Blog Posts by Princy James

If I could ever go back in time and change something, wish I could disallow the infamous 'Hand of God'. In the history of football, there had been many such instances where the legitimacy of a referee's judgment was called into question. Those decisive moments happen in the blink of an eye, often making it impossible for human eye to descry,  the latest being Manchester United-Chelsea match where referee Mark Clattenburg's erroneous decisions changed the outcome of the match.

The controversial match saw Clattenburg sending off Torress for simulation, after he seemed convinced that the latter's fall was exaggerated. Soon after, Chelsea, with their two men down, succumbed to a 3-2 defeat  as Javier Hernandez netted the ball in the 75th minute. Later, the replays showed Chicharito in offside position, but Clattenburg awarded Red Devils their winning goal.

The otherwise thrilling match thus had an unfortunate end owing to refereeing fallacy. Clattenburg, on the other hand, is no stranger to

Read More »from Beware, 'Big Brother is watching you'

"I think we will never see another player like this. He is the best in the world by far."

For Barcalona coach Tito Vilanova, Lionel Messi is undoubtedly the 'numero uno' in football. He added that Messi's arch-rival Cristiano Ronaldo would have been "more recognised" if his career had not coincided with Messi's. He wasn't downplaying Ronaldo by any means, but again, I wonder how far one can agree to that statement.

Comparisons can be exasperating, and it can inadvertently feed on the green-eyed monster that fuels animosity; the same time, it could help bring out the best in everyone. In sports, rivalries at top order have always helped players to set their limits higher - be it the Borg - McEnroe rivalry in the late 70s or Federer-Nadal duel of the current era - it draws a larger spectacle to the game without fail.

Messi or Ronaldo? The question itself is quite ambiguous as Hamlet's age old dilemma "to be, or not to be". The 6 ft 1 petulant, assertive Ronaldo isn’t a popular pick Read More »from Why it is hard to be Cristiano Ronaldo

Read More »from The return of the prodigal

Read More »from The trickery of Panenka Penalty

Andre Villas-Boas

The 'Sword of Damocles' which had been hanging above Chelsea manager Andre Villas-Boas’ head, has finally come off. Roman Abromovich has shown the door to Chelsea’s youngest-ever Manager a day after his team’s shameful defeat to Bromwich. Boas is the sixth manager to be sacked by the Russian oligarch since he acquired the Blues in 2003. The bomb was set to explode anytime after Chelsea's shameful defeat to Napoli during the UEFA Champions League home knockout games; the only question was how soon.

Chelsea on their website has said:

"The board would like to record our gratitude for his work and express our disappointment that the relationship has ended so early. Unfortunately the results and performances of the team have not been good enough and were showing no signs of improving at a key time in the season.
The club is still competing in the latter stages of the UEFA Champions League and the FA Cup, as well as challenging for a top-four spot in the Premier League, and we aim to remain as

Read More »from He came, He saw, He got axed

I've always been an Azzurri fan, a hard-core calcio aficionado. All through these years, after being subjected to much brainwashing, I still remain loyal to Italian soccer. Though the over emphasis on defense has sapped them of their acrobatic essence, I still feel drawn to them; and nothing prevented me from remaining a faithful fan, until one day I was shown a video of 1982 Brazilian World Cup soccer squad led by Socrates Oliveira.

Yes I did cheat once, I confess. But I would be lying to myself if I fail to admit that the Canarinhos outwitted the Azzurris in that second round group match. Till date, that squad is regarded as one of the greatest teams in World Cup history even if they failed to win the trophy. If you want to know why, watch this video .

I bet any footie fan would be rendered speechless after watching this. As the football fans mourn the death of the great Brazilian skipper Socrates Oliveira, I can't help lamenting over that lost glory too. The Brazilians then had a way Read More »from Remembering Socrates and his 1982 WC squad

Roger Federer had this to say after his first match at the Flushing Meadows this year:

"I really have the feeling that conditions are slower this year than last year here at the US Open. It's just unfortunate - I think that maybe all the Slams are too equal. I think they should feel very different to the Australian Open, and now I don't feel it really does. It's great for tennis, but I'm not sure if it's really what the game needs. The game needs different speed at Slams and so forth."

I agree with Federer. Variety is not just the spice of life, but also of the game. There was a time when the four Grand Slams of tennis reminded of Antonio Vivaldi's Four Seasons —  each having their unique styles. The Rebound Ace surface at Rod Laver Arena and the hard clay courts of Rolland Garros favouring the baseliners, while the fast grass at Wimbledon and acrylic hard courts of Flusing Meadows luring the serve and volleyers. The four Slams then moulded players with distinctive styles thus making Read More »from Aren’t we killing the game?

If it was choice that made Saudi Arabian billionaire Osama Bin Laden a terrorist, his ascension to the status of most wanted fugitive was a result of America's vacillating policies. The US, like a self-proclaimed Messiah, has long been perpetuating the values of democracy propagating its ideals beyond their boundaries. In theory, this way-too generous attitude of Uncle Sam sounded perfect. But in an attempt to create the so-called free societies, many of their missions did derail, failing their calculations, often ending up in catastrophes.

Insurgencies and revolts against the ruling power had been there since centuries. But in the past couple of decades, it has spread across the globe at an alarming rate like cancer. The catalytic evolution of Mujahideens - which started as an upheaval against the communist regime of Afghanistan and the occupant Soviet forces to what we see as today's al-Qaeda has surpassed imagination. It has a new face and new mission now. Today it's not something

Read More »from Osama: A Frankenstein’s monster created by the US