10 h. ago New recipe for success required to stop France’s grands chefs dominating the European Cup

Since 2021, five successive Top 14 sides have have been crowned Champions Cup winners and any side looking to challenge that status quo needs a fast startThere was a time when the European Cup had an overwhelmingly Irish flavour. The organisers’ headquarters were in Dublin and between 2006 and 2012 either Munster or Leinster lifted the trophy five times in seven seasons. Everyone else was forced to scrabble around for the last few uneaten Tayto crisps in the bag.And now? The tournament, officially known these days as the Investec Champions Cup, has tilted so far towards France you can practically smell the garlic. Admittedly its HQ is now in Switzerland for tax reasons but, financially and on the field, the balance of power lies squarely with les grands chefs of the Top 14. Since 2021, there have been five successive French winners and on three occasions in that time, the Challenge Cup has also disappeared across the Channel. Continue reading...

Politics

10 h. ago New recipe for success required to stop France’s grands chefs dominating the Champions Cup

Since 2021, five successive Top 14 sides have have been crowned Champions Cup winners and any side looking to challenge that status quo needs a fast startThere was a time when the European Cup had an overwhelmingly Irish flavour. The organisers’ headquarters were in Dublin and between 2006 and 2012 either Munster or Leinster lifted the trophy five times in seven seasons. Everyone else was forced to scrabble around for the last few uneaten Tayto crisps in the bag.And now? The tournament, officially known these days as the Investec Champions Cup, has tilted so far towards France you can practically smell the garlic. Admittedly its HQ is now in Switzerland for tax reasons but, financially and on the field, the balance of power lies squarely with les grands chefs of the Top 14. Since 2021, there have been five successive French winners and on three occasions in that time, the Challenge Cup has also disappeared across the Channel. Continue reading...

Politics

6 d. ago How Palmeiras and Flamengo became South America’s football superpowers

Libertadores Cup final sees the latest chapter in a rivalry that is dominating the continent thanks to European levels of funding and player recruitmentTo the surprise of few and the despair of many, it will be either Palmeiras or Flamengo lifting the Copa Libertadores trophy on Saturday at Lima’s Estadio Monumental. With this year’s final, one of these two Brazilian giants will have won five of the last seven editions, a run that underlines how both clubs have transformed themselves into South American super clubs, reshaping the competitive landscape in the process.Yet this final is more than another chapter in Brazil’s dominance, broken only by River Plate’s 2018 triumph in the past nine years. It marks the latest peak in a decade-long evolution that has seen Palmeiras and Flamengo grow into institutions with European-scale reach, resources and expectations. Their rise has altered the logic of the Libertadores itself, its transfer market, its competitive balance, even its sense of...

Politics

1 week ago Jiménez averts danger for uncertain Fulham with late winner against Sunderland

Uncertain times at Fulham. The word is out that the club’s ownership would like to extend Marco Silva’s stay. The manager himself has been non-committal, having previously been explicit about a lack of summer transfer business. Raúl Jiménez’s winner, coming when it seemed Fulham were incapable of scoring, should at least still choppy waters for now and lifted Silva’s team away from the increasing threat of a relegation battle.The sheen has been fading from his regime, after last season’s record points tally and enterprising football, going a touch stale, though he could successfully argue little of that is of his making. The Khan family gambled on stasis, rarely a recipe for success when others spend money like it is going out of fashion. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Jiménez calms choppy waters at Fulham with late winner against Sunderland

Uncertain times at Fulham. The word is out that the club’s ownership would like to extend Marco Silva’s stay. The manager himself has been noncommittal, while also making explicit his dim view of a lack of summer transfer business. Raúl Jiménez’s winner, coming when it seemed Fulham were incapable of scoring, might still choppy waters for now. It lifted Silva’s team away from the increasing threat of a relegation battle but the manager stayed noncommittal. “I don’t need this type of performance to make important decisions,” he said.Last season’s record points tally and enterprising football has been replaced by staleness and sterility, and Fulham’s manager could argue little of that is of his making. The Khan family ownership gambled on stasis, rarely a recipe for success when others spend big. Jiménez’s goal was a measure of the veteran striker’s determination to keep trying when other heads would have dropped but relying on him remains an indictment of the lack of funding Silva an...

Politics

2 w. ago ROLAND WHITE reviews Celebrity MasterChef: Grace Dent's recipe for success? Make the cooks the stars

Celebrity MasterChef is further proof that you can make successful television from pretty much anything. The cooks' first task was to reveal a piece of food, and prepare something with that ingredient in question.

Society