Sky High

Power and glory of Zenit under scrutiny

Intercepted phone calls suggest Russia's Tambov Gang paid Bayern Munich to throw last season's Uefa Cup semi-final

Mourinho speaks his mind and incurs wrath

Those who expected fireworks off the pitch from the new Inter coach have not had long to wait as the war of words begins

Weak pound hits Premier League imports

About £30m that English clubs spent on players from the eurozone last summer went up in smoke due to currency fluctuation

Mystery in defining clubs’ true colours

The case of "Poli Timisoara" epitomises the potential excesses when free markets and football collide, says Gabriele Marcotti

Moments in time for Capello that shaped future

In the final extracts from his new book, Gabriele Marcotti reflects on key dates in the making of the man and the manager

Dark clouds on the Madrid horizon

In our second extract from his new book, Gabriele Marcotti tells how dropping Beckham was not Fabio Capello’s wisest move

Famagusta fairytale is portent of future

Teams from leagues ranked between 16 (Denmark) and 53 (San Marino) will be guaranteed slots in the Champions League

Olympic interlopers appear unwelcome

Football attracted the largest audience in Bejing, but the organisers did their best to knock the game down a few pegs

Hoffenheim enjoy health and wealth under Hopp

Hoffenheim are joint-top and their rise rise has been facilitated by their sugar daddy, a man named Dietmar Hopp

Gabriele Marcotti

Gabriele Marcotti says a world-record deal for the Brazil playmaker could suit both clubs involved, even if AC Milan deny it

A welcome lack of patriot games

If you like your clichés corny and your stereotypes tired, you'd have loved New England Revolution versus Atlante clash

Ronaldinho’s delicate juggling act

Brazilian has excited AC Milan fans, but whether he will be a success remains to be seen. Gabriele Marcotti reports

Hiddink is one of the best . . . isn’t he?

A dash of spin can make someone such as the Russian national coach look like either a visionary or a mere opportunist

The ‘official’ Euro 2008 is good, too

The tournament taking place among referees is no less competitive than the football, but fraught with politics and image

Deco regains his swagger

He is the glue linking the midfield and the front four and he is playing some of the best football of his career

Two children of the Sacchi revolution plot course to top

Tonight will not be the first time that the Dutch and Italian coaches, Marco van Basten and Roberto Donadoni, meet as opponents

Gabriele Marcotti

Gabriele Marcotti wonders if former Chelsea manager knows what he has let himself in for by taking over at San Siro

Messi shows going for gold is not so bad

The Barcelona star has announced he will go to the Olympics even if he misses his club’s Champions League qualifying tie

Inter conquer their own shortcomings

Europe’s most volatile side beat Roma to the Serie A title thanks to their most volatile player, Zlatan Ibrahimovic

Live the dream and suffer the nightmare

The Levante case shows footballers are as vulnerable as the rest of us when it comes to their employers’ financial mismanagement