THE LENNY BRISCOE II REPORT

    If they had won their sixth World Cup title, then the whole nation needless to say, would’ve been engulfed and enveloped in a euphoric “feel-good” aura…at least for some time. Perhaps for a long time, even.      The struggles and protests may well have been forgotten. But as images of fans burning not just expensive-ass Nike branded replica Selecao shirts but their national flag as well flooded TV screens and the worldwide web after that semi-final loss against Germany, you couldn’t help but wonder if it was all worth it for the ordinary Brazilian.    Ordem e Progresso indeed .     This was meant to be “football coming home”. Its REAL home, that is. The one nation that is synonymous with football was getting the much-deserved chance to host the World Cup again and to show the whole world how the game is played. And show how to throw a party carnaval -style to boot. They had even recruited the manager of their last W...

In 2009, Paris, the venue, France faced Ireland in a World Cup play-off. Thierry Henry handled the ball twice before setting up William Gallas for the winner that put France through for the 2010 World Cup held in South Africa. The whole football world went haywire. Thierry Henry had gone from hero to zero. He was being demonized by every pundit, analyst, and self-righteous commentator across God's green Earth. It was as if he had never set the Premier League alight with silky skills. It was as if he had never won all the medals football has to offer. It was as if admitting to the handball wasn't enough. You know why? Well, because cheating against the Irish to deprive them a place at the World Cup(as if that was even guaranteed) made every other positive achievement by Henry(and indeed France) count for nought. Well, two years on and Mr Trappatoni's team faced Armenia. Both teams in a position to reach the play-offs in a bid to qualify for Euro 2012. With the score at 0-0 ...