Samuel Gardiner - Sports Journalism

“France in all its colours”: A demonstration of the power of multiculturalism in football   France’s 2018 World Cup Final Starting XI   The noise inside Moscow’s Luzhniki Stadium is deafening. France’s golden boy gathers the ball, 20 yards from goal, as a nation holds its breath. Kylian Mbappé, just nineteen years old, takes a touch and lets fly with his right foot, sending his low shot skidding past Croatian goalkeeper Danijel Subašić and into the bottom corner of the net. Pre-match favourites France were 4-1 up, and their first World Cup triumph in twenty years suddenly became within touching distance. Mbappé, born in the Parisian suburb of Bondy to a Cameroonian father and an Algerian mother, is one of 16 players in France’s 23-man World Cup squad with immigrant roots. That goal, and the 4-2 victory that was to come, signified a triumph of not only footballing excellence, but also a statement about the power of diversity in modern sport. As global sport ...

Opinion: One position every Premier League club needs to bring in this week   The January transfer window slams shut in one week. Some clubs would be happy with the squads they have, some will be desperate to bring players in through the door. Every club could do with strengthening in at least one position, so let’s take a look at one position that every club should address over the next week.    AFC Bournemouth – Winger Andoni Iraola would have expected more from his team than 15 th at this stage of the season, and a lot of their success was due to Antoine Semenyo, who joined Manchester City at the start of the month. Given that they are also having to contend with injuries to Marcus Tavernier, Justin Kluivert, Enes Unal and Ben Gannon-Doak, Bournemouth desperately need attacking reinforcements this transfer window.   Arsenal – Central midfielder To be honest, Arsenal have nearly the perfect squad at the moment, which is evident by the fact that t...

AFCON Final 2026: Were Senegal right to walk off?   After a memorable four-week tournament, the clock in the final of the 2026 African Cup of Nations ticks over 90 minutes in the pouring rain in Rabat. A corner is floated into the penalty area of Senegal, who have just had a goal disallowed for a soft foul, and Moroccan star Brahim Diaz hurls himself to the ground under pressure from West Ham United defender El Hadji Malick Diouf. Congolese referee Jean-Jaques Ngambo, under intense pressure from hosts Morocco’s players and supporters in the national stadium, is advised to go to the touchline monitor, and decides that there is enough contact to give the penalty. To say that the Senegalese were incensed would not do the situation justice. Not even close. After a touchline fracas, manager Pape Thiaw, animated on the touchline, beckons  for his players to walk off the pitch. In those few moments, African football held its breath. The long-running story of controversy...

  Chermiti brace seals Derby delight for Rangers   Youssef Chermiti doubled his Rangers goal tally in one match during the Old Firm Youssef Chermiti’s brace saw Rangers come from behind to defeat Celtic 3-1 at a freezing Celtic Park in a pulsating Old Firm clash. In a true "game of two halves", and a match that was a stark contrast to the previous derby this season, which was a largely uninspiring 0-0 draw at Ibrox at the end of August, Hyun-Jun Yang gave the Parkhead side the lead midway through the first half, with one of the great Old Firm goals of recent times with a wonderful solo effort. Given the outcome of the match, however, it may well turn out to be a goal that Celtic fans would rather forget. The opener was cancelled out shortly after half-time through Chermiti, who finished off Nicolas Raskin’s low cross after a positive move from the visitors, before the Portuguese striker gave Rangers the lead after a good run and finish. Teenage winger Mikey Moore th...