To the untrained eye, FIFA has had a very bad week. Nine officials past and present arrested. Allegations of bribery, corruption, money laundering and all-round dodginess spanning decades. A persistent stench about the 2018 and 2022 World Cup bids. But according to FIFA’s Communications Director Walter de Gregorio, everything is awesome. “This for FIFA is…
The assault we all saw that never happened
Foul Play: Edition 4 We’ve all seen the footage. First there was the video of the star footballer dragging his fiancee from a casino elevator and dropping her on the carpet like a sack of spuds. Weeks later, we were shown what transpired in the elevator, the thrust of Ray Rice’s fist that rendered Janay…
Australia rocks the Eurovision stage
Back in February, when it was announced Australia would make its Eurovision debut, even I didn’t fancy our chances. Not that we weren’t good enough or couldn’t bling it. This is after all the land of Peter Allen, Dame Edna Everage, Kylie Minogue and Baz Luhrmann. We know our way around a sequin. But, not…
Friday funnies: And the numpty of the week is…
You have to wonder at the particular brand of knuckle-headedness that governs cycling. This week, at the Giro d’Italia, there was a positive story to be had. Not the failed drug test kind of positive but a solid gold good news story. Worthy of a Chariots of Fire soundtrack. That good. The scene opens on…
Here’s the story of a man named Brady
To get an idea of how charmed Tom Brady’s life is, take a look at this photo of his wife breast feeding. Yes, that’s supermodel Gisele Bundchen. She posted this picture on Instagram 18 months ago. And was bewildered that it somehow failed to resonate with other mums of the world. “What would I do…
I’m an English cricketer. Get me out of here!
Scene: The middle of nowhere. PETER MOORES sits on a log in front of a campfire, frowning, a spreadsheet on his lap. Ten men emerge from the bushes in dirty cricket whites. They reach the campfire and slump to the ground. One starts burning a cricket bat to keep them all warm. JAMES ANDERSON: What…
Don’t indulge this monster
Foul Play: Edition 3 Mariah Carey had a selfie taken last week. No surprises there. It’s every self-respecting celebrity’s stock in trade. But this one was with a serial abuser of women. Which seems an odd choice for someone who has lived the hell of an abusive relationship. Except, Floyd Mayweather is the world’s highest…
In search of the Anzac spirit
My patchwork travels have taken me to several places writ large by war. Gallipoli, a place of surprising beauty which, like much of the Turkish coastline, would probably have been a tourist resort were it not for the horrors of a century ago that deem it sacred turf. Kokoda, eleven days of hell. Let’s just…
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