FIFA paranoia lives on

GIANNI INFANTINO has kept press conferences to a minimum since becoming FIFA president. His skill at swerving the media in impromptu hotel lobby moments — a tactic at which his predecessor Sepp Blatter excelled — shows that paranoia still reigns at FIFA, especially with the English media. The appointment of a Brit, Will Shand, to FIFA’s media department is not expected to help matters.

SPORT ENGLAND have not only provided Basketball England with enough money to compete in April’s Commonwealth Games, they have also financed the top English clubs to play in European competition. Elite basketball should be supported by UK Sport but basketball’s slim Olympic medal chances mean they missed out on funds. This is despite it being the second-most-played team sport among teenagers — behind football — and popular with a diverse range of people.

TEAM GB’s delegation were the first to register at the plush Olympic village in South Korea ahead of the Winter Games, despite their limited medal hopes in Pyeongchang.