Evening Standard
Charles van Commenee: Plastic Brits is offensive . . . there’s no such thing
Britain’s Olympic coach speaks to Standard Sport’s Mihir Bose about the controversy that’s raging off the track
Evening Standard
'You’re British or you’re not. Sport is about bringing people together. That’s how I look at it,' says Charles van Commenee. Image courtesy of Evening Standard
Charles van Commenee has never been afraid to speak his mind — he famously called Kelly Sotherton “a wimp” for only managing a bronze at the Athens Olympics when he felt she should have got silver.
But did the Dutch coach of UK Athletics stir more controversy than he could handle by appointing Tiffany Porter captain of the British team for the recent World Indoor Championships in Istanbul?
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Why pride has come after the fall for former RFU boss
Official’s 10 months at Twickenham ended in chaos but he claims changes on his watch have helped revival of the national team.
Evening Standard
Tumultuous reign: John Steele believes there is real potential in the full England team. Image courtesy of Evening Standard
John Steele has not set foot inside Twickenham since he was sacked as chief executive of the Rugby Football Union last June.
“I’ve had a few invitations to go back and will in due course,” he says. “I thought I should leave a healthy time for the dust to settle.”
Given that his departure resulted in recriminations and resignations, it may be quite a while before Steele returns. Martyn Thomas, the RFU chairman who sacked Steele and took over as acting chief executive, himself fell on his sword following England’s disastrous World Cup and a series of reviews which revealed the chaotic state of English rugby.
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Robert Waley-Cohen: I don’t care what critics say, my son deserves to ride in the Gold Cup
Racecourse chief can’t wait for week’s blue riband event and rejects talk it is wrong to stick with family partnership which won last year
Evening Standard
On track: Robert Waley-Cohen is excited by the Festival and he hopes his son Sam will guide Long Run to another victory in the meeting’s feature race. Image courtesy of Evening Standard
Robert Waley-Cohen is chairman of Cheltenham Racecourse but, on Friday, he will not be presiding when the Princess Royal presents the most coveted prize in jump racing.
His horse, Long Run, is the favourite for the Gold Cup and will be ridden by his son, Sam. “If we win I don’t think I can stand here with a microphone in my hand saying we’d like to welcome to the podium the winning owner,” says Waley-Cohen Snr. “That’s obviously nonsense. If I lose, I’m not sure I have a big enough heart to smile broadly while somebody else is given the award.”
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Andy Gray: ‘I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about killing myself’
Former star of Sky Sports talks for the first time about the despair he felt after being sacked over sexist comments and how ‘some of the joy’ has gone out of his life in the wake of the row
Evening Standard
In a corner: as the sexism row snowballed, Andy Gray got into further trouble when footage of his comments to Andy Burton were made public. Image courtesy of Evening Standard
Until a year ago, Andy Gray was always sure he was in control of his life. “I’d always thought nothing would faze me.”
But, caught on camera making sexist remarks and sacked by Sky for what the channel described as “unacceptable and offensive behaviour”, Gray was overwhelmed with doubt. “I was on the floor. I’ve never been like that in my life.”
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Al Jazeera ready to bid for the Premier League
Evening Standard
Aiming high: Al Jazeera are ready to bid for Premier League games. Image courtesy of Evening Standard
Al Jazeera could be a sensational new bidder to show Premier League football, according to ESPN boss Ross Hair.
The current three-season TV deal which saw Sky and ESPN pay a total of £1.78billion to screen 138 top-flight live games per year ends in May 2013.
The fight for the next three-year contract is due to start in the spring and will be tougher than ever with the Qatar-owned TV channel said to be weighing up a move. Al Jazeera has already entered the French market. It screens Ligue 1 games and from next season it will also show the majority of Champions League matches on TV in France.
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Other Evening Standard tagged articles
- Why pride has come after the fall for former RFU boss - March 20, 2012
- Robert Waley-Cohen: I don’t care what critics say, my son deserves to ride in the Gold Cup - March 13, 2012
- Al Jazeera ready to bid for the Premier League - February 28, 2012
- Ross Hair: ‘We won’t risk it all to keep the premier TV contract’ - February 28, 2012
- Cliff Jones: This is best Spurs team since we did the Double - February 21, 2012
- PFA urged John Terry to quit England captaincy for European Championships - February 14, 2012
- Chris Powell: racist abuse between players was accepted in my day - February 14, 2012
- Sir John Armitt: We’ve made a magical place in London for the next 100 years - February 7, 2012
- The Spirit of the Game – Evening Standard review - February 2, 2012
- India really has outgrown the need for UK aid - February 2, 2012
- Phil Taylor’s fearless ’son’, Adrian Lewis, has him in his sights - January 31, 2012
- English season is baffling, says Springbok Pienaar - January 27, 2012
- Mouritz Botha: There’s no stopping me now - January 24, 2012
- Meet David Collier, the England cricket chief on Australia’s side - January 17, 2012
- Lord Coe: I can’t let the athletes down…that would be a cardinal sin - January 3, 2012
- Snooker’s ‘naughty boy’ Judd Trump has nothing to fear any more - December 20, 2011
- Meet AP McCoy, the champion jockey searching for another 396 winners - December 13, 2011
- Daley Thompson: Olympics can inspire our computer kids - December 6, 2011
- Race isn’t a black and white issue in grassroots football - December 2, 2011
- Vinnie Jones: I’ve proved anybody can turn a corner - November 22, 2011
- Lord Condon: Every country has fixed matches, not just Pakistan - November 15, 2011
- RFU need clean sweep, says Francis Baron - November 1, 2011
- Sachin and I have the best figures but we’re not the greatest - October 25, 2011
- We’ve found our bite, says Andrew Strauss - October 18, 2011
- John Gosden: Racing has got its cup final now, but on the wrong day - October 11, 2011
- QPR’s new owner won’t splash the cash like Roman Abramovich - September 20, 2011
- At the heart of The Valley is a City slicker - September 13, 2011
- Michel D’Hooghe: ‘It’s totally untrue that my vote was influenced’ - September 6, 2011
- Foreign stars have made the English game suffer, says Uwe Rösler - August 30, 2011
- Roy Hodgson: I’d like England job but it’s important everyone looks at the big picture - August 23, 2011
- The Olympic super brands take over London - August 22, 2011
- England can win the Rugby World Cup, says Schalk Brits - August 9, 2011
- Lee Westwood: I’ve learned the hard way that I must not panic - August 2, 2011
- Forget all the issues at HQ, the only thing my men are worried about is the World Cup - July 22, 2011
- Pulling out of FIFA is FA’s nuclear option - July 5, 2011
- Clive Lloyd: If only India could see the review system is fair - June 28, 2011
- Caroline Wozniacki: I haven’t won a Grand slam but everyone would like to be in my position - June 21, 2011
- FA come under attack as Blatter wins by landslide - June 1, 2011
- Sepp Blatter’s allies still all live in his fantasy world - May 31, 2011
- Time to explode the great immigration myths - May 19, 2011
- Wandering star Chris Ashton can’t sit still for 10 minutes - May 10, 2011
- We must act to save Pakistan for democracy - May 5, 2011
- Athletics will never escape the shame of Ben Johnson - March 10, 2011
- Mo Farah’s great American dream is realised via Africa - March 1, 2011
- Chris Powell: Sven is my mentor, I’m not a cup thrower - February 24, 2011
- Phil Taylor: People like me because I’ve not tried to be flash - February 15, 2011
- Lalit Modi: All I’ve done is created the IPL, the hottest league in the world - December 23, 2010
- David Bernstein named as FA’s new chairman - December 23, 2010
- David Dein wants to be FA chairman… but on two conditions - December 22, 2010
- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar - September 28, 2010
- London is perfect for my family, says Neil Warnock - August 31, 2010
- Keith Harris: Selling a club for £500m is a tricky business - August 24, 2010
- Phillips Idowu: I’m glad I didn’t win gold in Beijing - August 17, 2010
- Franz Beckenbauer: Forget technology, referees must improve - July 13, 2010
- John Barnes: England won’t win until they embrace team ethic - June 29, 2010
- Gonzalo Higuain hat-trick sends out warning - June 17, 2010
- Lord Coe Interview - February 10, 2010
