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International HOT or NOT
What’s cool, and not so cool, in football this week…
HOT
Roy Keane
Thirteen years after calling Mick McCarthy and English c*** and storming out of Ireland’s World Cup training base in Saipan, Keano has finally booked his place at another major finals. Jon Walters was the hero of Ireland’s play-off triumph against Bosnia with both goals in a 2-0 second-leg victory in Dublin, while Martin O'Neill has rightly taken the plaudits for navigating a route to France 2016 via the toughest of qualification groups, but it’s Keane who has proved most doubters wrong. Considered too combustible for management after a series of failures at club level, Ireland’s former captain has been a positive influence as O'Neill’s assistant. He’s so chilled out he’s even started doing jokes: “As long as we’re not in Saipan we’ll be alright,” Keane quipped after Monday’s victory.
Tamas Priskin
When Baddeil and Skinner first sang about 30 years of hurt, they were just lamenting the number of years since England had won a tournament. For Hungary, that’s the amount of time that has elapsed since they so much as qualified for one. It’s been an arduous and unacceptably lengthy barren spell for a nation that once boasted the world’s best football team, but a 3-1 aggregate victory against Norway in the Euro 2016 play-offs has propelled the Magyars back into the big time. The fact that their most eye-catching performer against the Norwegians was a 29-year-old Ipswich Town reject tells you that Hungary are no longer the world’s best team. But for the thousands of long-suffering fans who celebrated long into the Budapest night, Priskin might as well have been Puskas.
England fans
The oft-maligned followers of England’s national side are not the most popular fans in international football. Indeed, they aren’t even very popular in England. But the atmosphere created at Wembley for Tuesday’s poignant visit of France was something for the nation - and for football - to be proud of. Some England fans may not have previously been deemed capable of reading the words of La Marseillaise, let alone singing them. But sing them they did, loudly and with touching effect, as all corners of the ground rose for the French national anthem before kick-off. Despite the painful circumstances of the occasion, the Wembley crowd provided a stirring display of defiance, unity and hope.
NOT
Denmark
If there’s one thing that Zlatan Ibrahimovic is better at than scoring goals, it’s rubbing his opponents’ noses in it afterwards. And when that opponent happens to be an arch Scandinavian rival, there’s even less chance of humility in victory from Sweden’s record goalscorer. After netting twice in a qualification-clinching draw in Copenhagen on Tuesday, the 34-year-old striker declared the demise of the Danish nation. “It was great to do this here in Denmark. They said they were going to send me to retirement. I sent their whole nation into retirement,” Ibrahmovic said. You can just imagine him as a youngster scoring a hatful of goals against a group of beleaguered fellow schoolchildren and running around the playground shouting “loooooosers!”. The worst bit for the Danes is that they have no comeback. They’re losers.
Michael Carrick
An undeniable Premier League star for Man Utd, Tottenham and West Ham, the 34-year-old has long been England’s most cultured, composed midfielder, with a range of passing that is a joy to behold. But in an international career spanning 14 years, he has often been found lacking - no more so than against teams such as Spain, who play Carrick at his own game, but better. Taking on the likes of Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta in the 2-0 friendly defeat in Alicante, Carrick was outclassed before being taken off injured in the closing stages. The accomplished midfield performances of Dele Alli and Eric Dier in England’s next match against France could spell the end of an international career that has rarely delivered on its promise.
Rigobert Song
He may be remembered by Premier League fans an as erratic presence at Liverpool and West Ham, but the superbly haired former centre-back played in four World Cups during a distinguished career for Cameroon. Now manager of Chad, the 39-year-old was on course for a fifth trip to the finals after his side beat Egypt 1-0 in the first leg of their African qualification play-off. Unfortunately, a series of flight delays on their way to the second leg meant Chad’s players touched down in Egypt just three hours before the game was due to start. They arrived at the Alexandria stadium with 30 minutes to spare and barely had time for a pre-match warm-up. Chad’s narrow lead was quickly wiped out as Song’s side conceded twice in the first 10 minutes on their way to a 4-0 defeat. It means there will be no fifth World Cup just yet for Rigobert, who may opt to fly Ryanair next time.
