The World Cup, Olympics and rise of sports betting reveal how the playing field is increasingly shaped by power and inequality, writes DENNIS BROE
AWAY days have taken a toll on my pocket almost as much as my patience lately. So it’s a rare blessing that I’ll be through the Valley’s turnstiles for a fiver on Saturday.
That’s, obviously, not including a London return ticket (£7.20), pre-match refreshments (£20 or so in the Anchor & Hope), something at half-time and something else to mull over afterwards.
That’s expensive enough — and for fans travelling down from Blackburn to Charlton it’ll spiral upwards. On any away day, getting through the turnstiles should be the least of fans’ worries.
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
As football grapples with overloaded calendars and commercial pressure, the Mariners’ triumph reminds us why the game’s soul lives far from the spotlight, writes JAMES NALTON
The head coach says relationship with owner Marinakis is ‘not so good’


