* Wembley, the national stadium and spiritual home of English football, will host the 2013 Champions League final later this month when Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund face each other. The German clubs come from a footballing nation where tickets are cheap, travel to matches is free or subsidised – and the average supporter isn’t […]

* In the latest instalment of a new weekly Monday column, Tell Me Why, the Independent’s brilliant man in the north-west, Ian Herbert, asks why the Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has been allowed to dominate the narrative  of a fine football match in Swansea yesterday with diversionary comments and a slur on a match official – […]

* England haven’t won a series in India for 27 years. The last time they won one was thanks to double centuries scored by Graeme Fowler and Mike Gatting in the midst of a series marred by political turmoil following the assassination of Indira Ghandi and then the British Deputy High Commissioner. England have only […]

. Still pining for a festival of sport after the London Olympics and Paralympics lit up the summer? Pine no more. The next Olympics begin in 500 days – in Sochi, Russia, from 7 February 2014. MARK STANIFORTH, left, ardent admirer of all things Winter Games, explains why it’s a big deal, and why there […]

By Nick Harris SJA Internet Sports Writer of the Year 2 July 2012 BRITAIN cares so much about the GB Olympic football team that after London 2012 it will be disbanded and will never play again. There has been no GB involvement in Olympic football since Britain failed to qualify for the 1972 Games in […]

By Steve Menary 22 May 2012 It seems almost certain now that the number of Welshman ever to have played Olympic football for Great Britain will double or treble this summer – from two in total at present since 1908 to five, six or even seven. The Welsh have been the worst represented of the […]

By Brian Sears 20 April 2012 Manchester United just need to execute some classic top-of-the-table – win their last two home matches and draw their last two away games – to ensure they’re the champions of England for a 20th time, and 13 times in the Premier League era. Unlucky for everyone else. In the all-time table in the Premier League’s […]

By Nick Harris SJA Internet Sports Writer of the Year. 15 January 2012 The former Great Britain rugby league international Martin Gleeson has spoken today for the first time about the circumstances in which he came to fail a drugs test, and how more widespread use of a stimulant was covered up. His story, and a […]

By Nick Harris SJA Internet Sports Writer of the Year 4 December 2011 Blackburn’s hierarchy were making plans to sack manager Steve Kean after Saturday’s match at Swansea, Sportingintelligence can reveal, but the 4-2 victory, and particularly the actions and words of Yakubu towards Kean during and after the win have earned the Scot a […]

By Nick Harris SJA Internet Sports Writer of the Year 31 October 2011 England’s Premier League is, by far, the nation’s most successful sporting export, watched live each week in more than 200 countries, and earning from foreign TV rights alone £1.437bn for the current three-year overseas deals (or £479m a year) as reported by sportingintelligence last […]