FA cup third round: Highlight of the season

This coming weekend, the first weekend of the the new year, brings us the FA Cup’s third round. For me, this is the best weekend of the football season, reminding me of past times when I would be glued to the radio from 3pm on the Saturday as the drama slowly unfolded.

Auckland City’s Awfully Big Adventure

Hats off to Auckland City FC for their incredible achievements at the FIFA Club World Cup. In finishing third in the competition – rather than falling at the qualifying round hurdle, as most people would have expected – they have written a movie script into the footballing record books.

Evra-Suarez saga a disgrace all round

Above all, the saga involving Manchester United defender Patrice Evra and Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has added fuel to the arguments of those who see modern footballers as little more than a bunch of spoilt, overpaid brats. The issue of racism, of course, is of the utmost seriousness and must be treated as such. But today’s game was a chance for both sides of the “argument” to put it to bed, or at least, prevent any further argument from taking place. Drama over Suarez’ suspension for racially abusing Evra had finally begun to die down. But all today’s match has done has re-energise the debate between supporters of the two players, while most other fans are just left shaking their heads and wishing the world could just go back to talking about football for once.