A World Cup full of memorable moments was also marked by exclusion, exploitation and unprecedented political meddling, writes JAMES NALTON
SOUTH KOREAN police raided the office of a marketing agency on Thursday as part of a fraud investigation into Cristiano Ronaldo’s non-appearance in a friendly match between Juventus and a K-League selection last month.
The game has become the subject of lawsuits issued by disgruntled fans after Ronaldo remained on the bench for the entire game, despite promoters having said he was contractually obligated to play at least 45 minutes.
More than 65,000 tickets costing up to £270 had been sold for the July 26 game, which was organised by marketing agency The Fasta.
Two teams from different sides of the world will face off this weekend in a landmark football occasion. One team from the Americas, another from Europe, will meet in an exhibition of the world’s game that is being broadcast across the globe, writes JAMES NALTON
ROGER MCKENZIE argues that it was correct to ban the notorious Israeli side who were likely to cause trouble in Muslim areas of Birmingham, but asks, given the occupation and slaughter in Palestine, why any Israeli team is being hosted anywhere
JAMES NALTON writes on the bizarre Aston Villa v Maccabi Tel Aviv scandal



