This is a worrying time for anyone with a sense of history or, failing that, a pair of ears. Nineties heartthrobs Take That are set to record the official England World Cup song for South Africa 2010. I still prefer the unofficial song, Rik Mayall’s Noble England, which you can find out more about at http://www.nobleengland.com/.
Even his most loyal supporters would concede Rio Ferdinand has had an indifferent start to the season. The sight of a barely fit Torres shrugging him off to score during yesterday’s game at Anfield may give Alex Ferguson and Fabio Capello nightmares unless the defender improves, suggests this Reuters article.
So Carlos Alberto Parreira is back, but not for long. The Brazilian is in the South Africa manager’s hot seat up to the World Cup and will be replaced by a native coach once the tournament is over. Is Pitso Mosimane the man who will eventually take over?
And Argentina in 1978 is perhaps the best example of a regime using success on the football field to bolster its own credibility. It would appear that the leaders of the recent coup in Honduras and the ex-President hiding in the Brazilian embassy are trying to do something similar but they’ve been rumbled.
