Old Firm: The Queen's eleven, maybe.

Despite the prospects of an independent Scotland and the hope its politicians desire, the decline of Scottish football is all too evident. Ten to fifteen years ago there was talk of allowing Glasgow Celtic and Rangers to play in the English Premier League. Both sides had terrific squads, stadium and support. Many believed they would be equals when it came to competing against England's best. Yet, the lack of prosperity and heavy debt burdens left many of Scotland's historically big clubs unable to compete financially against other European clubs and has seen a real decline in the quality of football.

Last week, the story that dominated the sporting headlines was the attempted nail bomb posted to Celtic manager Neil Lennon. Lennon, a Catholic from Northern Ireland is no stranger to controversy. He retired from international football after receiving death threats from Loyalist groups when he was captain of Northern Ireland. Recently he had graffiti laced upon the wall opposite his home calling for his death. (Unfortunately the artist wrote R.P.I instead of R.I.P – whether it was a reference to the Retail Price Index or dyslexia we’ll never know). Lennon is a character who courts animosity. He revealed in a recent interview that he got into a fight near his home in Glasgow with two medical students, whilst his girlfriend looked on. Something you may expect of youth players but not high profile managers.

Lennon took his seat yesterday in the final Old Firm fixture of the season in a match that takes precedence for the Scottish game. Yet since the Good Friday Agreement and general integration between Catholics and Protestants, do the whole religious undertones really mean anything anymore or does it breathe life into a league that appears banal compared to yesteryear?

Sectarian hate is nothing new, the game used to be a ceremony for fans to violently belittle each other. It was said that religion in Northern Ireland was something never mentioned on the street, yet the Celtic Rangers match was the occasion for exalting your religious bigotry. Songs about the IRA, the Queen and Bobby Sands were all too common. Mo Johnston, the first Catholic player to play for Rangers (or openly Catholic) had previously played for Celtic and made the sign of cross towards Rangers fans during a match (His dad was a Rangers fan and a Protestant). Graeme Souness had tried to sign Ian Rush, a Welsh Catholic, when he was manager in the late 1980s and Mark Hateley was viewed with suspicion from fans because he was married to a Catholic. It all seems quite pathetic now, but this was at a time of daily violence in the Ulster and perceived discrimination of Catholics in everyday society. The Rangers chairman David Murray saw introducing Catholics as a way of making money from sponsorship and investment.

Watching the match yesterday, particularly because of the Lennon incident, the atmosphere was boisterous as expected but it still lacked visible quality on the pitch. The tricolored Irish flag and the Union Jacks decorating the terraces (probably not in anticipation of the Royal Wedding), plus chants of ‘God Save the Queen’ did nothing to alleviate potential rest. No doubt Rangers fans thought the referee was a ‘Feinian’ after his dubious penalty decision. Yet there were few talking points otherwise in this humourless game.

Like most football derbies, there is history, as well as hate. The Easter Sunday clash marked 95 years since the ‘Easter Rising’ at the Dublin Post Office and the subsequent executions of those involved. For Real Madrid and Barcelona, there is the political battle of federalism and Catalonia. Ajax Amsterdam and Rotterdam’s Feyenoord clash over the difference between their cultural and industrial hearts. Real Sociedad and Athletic Bilbao in the Basque region of Spain both used to have transfer policies that did not permit the signing of non-Basque players, these have now been relaxed in recent years like the violence in that region. Football does move with the times, even England have a more continental outlook to the game than previously. It is the fan culture that loves to look back; it is the history that makes them and the club. Changing stadiums or signing players are important issues and nothing to be taken lightly. Arsenal fans voiced their disgust when the club issued a white away kit, colour of their rival's Tottenham. History is indicative of the future.

Perhaps the bellicose of yesterday’s match hides the decline of the Scottish game in general. Matches are worth winning, but they are definitely never worth dying for. Traditions are for keeping.

The risks they take - war reporting

Journalism can be a despised profession and the recent ‘phone hacking’ from the News of the World reflects why journalists are often deemed as likeable as politicians and lawyers. Yet, the death on Thursday of the British journalist Tim Hetherington in Misrata, Libya reflects a perspective and approach that many people neglect and take advantage of. Journalists, particularly those embedded with troops or reporting in war zones are often seen as adrenaline junkies and taking gambits to seize a story or a career opportunity, but most of the time this is not the case. Reporting in war zones to make ‘the first draft of history’ is enterprising but harrowing as its content can show people at a nadir in their lives. Violence, mortars and perpetual gunfire are all hazards of the job and it entails specialist survival training to deal with unexpected events like kidnapping or roadblocks.

There are some unhealthy aspects of journalism that have crept in of late. Sensationalism, pervasive press releases and dry stories. I remember dispatches from a journalist in Afghanistan reporting with the Parachute Regiment in the deathly heat of Helmand. The immense fire power from the Taliban and the near annihilation of a platoon not only showed the courage of the soldiers but the eloquence and intrepid reporting showed the risks the troops faced. Without journalism how would we know this? Tim Hetherington’s death is a tragedy and brings to the world’s attention what is happening to ordinary Libyans. His death has grabbed the headlines, which I’m sure he would never have wished, but it doesn’t highlight journalists being gagged, imprisoned or murdered for their profession.

Africa's continuous burn - Cote D'Ivoire

The news has been jumping around the world over the past few weeks covering the major events unfolding diplomatically and politically. Much of the attention has been in North Africa and the chaos surrounding Colonel Gadaffi and his struggle to retain power in Libya. Little has made of the events that have unfolded in Ivory Coast and the Presidential stand-off between the incumbent Laurent Gbagbo and the declared winner Alassane Ouatarra. Earlier today, Mr Gbagbo surrendered to troops that had been surrounding his bunker in Abidjan for the past few days. Reports have not confirmed how many people have been killed from the ensuing fighting, but it is safe to confirm that a region wide disaster has been avoided. The obvious question is could this have been avoided and is Africa still unable to learn lessons from its disastrous post-colonial past?

The election in Ivory Coast took place in November last year. Mr Gbagbo, who had been in charge for the last ten years, declared that his opponent had rigged the vote and that he would remain in power. Mr Ouattara, a Muslim from the north, had been confirmed by electoral watchers and the UN as the winner. The stalemate since then has slowly seen Mr Ouattara remain in his lavish hotel surrounded by government troops, whilst foreign powers decide who is in charge. The problem for Ivory Coast and for other countries in Africa, is that it is not an isolated example. As the two men fiddled, the economy burned, thousands fled to nearby Liberia and school children could not go to school for three months. The country suffered a horrendous civil war in the early part of this century, fuelled by political and ethnic tensions among Presidential hopefuls. Africa’s big men continue to play their tribal card to the detriment of the wider population.

In Kenya, six members of the Cabinet are currently under prosecution at the ICC in The Hague. All are believed to be behind the political fighting that saw over a 1,000 people die after the 2008 elections. In Zimbabwe, the current power share between Robert Mugabe and Morgan Tsvangirai appears to have fractured further as the two sides continue to isolate and ignore each other. The obvious answer comes down to power. In power, they are celebrated and admired; it only cultivates their thirst for more. Gbagbo is known as ‘la boulanger’ (the baker) because of his capability to knead opponents and dust them with favours, it may sound favourable but it highlights the long term trouble of autocrats. Africa’s endemic problem is down to corruption; leaders continually bribe fellow members of their tribe for their vote and give favours to political rivals. By all means, it is not isolated to Africa, but much of the trouble stems not from colonial mismanagement but from the ill-judged and short term policies of its leaders. The cost of civil wars is obvious at a human level, but the destruction of economic stability, infrastructure and confidence is ultimately undermined for decades. The slow cycle induces sides to continue their greed, and civil wars/coup d’états are more likely.

This does have a bearing on us all and the world we want to live in. Yet, we cannot continue to meddle in African politics. The role France played in both Ivory Coast and Tunisia recently shows that its interference only helps the tyrants.The continent needs a strategy to deal with tensions militarily and economically. The Africa Union’s presence in Libya is welcome, yet the unhealthy cult of personality and power in heads of government may render its long term wider plans to be futile. Short term stability breeds long term instability.

Swearing by it - Rooney style.

The bizarre circumstances surrounding Wayne Rooney’s hat-trick celebration last week have continued to make headlines a week later and will continue to plague the England man’s unrepentant and mercenary attitude. Rooney was subsequently given a two match ban from the FA for swearing into a pitch side camera after scoring his third goal of the game. Sportsmen and women have often used rage to propel them in athletic competitions and their effect has seen them come away with medals, Seb Coe in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and Sir Steve Redgrave in the 2000 Sydney games come to mind, but Rooney’s tirade seemed unprovoked and above all daft.

The FA’s decision bore critics who dispute that swearing is inevitably part of the game and the culture from players to fans is extremely difficult to change. Others suggest they should have gone further and used Rooney as an example to punish football’s acerbic attitude; and to try and incorporate a greater respect and professionalism from sports like Rugby. What perhaps is most noticeable is Rooney’s reaction midweek and performance in the Champions League. The argument that appears to have a definitive answer is that Man Utd will most likely capture their nineteenth championship. Sir Alex Ferguson’s calculating brilliance and continuous atmosphere of ‘them versus us’ attitude appears to have spurred United on to play their best football of the year so far.

I personally think swearing is something you cannot stop and is partly because of the people who play the game. It is corrosive, inarticulate and breeds aggression; but tempers will flare in competitive sport with the pressures and scrutiny upon everyone who plays it.

Despite all this, it will continues to defy the reputation of the FA and their impotence to control or regulate anything on or off the pitch.

A flat wicket - the trouble with cricket.

The busy sporting calendar hid the culmination of this year’s ICC Cricket World Cup final. For the last month, teams from around the world have played the now much maligned 50 over game on the subcontinent. In the end, it was the hosts, India, who managed to lift the trophy and send the world’s most cricket loving fans into a national party. Cricket has suffered a bad press over the past 18 months and administrators have struggled to cope with the changing face of modern sport and the pressures that surround the modern cricketer. From this month of cricket the ICC have some many difficulties to address.

The tournament shows that the 50-over game is not dead and managed to create some interesting results with tense endings, not to mention some brilliant individual displays. The problem for the ICC is purely the intensity of the cricketing calendar. For England it has been a non-stop cricketing show for the past six months, starting in Australia for the Ashes and then exiting the World Cup in the quarter finals. To a television audience the continuous schedules of international cricket may be a blessing, but it is evident that player burn out is compromising the elegance of the game. Despite some of England’s entertaining and yet miserable performances, the team were not low on morale, they were simply fatigued. The departure of Michael Yardy after the group stages through depression is a rare event but it highlights the stresses players have to go through playing professional cricket.

Critics will always flag the fact that these men are paid handsomely during their careers. They are fulfilling the dreams of many players and fans, this is true. I would point out the fact that it ultimately does not generate the best cricket. Cricket is a game played with both mind and body. The stresses of intense schedules have meant the likes of Andrew Flintoff and Brett Lee had to curtail their careers. The final was a battle of two exciting teams with two special geniuses. Both Muralitharan and Tendulkar have been destroying teams for years with their intensity and unique skills. Perhaps it was a fair result from the day’s cricket but one can’t help to think what a fit Murali may have come up with. The ICC have three popular formats but more cricket does not equal great cricket.