Matthew Smith

Last season, as established Premier League clubs Newcastle United and Aston Villa were facing relegation, West Ham United were enjoying their most successful season in the top division in its current format. A record 62 points, scoring 65 goals along the way, gave the club a seventh-placed finish and...

Football’s international governing body, FIFA, recently announced the list of candidates who have been accepted to challenge for the FIFA presidency and the right to step in to the corrupt and broken shoes of outgoing President Sepp Blatter. Seven men applied, with five having been provisionally approved. They may...

“Sorry, Sir.” That’s what Ireland captain Paul O’Connell said to the referee after enquiring about one of his decisions against Wales last weekend. Three days earlier 9 Chelsea players had surrounded the referee against PSG, demanding that Zlatan Ibrahimovic be sent off. So what can football learn from rugby?...

At 11.30am on the 7th January, armed gunmen stormed the offices of satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, killing 12 people and injuring several more. Three men are currently on the run from French police, sparking a manhunt throughout the city of Paris. As the old saying goes, ‘actions speak...

With the news that Michael Garcia, the leading investigator into the FIFA World Cup Bidding Process for 2018 and 2022, has denounced the report written by Hans-Joachim Eckert based on his findings as “erroneous”, Matt investigates whether the FIFA leadership can survive this latest embarrassment. Sepp Blatter. The name...