouses into residential blocks. Nevertheless, it is a surprise to get halfway down his road and find the rest of the street blocked by construction work.
Yet the real shock comes when the 58-year-old former England cricket captain, and now the main cricket presenter on Sky Television, shows me into his three-bedroom flat. Then the huge contrast between Gower on a cricket field and Gower in his new home becomes obvious.
To read the article in full please go to: click here
Batsman turned TV presenter says India has too much power over the game and urges the governing body to ‘grow a muscle’
David Gower had warned me it might be difficult to find his new London flat, just off Portobello Road, as it is part of a development in north Kensington to convert Victorian townhouses into residential blocks. Nevertheless, it is a surprise to get halfway down his road and find the rest of the street blocked by construction work.
Yet the real shock comes when the 58-year-old former England cricket captain, and now the main cricket presenter on Sky Television, shows me into his three-bedroom flat. Then the huge contrast between Gower on a cricket field and Gower in his new home becomes obvious.
To read the article in full please go to: click here
January 7, 2016
What FIFA needs is not reform but restructuring
Inside World Football
One thing that unites all the Presidential candidates is their promise that they can deliver a FIFA that will get away from the scandals of the last year and become an organisation fit for purpose. Yet reading their proposed reforms what is striking is how timid these proposals are. None of them go far enough. They will amount to cosmetic changes that will not produce the new FIFA we need.
Take for instance the much touted proposals of Jerome Champagne. Now it must be said that while Champagne stands little chance of succeeding his mentor Sepp Blatter he has given much thought to the issues of reform and for much longer than any of his rivals. But his proposals fall down because his starting point is all wrong. To recycle the old Irish joke of the traveller asking how he could get to his destination the answer comes back: I would not start from here.
One thing that unites all the Presidential candidates is their promise that they can deliver a FIFA that will get away from the scandals of the last year and become an organisation fit for purpose. Yet reading their proposed reforms what is striking is how timid these proposals are. None of them go far enough. They will amount to cosmetic changes that will not produce the new FIFA we need.
Take for instance the much touted proposals of Jerome Champagne. Now it must be said that while Champagne stands little chance of succeeding his mentor Sepp Blatter he has given much thought to the issues of reform and for much longer than any of his rivals. But his proposals fall down because his starting point is all wrong. To recycle the old Irish joke of the traveller asking how he could get to his destination the answer comes back: I would not start from here.
Ahead of Tottenham double header, Claudio Ranieri reveals secrets behind Leicester rise
London Evening Standard
Claudio Ranieri laughs when I ask him whether his second coming to England has answered his critics.
He was labelled The Tinkerman for continually changing his line-up while at Chelsea and he has never won a top-flight title during a managerial career dating back to 1988.
His sacking as boss of Greece after a 1-0 defeat by Faroe Islands in November 2014 gave his opponents more ammunition but last summer he was back in the hot seat again at Leicester City.
Gary Lineker, a great with both Leicester and England, bemoaned that Ranieri was an “uninspired choice”.
Claudio Ranieri laughs when I ask him whether his second coming to England has answered his critics.
He was labelled The Tinkerman for continually changing his line-up while at Chelsea and he has never won a top-flight title during a managerial career dating back to 1988.
His sacking as boss of Greece after a 1-0 defeat by Faroe Islands in November 2014 gave his opponents more ammunition but last summer he was back in the hot seat again at Leicester City.
Gary Lineker, a great with both Leicester and England, bemoaned that Ranieri was an “uninspired choice”.
December 29, 2015
Why English football cannot escape from Europe
London Loves Business
One aspect of the Euro debate that has been missed out is what happens to football should this country vote to leave the European Union. Of course this is not as important as to whether EU migrants can claim benefits from the moment they arrive in this country but it would be wrong to ignore the impact of a Brexit vote on the national game. It could lead to English clubs finding it difficult to buy overseas players, or at least forced to pay a lot more and make the Premier League, whose emergence as the most powerful league in the world has matched the closer integration of EU nations, vulnerable to challenge from some of its European rivals.
One aspect of the Euro debate that has been missed out is what happens to football should this country vote to leave the European Union. Of course this is not as important as to whether EU migrants can claim benefits from the moment they arrive in this country but it would be wrong to ignore the impact of a Brexit vote on the national game. It could lead to English clubs finding it difficult to buy overseas players, or at least forced to pay a lot more and make the Premier League, whose emergence as the most powerful league in the world has matched the closer integration of EU nations, vulnerable to challenge from some of its European rivals.
December 23, 2015
AB de Villiers: England have weaknesses in their batting which we can expose
London Evening Standard
Exclusive: South Africa star explains why he believes his side will win the Test series and how they can get the better of ‘world class’ Root
AB de Villiers is widely seen as the most gifted striker of a cricket ball in the world.
The South African’s talents were recognised again today as he was named the ICC’s ODI Player of the Year for the second season in a row after his brilliant quickfire batting lit up the World Cup.
However, over the next month it is De Villiers’s magnificence in the Test arena that will be of concern to England as they prepare to face his side in a four-match series.
South Africa are No1 in the Test rankings and England are fifth but the hosts have just suffered a 3-0 defeat in India, their heaviest in nine years.
Allan Donald, a great of Proteas and world cricket, admits he is “nervous” ahead of the series which starts on Boxing Day in Durban.
However, when I ask De Villiers how the four Tests will pan out he says without hesitation: “I see us winning 2-1.”
Exclusive: South Africa star explains why he believes his side will win the Test series and how they can get the better of ‘world class’ Root
AB de Villiers is widely seen as the most gifted striker of a cricket ball in the world.
The South African’s talents were recognised again today as he was named the ICC’s ODI Player of the Year for the second season in a row after his brilliant quickfire batting lit up the World Cup.
However, over the next month it is De Villiers’s magnificence in the Test arena that will be of concern to England as they prepare to face his side in a four-match series.
South Africa are No1 in the Test rankings and England are fifth but the hosts have just suffered a 3-0 defeat in India, their heaviest in nine years.
Allan Donald, a great of Proteas and world cricket, admits he is “nervous” ahead of the series which starts on Boxing Day in Durban.
However, when I ask De Villiers how the four Tests will pan out he says without hesitation: “I see us winning 2-1.”
December 16, 2015
Wales fly-half Dan Biggar: Keeping England target Shaun Edwards ‘massive’ for Welsh rugby
London Evening Standard
Eddie Jones’s rebuilding job with England following their World Cup shambles could not have been more extensive, with the entire coaching regime of his predecessor Stuart Lancaster replaced this week at an estimated cost of £2million.
But one RFU target, Shaun Edwards, the right-hand man of Wales coach Warren Gatland, has not been lured to Twickenham — and Dan Biggar, the undisputed star of the principality’s World Cup campaign, could not be happier about it.
“Who would have blamed Shaun for wanting to coach England?” said the 26-year-old fly-half. “If anyone deserves a shot at it, with his track record and how good a coach he is, he should have a great shout. And he’s English!”
Listening to Biggar talking about Edwards, there can be no doubt the former rugby league star would have shaken up those who inhabit Twickenham’s corridors of power. “A lot of people say that they’re intimidated by Shaun… and he’s quite scary,” admits the Ospreys star. “He has scared me quite a few times.
Eddie Jones’s rebuilding job with England following their World Cup shambles could not have been more extensive, with the entire coaching regime of his predecessor Stuart Lancaster replaced this week at an estimated cost of £2million.
But one RFU target, Shaun Edwards, the right-hand man of Wales coach Warren Gatland, has not been lured to Twickenham — and Dan Biggar, the undisputed star of the principality’s World Cup campaign, could not be happier about it.
“Who would have blamed Shaun for wanting to coach England?” said the 26-year-old fly-half. “If anyone deserves a shot at it, with his track record and how good a coach he is, he should have a great shout. And he’s English!”
Listening to Biggar talking about Edwards, there can be no doubt the former rugby league star would have shaken up those who inhabit Twickenham’s corridors of power. “A lot of people say that they’re intimidated by Shaun… and he’s quite scary,” admits the Ospreys star. “He has scared me quite a few times.
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