Mail & Guardian
Mail & Guardian
Samindra Kunti

Creator

Samindra Kunti

The athletes’ village built in Sochi for the 2014 Winter Olympics.

Olympic white elephants haunt Sochi

Cold reality hits the Russian town where vast sums of money were spent on the 2014 Winter Olympics.

It takes all sports: The Lusail Multipurpose Hall in Doha

Qatar’s invisible hosts miss the fun

The emirate is not short of sporting stars and enthusiastic expatriates, but something’s missing.

Seleo clock up the air miles

The Brazilian team is playing around the world. Not necessarily in the players’ best interest.

Not much hope for Jérôme Champagne.

Champagne campaign lacks fizz

Jérôme Champagne stands against Sepp Blatter, but has little chance of making it to Fifa presidency.

German fitness flair fails to cure Arsenal

The injury-plagued Gunners have hired a crack performance guru, but the healing is slow to show.

The Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro

God is still Brazilian

Ultimately, the best team was crowned world champion, a fair accolade after Löw’s decade-long renovation of German football.

A kick in the teeth: Brazil’s 7-1 World Cup thrashing by Germany reflects the shortcomings of a disillusioned nation.

Brazil’s shattered football hopes mirror society’s failings

Despite the importance of football in Brazilian society, only the wealthy could afford tickets to the World Cup.

Germany’s Sebastian Vettel.

Brasilia, a football cultural wasteland

A lack of fandom in the capital city may turn the $900-million stadium into a white elephant.

Lionel Messi will have to show off all his magical skill if he is to lead Argentina to a victory over Germany.

World Cup: It’s Messi vs The Machine

The world’s best player will have to put in a stellar performance to stop Germany beating Argentina in the Fifa World Cup 2014 final in Brazil.

Back to the future: Frank Chikane gives us another look at the Mbeki presidency in his latest book

A World Cup of big guns, dark horses and divers

As the teams head into the quarterfinals, the stumbling heavywights have left the door open to Colombia, Belgium and even Costa Rica.

Costa Rica celebrate: Into the round of 16.

Latin America leads the way

Central and South American teams are challenging the powerhouses of Europe.

Eclectic Belgium: Marouane Fellaini

A battle for ‘Belgitude’

The Red devils represent an ideal modern nation but ultimately merely mask the country’s division.

Cameroon will be putting their faith in midfielder Eyong Enoh.

Could this be Africa’s time to shine?

Five ambitious teams are in Brazil with the goal of becoming the continent’s first World Cup semifinalists.

The Maracana stadium in Rio de Janeiro

Built on false promises and haunted by broken dreams

The stadiums are said to bring progress to their area, but opponents say this is a lie. "Football stadiums don’t bring prosperity."