Paul Hayward

The true cost of war...

It wasn't a match report. It was a piece 'off' the game. I thought Ireland were superb.

Sport is struggling to deal with the poison of racism in ... From Jose Mourinho’s outrageous verdict on Vinícius Junior to the treatment of Edwin Edogbo, if we don’t stay alive to abuse, it risks handing a victory to discrimination

"A ginormous fuck you" to racism.

My column on last week's trio of cases and why becoming desensitised hands a victory to discrimination.

observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Ha, we've all done it, Emma. Hope you're enjoying the Games.

This one will have to get in the queue of questions about what's gone wrong with Britain.

Yes, the U-20s are the best hope that it's cyclical. It just seems the structure and culture have been run right down.

Not sure who's going to be most upset by that analogy Kev: Wales or Spurs.

Riven by panic and bitterness, Welsh rugby is on its knees Once the pride of the nation, the sport is locked into an identity crisis with no obvious way out

102 points conceded by Wales in two Six Nations games.
This is why we ran a four-page report on the problems in Welsh rugby.
A great culture in need of rescue 👇
@theobserveruk.bsky.social

observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Shouldn't this be "18-day deal?"

The Washington Post’s sport cull is a bigger red flag for... If sport is simply churn and ‘content’, then every other form of cultural reportage might as well be closed down, too

My column on the great American sportswriting tradition - and why the Washington Post's cull spells danger far beyond the ballpark.

observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

The Washington Post’s sport cull is a bigger red flag for... If sport is simply churn and ‘content’, then every other form of cultural reportage might as well be closed down, too

My column on the great American sportswriting tradition - and why the Washington Post's cull spells danger far beyond the ballpark.

observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

He has more front than the French Riviera.

Presumably Jim Ratcliffe, who colonised Monaco, excludes Man Utd's multi-national squad from his claim that Britain has been "colonised by immigrants."

Thomas Frank downfall summary...

A critical mass of Spurs players decided they didn't fancy him and disengaged - which is what they always do when they know a sacking will follow.

Frank took the wrong road out of Brentford. Can the people now running Spurs end the doom cycle?

Super Bowl attendee Will Lewis's handiwork, before he too was sacked at the Washington Post.
Via @theobserveruk.bsky.social

Crazily brave on Vonn's part, but also dangerous and irresponsible to let her do it?

"100% gone."
When you think about it, it's incredible that Lindsey Vonn was allowed to ski in the Winter Olympics nine days after rupturing her ACL.

Arundell and Pollock turn on the style as England cruise ... The Welsh were crushed in the sort of form that can make this team a nation’s favourite

A piece from Twickenham on England developing a new identity as entertainers after years of being too easy for general viewers to ignore.
observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Arundell and Pollock turn on the style as England cruise ... The Welsh were crushed in the sort of form that can make this team a nation’s favourite

A piece from Twickenham on England developing a new identity as entertainers after years of being too easy for general viewers to ignore.
observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Ireland fighting back now Ash.

Could watch him all day.

Good to see Antoine Dupont back for France after 10 months out.

One of the most gifted people in world sport.

There you go. What does that end.

That's it. It's a test case which all sports will be watching. Cricket goes to an ad break when a wicket falls but the split-screen is next level. VAR breaks an obvious window for football to sell.

Brace yourself.
Six Nations "in-game ads" start tonight.
Twice in each match. Then five, then 10?
Sport on the threshold of another violation in the name of "revenue generation."

Infantino: a concierge for autocracies.

He can see the way the Trump-Putin carve-up is developing and wants to be at the table, fawning away.

Headers are a fatal hit in football – but their risks won... The verdict on Gordon McQueen’s death has recalled the links between brain disease and repeated heading. If the thrill of a header has a knock-on effect on players’ health, will football become a neck...

Is heading in football doomed?

After the Gordon McQueen verdict, some thoughts on acceptable risk versus abolition - and how the game would change without it.
For @theobserveruk.bsky.social

observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...

Spurs...

Last season
- Finished 17th in the Premier League
- Won the Europa League

Now
- 14th in the Premier League
- 4th in the Champions League table, above Barcelona, Chelsea and Man City

@theobserveruk.bsky.social

Moeen Ali: ‘Harry Brook made a mistake. He’ll learn from it’ As the 38-year-old comes out of retirement, the all-rounder opens up on Bazball, England’s spin woes and why he’s joined Yorkshire

Interview with Moeen Ali, who's joined Yorkshire's T20 side.
We talked Bazball, Harry Brook, the dearth of English spinners, red ball batting and booze in the English game.
observer.co.uk/news/sport/a...