11th May 1985: The fire at Valley Parade, the football ground in Bradford where 56 people died.
“… For Stuart McCall, it’s the ashen-faced police officer quietly revealing an hour or so after Bradford City’s antiquated wooden main stand had been engulfed in flames, ‘All those who could get out, got out’. Former police chief inspector Terry Slocombe, meanwhile, recalls vividly how the intense heat meant those pulling fans to safety had to keep retreating to the centre of the pitch to take precious breaths, just as sports reporter David Markham can “still hear the crackling of the timber burning” when he closes his eyes. …”
NY Times/The Athletic
“Only the concrete corner block housing the dressing rooms remains today from the Valley Parade where tragedy struck in 1985. Looking around Bradford City’s rebuilt home, it’s hard to believe 56 lives were lost here as fire ripped through the wooden main stand with such ferocity that eye-witnesses later described the flames spreading ‘faster than a man could run’. Hundreds more were left seriously injured in what, until Hillsborough four years later, was the worst stadium disaster in the history of English football. …”
NY Times/The Athletic: The Bradford City fire, 40 years on: How the club, the city and football responded
Riots at Heysel during Liverpool’s European Cup final against Juventus on May 29, 1985
“It may seem a strange thing to say about a man who has won the World Cup, Copa America and Premier League over the past two-and-a-half years, but Alexis Mac Allister’s genius is underrated. Perhaps this is simply what happens when you play in the same national team as Lionel Messi, and have Mohamed Salah as a club team-mate. Maybe it is down to his unassuming nature. Or could it be his physical size? At Anfield, his fellow midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Ryan Gravenberch literally stand out more than the 5ft 9in (176cm) Argentinian. …”
“Football tactics have experienced a boom in recent years, but even the most progressive fan still loves to see their team ‘stick it in the mixer’. In many ways, the football we watch has become increasingly cultured in the Premier League, but ask yourself this: who doesn’t reminisce about Rory Delap’s iconic long throw-ins for Stoke City in the late 2000s? The drop in directness from these towards the end of the previous decade in the Premier League coincided with a decrease in the percentage of goalkeeper passes played long — defined as ones that travel at least 32m (35 yards) — as more teams were focusing on maintaining possession, building out from the back, and recycling the ball if they lost it. …”
“Mohamed Salah is five goals clear of Alexander Isak in the race for the Golden Boot and leads 
“Let’s start with a quick quiz question. Aside from Trent Alexander-Arnold, who is the Liverpool player to most recently score from a direct free kick in the Premier League? I’ll give you a clue. It happened in 2017, and was scored by a player who, as Real Madrid target Alexander-Arnold seems set to do this summer, left Anfield for Spain. We’ll give you the answer at the end of the article, but the fact that it has been over seven years since anyone in a Liverpool shirt apart from Alexander-Arnold had success from a dead-ball points not only to the right-back’s qualities but also the team’s over-reliance on him. …”
“Luton Town fans looked dumbfounded. Their team had just been beaten 5-3 by West Bromwich Albion in a breathless game on the final day of the Championship season to confirm relegation into English football’s third tier. Some hugged loved ones for comfort; others just held their heads in their hands. It was a dark day in the club’s recent history, and all the more painful given that — just 12 short months ago — Luton still had a chance of staying in the Premier League. They ultimately lost that fight but started this season among the promotion favourites. …”
“The last time Inter visited Barcelona for a 
“Arsenal face a trip to the French capital next week with a one-goal deficit after losing at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final. Just like the tie against Real Madrid in the quarter-final, the Emirates crowd created a raucous atmosphere before kick-off for their side’s first Champions League semi-final in 16 years. But Ousmane Dembele put PSG in front after four minutes to quieten the home support with his 25th goal in 2025. …”
“The title is within touching distance for 
“Last weekend, Pep Guardiola spent 15 minutes standing on the Goodison Park turf, long before his Manchester City players came out for their pre-game warm-up. ‘I remember when I was a little boy,’ he said later of Goodison, ahead of Everton’s move to their new home at Bramley-Moore Dock this summer. ‘Today, I watched the (stadium big) screen with goals from Gary Lineker and said, ‘Wow, this is English football’.’ In Spanish, Guardiola might be known as a ‘mitomano’ — somebody quick to idolise, generally, a person. In his case, it is footballers, but also stadiums and competitions. He would watch English football on television when he was a youngster in the Catalan town of Santpedor. Not that many games were available on television in the 1970s and 1980s, but he obviously saw enough for some core memories to form. …”
“Newcastle United’s long wait for a trophy ended under Wembley’s arch just as evening was descending, the sun disappearing and, with it, 70 years of domestic strife. Mid-March’s victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final marked the end of seven trophyless decades on Tyneside (the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup excluded) and, with it, perhaps, the beginning of something else. As black-and-whites on the pitch and in the stands celebrated the end of an unwanted era, one emblem of their new era stood front and centre. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, club chairman, made his way onto the pitch and held up the trophy. He is also the governor of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), Newcastle’s majority shareholder. …”
“Liverpool’s Dutch connection has led the club to the brink of glory. Arne Slot is on course to become only the fifth manager to win the title in his debut Premier League season. Virgil van Dijk is close to making history, as the first player from the Netherlands to captain a team to England’s top-flight crown. Ryan Gravenberch has sparkled since being 
“There was a time, not all that long ago, when Tottenham Hotspur were routinely highlighted as the Premier League’s best-run club. And by not that long ago, we mean last August. Fair Game, a campaign group for improved football governance, placed Spurs as the highest-ranking English club in their 
“Just over a week ago, a new part-owner of fifth division team Dagenham & Redbridge appeared on 
“It feels like there’s a wave of negativity across English football at the moment, not merely concerning the soul of the game — an evergreen concern — but more about the quality and style of what we’re watching. This is despite the Premier League being almost unquestionably the world’s best league, certainly when judged on the average standard of team, if not necessarily on those at the top of the division. Besides, recent seasons have produced record-breaking goals-per-game figures in the Premier League era and while a higher number being scored in itself is not automatically entertaining, it’s surely preferable to the reverse. …”
“You see the bus at the stop. It’s just over there. You can obviously make it. You quicken your step. As you do, you hear the engine start. The doors fold closed. You could sprint for it — you’re fast enough — but the idea is unappealing. The sweat, sure, but also just the indignity of it. You don’t need this bus. There will be others. The doors reopen. Someone else is now getting on. It’s extremely makeable now, you could probably just jog. But something stops you. You have already committed to not going for it, your nonchalance now non-negotiable. It could linger there for 20 or 30 more seconds for all you care. You’re walking slowly, you’re missing that bus and that’s the end of the matter. …”
“At the end of the first half of extra time against Lyon, the TV cameras caught Ruben Amorim with his tactics board out. You might not be far wrong if you believed that the board merely had one straight line on it, bottom to top, indicating for Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire to move to centre-forward, and little else. ‘We’re probably short on attackers,’ 
“When Virgil van Dijk is mentioned in the pantheon of great Premier League defenders, it occasionally comes with a caveat. Yes, he has the trophies, the class and the longevity that are the traditional hallmarks of all-time greats. But has he always been confronted by the very best? Football has changed and even before his emergence at Liverpool it was said that the classic No 9 was disappearing from the game. Van Dijk has not had to deal with an Alan Shearer-type, a human cyclone who would wear his opponent down, going one-to-one, testing them physically as much as technically. …”
“Historically, Bayern Munich have always had the upper hand over Inter at San Siro. In their previous four competitive matches in Milan, the German side were victorious in each one of them. That’s why Harry Kane’s opener in the second leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie gave the impression that history might be repeating itself. …”
“Tonight’s trip to Chelsea, in all probability, will be the 16th and final European game of Legia Warsaw’s season. A 3-0 first-leg deficit in the Conference League quarter-finals has left a mountain to climb, and the adventures of Poland’s biggest club will likely end at Stamford Bridge. UEFA is too diplomatic to publicly celebrate any club’s exit, but parting with the perennial bad boys at least rids their disciplinary department of a long, nagging headache. …”
“The cyclical nature of tactical evolution in football means that when something is in vogue, it’s only a matter of time before everyone catches up. The increased focus on attacking corners in the Premier League in the last couple of seasons — accompanied by the rise of set-piece specialists — correlated with a hike in the number of goals scored from corners. However, the defensive aspect of corners is equally important. The recent threat of attacking corners in the Premier League has logically been followed by a focus on defending from corners. Has it worked? …”
“Aston Villa are out of the 
“Time can make fools of us all. Even supercomputers. Barring some sensational results in the quarter-final second legs this week, there are probably only five teams left who can win this season’s 
“It’s been a breathless start to the game. After conceding inside the first two minutes, France Under-21s lead 2-1 against an England side who have just hit the post. Enzo Millot, the France captain, picks up possession midway inside his own half and sweeps a lofted pass out to the right. Only Rayan Cherki knows why he chose to do what he did next. …”
“Declan Rice stunned Real Madrid with two brilliant free-kick goals to help 
“Three games, three days and three degrees of desperation, a tragical misery tour that leads from Suffolk to London and on to the East Midlands. Roll up for a relegation road trip featuring Ipswich Town, Southampton and Leicester City, clubs promoted to the Premier League last season and now going, gone and almost certainly going, who have found the promised land to be harsh and infertile. …”
“Just when you think you’ve seen everything that football has to offer, along come Ipswich Town. Amid another morale-sapping defeat that all but sealed their relegation from the Premier League, Ipswich, with a little help from their opponents, Wolverhampton Wanderers, served up the maddest two minutes of Premier League action you are likely to see this season. A backpass, a mistake, a save, a free kick, a melee on the goal line, a thudding shot and a point-blank block… there was nothing technically proficient about any of it, but it was memorable. Are you not entertained? 
“Anthony Elanga scored a thrilling solo goal to tighten Nottingham Forest’s grip on a surprise Champions League place next season and leave Ruben Amorim’s Manchester United side languishing in 13th in the Premier League. The former United forward covered 85 metres of the City Ground pitch in nine seconds, taking seven touches, the last of which was a shot past Andre Onana to give Forest the lead after five minutes. United, like many teams against Forest this season, had plenty of possession but Diogo Dalot hit the crossbar and Ryan Yates blocked well from Alejandro Garnacho and they could not find a way to level the scores, with Murillo also clearing the ball off the line from Harry Maguire at the death and celebrating in style. …”
“There has been little to cheer about for supporters of Southampton Football Club this season. Southampton were promoted back to the Premier League last summer at the first time of asking via victory over Leeds United in the Championship’s play-off final, but it has not been a happy first campaign on their return to the English top flight. They’ve only managed two league wins in their 29 games, sacked the manager who brought them up, Russell Martin, in December, are on a nine-match losing streak at home and have conceded 70 goals, which, unsurprisingly, is more than any other top-flight team. …”
“… It is the first weekend of Norway’s football season and, inside the stadium of Oslo’s biggest club, the stand where Valerenga’s most boisterous supporters congregate is 
“Early morning Basque sunshine is threatening to break through. Take the first turning off the main road and you will come across Real Union’s bar, tucked into the corner of their stadium. Inside, gentle music is playing as a couple of locals enjoy a coffee. The artificial pitch used for training is opposite and Real Union’s first-team players have started to trickle out for today’s session. It is here, in the province of Gipuzkoa, where Aston Villa manager Unai Emery’s footballing foundations were formed. Real Union play in Irun, a sovereign community of just over 60,000 in the Basque Country, about a 25-minute drive east of San Sebastian, Gipuzkoa’s capital, and four kilometres from Emery’s family home in Hondarribia. …”
“With the Premier League title race and relegation battle seemingly wrapped up before April, you might think there is little peril remaining in the final weeks of 2024-25. Fear not. Any thrill-seekers need only look as far as the race for Champions League spots, with as many as seven teams still fighting to dine at Europe’s top table next season. Liverpool, Arsenal, and Nottingham Forest have separated themselves from the remaining pack at the top of the table but based on the latest UEFA coefficient standings, fifth is enough for a place in the 2025-26 Champions League. One more win for any of the five English sides remaining in a European competition this season should confirm that additional spot in the continent’s top tournament. …”
“Kevin Day is talking about trophy cabinets and silver allergies. ‘We’ve only got two FA Cup finals to our name,’ the writer, comedian and lifelong Crystal Palace fan says. ‘That’s one of the things about Steve Parish insisting we were founded in 1861 and not 1905 — it just adds another 44 years to the amount of time we haven’t won anything.’ Parish, the Palace chairman, likes his history, and opportunity knocks right now for his club to create some. Palace are one of the four out of this weekend’s FA Cup quarter-finalists who have never won a major trophy — Fulham, Brighton & Hove Albion and Bournemouth are the others — opening the door to the possibility of a first-time winner and a 45th different name being engraved on one of football’s most famous pieces of silverware. …”
“On average, about one in every 30 corners leads to a goal. The success rate tends to go up dramatically, however, when the goalkeeper and their entire defence are standing outside their six-yard box when a corner is taken. That was the remarkable scene during the UEFA Nations League quarter-final in Dortmund on Sunday. Germany’s Jamal Musiala turned the ball into an empty net against an Italy team who acted like they thought the game would stop for them to hold a debrief into where everything had been going wrong for them during the first half. Joshua Kimmich had other ideas and the combination of his brilliant quick-thinking and Musiala’s goal-hanging — allied to a ball boy who was, well, on the ball — led to Germany doubling their 1-0 lead from a highly unusual corner on 36 minutes, and making fools out of Italy in the process. …”
“Football fans love the idea of the clean break, the fresh start, and the new era that is unlike anything that has come before. When Thomas Tuchel got the 
“It was referred to as the darkest period in Mexican football history. Following Mexico’s exit in the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Mexico lost to the U.S. 2-0 in the semifinals of the Concacaf Nations League in 2023. Before that, El Tri had lost to the Americans in the 2019 Nations League final, and also suffered a defeat in Cincinnati in 2021 during the World Cup qualifiers prior to Qatar. Shortly before the 2022 World Cup, then-Mexico federation president Yon de Luisa fired his entire sporting department in what was viewed as a last-gasp effort to change the national team’s direction prior to the tournament. Yet Mexico crashed out, snapping a streak of seven straight knockout-stage berths, while the U.S. escaped its group. El Tri were no longer the Kings of Concacaf. Instead, they were forced to look up at their most bitter rivals, as the U.S. celebrated an unprecedented run of success against their neighbors to the south. …”
“At the beginning of March, Liverpool were surging under Arne Slot. Less than a fortnight ago, Slot’s first season at Anfield was geared up to be one of the greatest in club history. The Premier League was a procession. A Carabao Cup final awaited. The Champions League was theirs to snaffle up, too, after topping the revamped league stage. Not so now. In the space of six days, Liverpool’s lofty season has tumbled. From looking so imperious during the Dutchman’s first six months at the helm, now Slot’s side are left with just the Premier League to play for — though it would take quite the implosion for that to fall out of their grasp. The Carabao Cup and Champions League are gone. …”
“Arturo Sarukhán, Mexico’s ambassador to the United States between 2007 and 2013, is recalling the earliest conversations that took place over a bid for the United States and Mexico to co-host a men’s soccer World Cup. … Sarukhán’s logic? This would be a World Cup with no need for the construction of white-elephant stadiums. His underlying reason? To make a powerful statement to Mexicans and Americans. The ambition extended further when Canada was invited to join the 2026 ‘United’ bid that in 2018 secured hosting rights for 2026. Seven years on, however, and 15 months out from the tournament’s opening game, Sarukhán is alarmed by the geo-political situation that has gripped North America and its neighbors since Donald Trump began a second term as U.S. president in January. …”
“On Sunday evening, for the first time since 2007 — long before Diego Simeone took charge — Atletico Madrid lost a match having held a two-goal lead. And when a team comes back from 2-0 down to win 4-2 in a match with major significance in the title race, the instinct is to ask precisely what changed in the tactical battle, particularly when two managers with wildly different philosophies, Simeone and Hansi Flick, were involved. …”
“Arsenal’s return to the top table of English football has been a long time coming. Two decades have passed since they last won the Premier League title — few who watched their famed ‘Invincibles’ team of 2003-04 would have predicted that would be the last of Arsene Wenger’s league successes. Yet football, and perhaps English football more than anywhere else, has changed dramatically since those days of Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Robert Pires. Financially, Arsenal have had to deal with the seemingly bottomless wealth of first Chelsea and then Manchester City, two rivals whose various periods of domestic dominance were at least in some part built on the back of Arsenal’s hard work, given they raided Wenger for many of his best players. …”
