Mihir Bose's Blog, page 41

Why the Champions League is glorious but UEFA’s powers are limited

Whether or not Real Madrid achieve their cherished goal of Decima tomorrow, which would mark the tenth time they have won Europe's premier club competition, the Champions League Final in Lisbon once again emphasises that in all of world football's many club competitions, spread across the various continents, nothing comes close to matching the glory of winning this coveted European trophy. It may be a competition that only European clubs participate in but not only do players from all over the world take part but, as with the Olympics or the World Cup Finals, the eyes of the world are on the final, as they will be on Lisbon on Saturday evening.

India’s Wildest Dream

The Great War raised hopes of Indian independence, but it would take another conflict to make it a reality.

The centenary of the outbreak of the First World War is just a few months away, yet one aspect of the global conflict appears to arouse little interest: if it was a worldwide fight for freedom, why did many European countries, such as Poland and Czechoslovakia, break free from imperial control but not a single non-white one? Saudi Arabia did emerge as an independent country, but the Sykes-Picot agreement of May 1916 meant that the Arab spring of the First World War ended with Britain and France adding countries to their empires rather than shedding them. For an answer, we need to look at how the British handled the jewel in their crown: India.

Ian Bell: We’re never going to replace Kevin Pietersen

That Ian Bell should feel grateful to a 19-month-old seems strange.

But the child in question is his son, Joseph, and since his birth, Bell has become a more relaxed cricketer.

“I may not be getting as much sleep as I used to but he has certainly put things in perspective,” says Bell. “In the early stages of my career, I was very much up and down. If I scored 100, I was on top of the world. And if I got nought, then I was right down at the bottom. Now, on bad days, it’s not too bad. I pick up Joseph and he doesn’t care whether you’ve got nought or a 100, he just wants to see his dad.”

Postcards from India- Sport in India

As the Indian Election results are announced, Radio 4 presents short postcards on life in India today. Here's Mihir Bose talking about Sport in India

Players are smiling and we are moving forward – ECB chief David Collier

Given the whitewash England suffered in the Ashes it is not surprising that preparations for their next contest Down Under might change.

But David Collier, chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board, has revealed that those changes might even include the squad starting the next Ashes tour outside Australia.

Dyke’s cure for depression is in his own hands

Greg Dyke says Manchester City winning the Premiership is depressing, given how few English players they have. There is, of course, nothing he can do about how City chooses its team, let alone force the City manager to field more players so as to help Roy Hodgson when the England manager comes to select his squad.

Yet there is one way the chairman of the Football Association could get over his depression. That is by getting the FA to pass a sporting regulation similar to one that many countries have. This is to make sure foreigners just do not waltz into England country and buy an English club. Make no mistake, the FA has the power to do that.

Power games require powerful leaders

One match, or even two never define a season, let alone a trend although it is tempting to draw sweeping conclusions from the way the Champions League semi-finals have panned out. Two Spanish clubs in the Champions League final, and that from one city, Madrid, must surely mark a very dramatic shift from the German domination of the League. After all it was only last year we had an all German final. And Bayern Munich was seen as the team that defined everything that was strong and worth emulating in European football.

Such a conclusion is too early to draw. It is even more dangerous to write off Barcelona, the team that has defined European football for almost half a decade, winning the Champions League thrice since 2005-2006. Tiki-taka has been written off before and come back resoundingly. A year after the 2010 defeat to Jose Mourinho's Inter, Barcelona won the Champions League and then after Chelsea won at the Nou Camp in 2012 Spain won the European championship. However, what can be said with more certainty is that the Carlo Ancelotti has once again shown how he can work with the biggest egos in football and still come up trumps.

Mihir Bose speaks to Christopher Hitchens about Mother Teresa

Christopher Hitchens investigates whether Mother Teresa of Calcutta deserves her saintly image. Probes her campaigns against contraception and abortion and her relationships with right-wing political leaders. Contributors include the cameraman who worked on the 1969 film `Mother Teresa of Calcutta' which was presented by Malcolm Muggeridge, the journalist Mihir Bose, and former volunteer Mary Loudon.

Mihir Bose on the proposals to transform English football

Mihir Bose on the proposals to transform English football

Crystal Palace boss Tony Pulis pleased to prove that he is not a one-dimensional coach

We are sitting in what is called the classroom at Crystal Palace’s training ground and Tony Pulis smiles as I remind him that Arsene Wenger has suggested he should become Manager of the Year.

“Yeah, it’s very nice for Wenger, Jose Mourinho and people of that ilk to mention my name,” he says. “But it’s not for me to decide.”