“Twenty years after Britain’s worst football stadium disaster, in which 96 people died, Mike Bracken shares his painful memories for the first time – and describes the ongoing fight for recognition of what really happened.” Guardian, The Indeependent, the echo, Wikipedia, The Hillsborough Justice Campaign, BBC, This Is Anfield, Sun, YouTube, (1)

“In football administration, democracy is an awkward concept. One Rochdale, for example, clearly does not have the same weight as one Manchester United – even 30 Rochdales together would struggle. It was the realisation of this basic truth that helped launch the Premier League, on the basis that if the major clubs were creating most attention and spending the most money, the structure of the game should reflect their importance.” (BBC – Tim Vickery)

Hleb: Belarus are getting better (FIFA)
“After five years in Germany, the man christened The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by local sports media switched to the top of the English Premier League with Arsenal in 2005.”

David Villa returns the conquering hero only to play the villain (The Sport Blog)
“Behind the goal, supporters peered through cameras, ready to immortalise the moment. Heavy-set stewards took their eyes off the fans and turned to the pitch. Ball boys stood open-mouthed. There was a collective pause, an intake of breath. Some wondered if he would really do it. Then the whistling began, as heavy-hearted as it was necessary.”

Alan Hansen’s column (BBC – Alan Hansen)
“The task facing Liverpool in Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Chelsea is mega, simply huge. Having lost 3-1 at home in the first leg, Rafael Benitez’s side must go to Stamford Bridge, against a top side in great form, and win 3-0 – and when was the last time any side went there and did that?”

Beckham is world’s highest earning player (CNN)
“It’s fair to say David Beckham may be seeing more green off the football pitch than he does on it. Despite a difficult and expensive period negotiating an extended release from his LA Galaxy club — Beckham has been named as the world’s highest-earning footballer by Forbes magazine.”