The Lyari we all (don’t) know
If you see people with curly hair, pan gutka in their mouth, speaking their own Balochi version of Urdu, then you are definitely among Lyariites. Being someone unfamiliar with this Pandora island of Karachi, one should be worried because it is here that you are among the most dangerous creatures to be found. In a few minutes you may be killed or drugged, or if lucky, kidnapped. Your head will be ripped off and given to the children to play football. Your hands and legs will be severed and sent to your parents and so on. Unfortunately this is the misperception ...
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Finally, Chelsea!
It took nine long years, eight different managers (and more than £60 million in compensation for the termination of their respective contracts), innumerable player signings worth millions and several occasions of heartbreak, but at long last, Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea have finally gotten their hands on the European Cup. A penalty shoot-out victory over Bayern Munich ensured the illustrious trophy went to Stamford Bridge (or indeed any London club) for the very first time. The talismanic touch of interim coach Roberto Di Matteo worked again as his team defied the odds to win ...
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Pep Guardiola: Respect to a living legend
Barcelona talisman and manager Pep Guardiola recently announced that he would not be continuing in his managerial role at Barcelona beyond the end of this season. I cannot even begin to describe the profound effect he had on Barcelona and the world of football itself. Josep Guardiola i Sala or ‘Pep’ as they call him, was born in Santpedor; a relatively small town in central Catalonia, Spain. Pep’s rise in football was quite a fairy-tale. He started out working as a ball-boy for FC Barcelona – little did anyone know that this ordinary ball-boy would one day end up as manager of ...
Read Full PostHow Milan defended Barca’s attack
Stop Lionel Messi and you’ll stop Barcelona. Or at least that’s what many people think is the ultimate solution to stop the unstoppable machine that is FC Barcelona. It was a rare occasion in which the little genius was frustrated for 90 minutes as AC Milan held out for a goalless draw at home to the reigning European Champions in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League quarter-final tie. It was Milan who had the best chance of the game from open play, while it was Barcelona that had the most contentious decision of the game ruled against them. ...
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English Premier League: Handshakes and hypocrisy
If the English Premier League can be defined by one contest, it is the one between the two most illustrious and successful clubs, Manchester United and Liverpool FC. That is one fixture (in fact two, if you count home and away fixtures) every season that never fails to entertain you for reasons varying from sheer brilliance to absolute controversial. After the racism controversy surrounding Patrice Evra and Luis Suarez where Suarez was found guilty not based on any “evidence” but on a “balance of probabilities” (which I believe has to be the flimsiest way of deciding on one’s guilt especially in a case as ...
Read Full PostBattles at the Premier League
This mid-week in Premier League saw some interesting battles being fought at the top half of the table as well as between the relegation bound teams. It was also one of the rare occasions when the match day’s late kick-off (7:45 pm) nearly collided with the Transfer Day deadline that ended at 11:00 pm. All this made for an exciting day. Let’s start from football itself from the top half. Manchester City, fuelled by the Arab Oil-gazillions, started the week right at the top of the table and determined to tighten it grasp on the No.1 spot after being dumped out of the ...
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Six and the City leaves Manchester blue
‘Six and the City’ is the new comedy drama every footballing nation is talking about since last Sunday. I’m not referring to the hit TV series – this is far more serious. It is the new tag line for the football fixture held this Sunday between the two bitter rivals Manchester United Football Club (MUFC) and Manchester City Football Club (MCFC) in England. ‘Six and the City’ refers to the 6-1 thrashing that Manchester United FC received at the hands of Manchester City FC. Manchester United has given Manchester City a torrid time over the years, and must I say ...
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Why cricket is better than football
I read Azeem Abbas’s blog, “Ten reasons why football is better than cricket”, and felt compelled to write a lighthearted response. So, here are ten reasons why I feel cricket is better than football: 1) The Pakistan factor: I grew up as a fan of the Albicelestes (Argentina National Football team), and love following Inter Milan, Barcelona, and the English Premier League in general. But no matter how many Barcelona jerseys I buy, or how many Argentina flags I stick on my car whilst struck with Football World Cup fever, there is just something about cheering for your own country in a sporting event, ...
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Ten reasons why football is better than cricket
1. It is a game of one single format rather than four formats. You don’t need a test football or a one day international, T20, first-class, second class, third-class or umpteen class football, just a simple game of 90 minutes and a nail-biting penalty shootout. A timed game is acceptable to a game that lasts for days. 2. It garners more television coverage. The 2010 FIFA World Cup was watched by an estimated television audience of 700 million people around the globe compared to a meagre 65.6 million people (out of which 80% of the viewership was from India alone!) ...
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You are no legend, Cesc
Dear Cesc, It seems that you’ve decided to return to Barcelona, your boyhood club where you took your first formative steps in football, which also happens to be the place of residence for your family. Fair enough. And who could blame you? Who wouldn’t want to play for the world champions, the team that plays the ‘most attractive football,’ the one that is being heralded as ‘the greatest team in history’ by pundits world over. The team in which more than half your World Cup winning Spanish teammates play. Kudos to you for attracting an interest from a team of that ...
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