The older I get the less interest I take in football. I’ve lost the last bit of interest I had in local side West Ham anymore, I don’t give a damn about the overpaid and overrated show ponies in the premiership or any other league, national or overseas. While I was a little outraged at Thierry Henry’s “hand of God” goal that saw the Ireland team lose out on a place at the World Cup finals in South Africa this summer, I simply can’t be bothered with the game anymore.

I had thought that the football world was greedy and sometimes corrupt but I was shocked to see the callousness and sheer stupidity of the African Football Confederation (CAF)

On 8 January, the team coach carrying the Togo national side to its first fixture in the African Cup of Nations was attacked by Cabindan separatists (Cabinda is an Angolan exclave separated from the rest of Angola by the River Congo and territory belonging to the Democratic Republic of the Congo). Three people were killed in the attack (the driver, a press officer and the assistant coach) and seven wounded, including at least three players.

Although the players wanted to stay the Togolese government, quite understandably, withdrew the team.

Yesterday the CAF announced that Togo had been banned from the next two Africa Cup of Nations . Furthermore a fine of $50,000 was levied.

CAF stated that the decision to pull the team out amounted to governmental interference in the sport. "The players publicly expressed their willingness to return to the Nations Cup to compete. But the Togo government decided to call back their national team," CAF explained in its statement. "The decision by political authorities contravenes CAF and African Nations Cup regulations."

needless to say the Togolese government was livid "This is a surprise decision and it means that people (CAF) have no consideration for the lives of other human beings," said Interior Minister Pascal Bodjona. "This is insulting to the family of those who lost their lives and those traumatised because of the attack. We had two people dead and others suffered so if those people at CAF had any consideration for others I don't think at this time this is a reasonable decision.“

A team goes to play football but is attacked by a separatist faction. People are killed and several members of the squad are injured. The act of the government of Togo was correct. I can’t believe how crass the football authorities have been here

Foootball as protest

Members of the Iranian national side show support for protestors by wearing green wrist bands during their World Cup Qualifier with South Korea

Source The Times

Putting passion into the beautiful game

Last month the BBC reported that a Bolivian football team's former physiotherapist had an unusual treatment to improve performance at high altitude (on the pitch that is.. anything else was a bonus I’m sure). He gave players Viagra.

Rodrigo Figueroa told La Prensa newspaper he had prescribed Viagra, which oxygenates the blood, to at least nine players in his team, Blooming. The team is from Santa Cruz which is400m (1,300ft) above sea level. They were playing in the capital La Paz which is more than 3,500m (over 11,000 feet)

He stressed that Viagra was not on the list of banned drugs"We prescribed it for several players, especially those who suffered most from altitude," said Mr Figueroa. He had, he explained, administered the product by mixing it with fruit juice.

Hmm I suppose his idea was to turn the inexperienced into hardened players who could mount a stiff defence and penetrate their opponent’s (penalty) box. Damn I can only think of three smutty double entendres... I must be slipping!

You’re going home in a &£8^@~#” popemoblile!

A Vatican-backed football tournament for Rome seminarians and priests has been forced to crack down on rowdy supporters in the stands. Neighbours living near the ground complained of noise sothe, trainee priests supporting their teams in the Clericus Cup tournament have been told that they will be barred from entering the ground if they continue to show up armed with drums, megaphones, trumpets, maracas and ghetto blasters (knuckledusters and flicknives are presumably okay...).

Loud chanting, sometimes in Latin, will also be discouraged to avoid "disturbing the peace", the organisers said. (I wish I knew what “You’re going home in a f*****g ambulance” was in Latin)

Drum-beating fans of the Mexican players of Maria Mater Ecclesiae College were singled out for particular criticism while African seminarians turning out for Urban College have been backed by loud reggae music. American seminarians from the North American College ( nicknamed the NAC), have been chanting "Come on you Knackers, kick some caboose," at games before singing Doo Wop numbers (hmm they have a long way to go before they match West Ham’s ICF....).

On the other hand, supporters of the current cup holders, Redemptoris Mater Seminary, have said they will continue to sing a hymn from the stands before each game.

The Clericus Cup brings together 18 teams of 51 nationalities, plus lay members working for religious organisations. Pope Benedict XVI said this month that football should promote "honesty, solidarity and fraternity". This year the competition is hosting a British squad for the first time. British College United, comprising students and priests from two English seminaries and a Scottish one, features the cup's oldest player, 57-year-old Scot John Breen, dean of studies at Beda College. "We bring a small British support which tends to express itself with the odd shout of encouragement," Breen said (I wonder if assertions about the marital status of the referee are included in the shouts of encouragement).

Here's hoping there's no fighting on the terraces...

A trophy is a trophy even when it was won 70 years ago.

Fans of the Valencia club Levante Union Deportiva are probably be a stoic bunch: their team is at the bottom of La Liga (the Spanish Premier division) and may well be back playing second division football again next season. Worse still, the one and only time the team won a major trophy, Franco came along and expunged the result.

In 1937 Spain was of course in the grip of a bloody civil war. Even so football still continued and eight clubs in Republican held territory organised the Mediterranean League. The Top four clubs also competed for the Copa de la Republica Levante finished fifth but the champions, Barcelona, opted to go on a fund raising tour of the US and Mexico. Levante beat local rivals Valencia 1-0 to lift the cup.

Franco's regime rejected the republican league and cup, and removed all mention of Levante's victory from the record books. One fan, Xavier Rius , appealed to the Spanish football federation to reinstate their victory, without success. However an approach to Valencian MP Isaura Navarro bore fruit. He raised the issue in parliament which has approved a call for the football federation to recognise the Republican Cup.

The players are probably all dead as are all but a few of the fans who saw the team beat Valencia 70 years ago. Even so I would imagine the club will be happy that their victory is officially acknowledged. Better late than never, I suppose

The Blades suffer another defeat

Sheffield United’s slim hope of remaining in the Premiership next season have been dashed. The Blades have been refused leave to appeal against the Premier League arbitration panel's decision to fine West Ham £5.5m over the Carlos Tevez (left) and Javier Mascherano transfers but not dock points. An arbitration panel had already upheld the original decision not to dock West Ham

Blades chairman Kevin McCabe "I firmly believe along with many others that (Sheffield) United were unfairly relegated, but that it has been difficult to probe the legal community." The Hammers were found guilty of acting improperly and withholding vital documentation over Tevez and Mascherano's ownership on 27 April and fined £5.5m. When they were registered as players, West Ham failed to disclose that they had entered into an agreement with third-party companies.

A couple of months away from the end of the season I doubt anyone would have cared if West Ham were docked points or not as relegation seemed certain - The Hammers were 10 pints adrift from safety with no realistic prospect of getting the wins needed to make the difference. Amazingly they did get the wins and sealed their premiership place with an away win over Man Utd.

In my view we got off lightly by having points deducted so I do feel sort of sorry for the Blades.On the other hand our season ended on a high note while theirs was marked by defeat by Wigan another side doing their best to avoid relegation. A drop to the Championship is expensive (they will lose millions form broadcasting fees) but I doubt further legal action will bring them an extra penny.

The great escape

Not so long ago, West Ham was at the bottom of the table with every prospect of travelling to away fixtures at Colchester, QPR and Crystal Palace next season. They went into today’s final match just out of the relegation zone but with likely to get a mauling at the hands of Man Utd. The two other teams trying to avoid the drop (Wigan and Sheffield Utd) played each other today. There was a very good chance that Wigan would beat the Blades leaving West Ham to be relegated on the basis of a poorer goal difference.

Well Wigan did beat Sheffield Utd 2-1 but a single goal from the highly controversial signing Carlos Tevez meant West Ham gained a shock victory and ensured safety. Wigan is safe too but Sheffield Utd will be playing in the Championship next season.

Tevez started inauspiciously and his signing led to a £5.5m fine, but in the last few weeks he has been an inspiration. Personally though, I would like to thank Jesus, Allah, Jehovah, several saints in particular St Jude the patron saint of hopeless causes, Buddha, Zoroaster, Neptune, Poseidon (to avoid being sunk), the Flying Spaghetti Monster, Offler the Klatchian crocodile god, Blind Io, and Nuggan of Borogravia.....

Hamilton, the Hammers and the Daggers

Apparently Lewis Hamilton is the first F1 driver to get two podium places from his first two races since Peter Arundell did so in 1964. Having taken third place in the Australian GP, Hamilton was runner up in yesterday's Malaysian GP. Although Arundell's career did not reach match his early promise, Hamilton looks as he has all the makings of a champion.

Meanwhile Dagenham & Redbridge won the Nationwide Conference on Saturday and thus promotion to the Football League. I really hope they have success next year.

West Ham beat Arsenal 1-0 and are now giving us a faint hope that they will avoid relegation. Hammers fans the world over are offering votives to all known deities as I write. Me, I might make an offering to Blind Io in the hope that they remain a premiership side next season!

West Ham – Insert appropriate tabloid horror headline

Call it a nightmare on Green Street; call it a Hammers Horror but West Ham has had a season that is very much an annus horribilis (although to date no castle has burnt down).

The Hammers have not won a match since December and have taken only two points so far during 2007. They are at the bottom of the Premiership table, eleven points adrift of safety and relegation seems inevitable (unless prayers to St Jude, the patron saint of hopless causes can turn things around!).

To make matters worse the team is in a morale meltdown according to a report in last Sunday’s Observer. Charges have been laid by the Premier League over breaches rules over the signing of Argentinean players Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano.

And now today the press is reporting that the Metropolitan Police confirmed that is investigating a complaint about racist chants heard at last Sunday’s game against Tottenham. One of the chants apparently was: "I'd rather be a Paki than a Jew".

The FA's head of stadia, Chris Whalley, will write to the relegation-threatened club today to demand an explanation for the security and stewarding provisions it has in place. The FA will want to know why there was no intervention from stewards to put a stop to the chanting, which took place at half-time when West Ham were leading 2-0. Even if the chants were from a tiny minority of fans, we need this srt of behaviour like a hole in the head.

Last May West Ham came with in an ace of a famous FA Cup win. This season has been an unmitigated disaster. I wonder if it’s time to pull down the shutters and hope for a successful return to the Premiership next year. On a happier note Dagenham & Redbridge are 12 points clear at the top of the Conference. Barring disaster it looks like league football next season.