Why lions bit the dust

ONE noticeable absentee in the England camp is that of a cuddly toy team mascot like the three lions that were part of the doomed Euro 2016 campaign. the worst performer in training had to carry around one of the lions but the poor conclusion of that campaign meant Southgate did not want any reminder of it in Russia.

THE Russian World Cup security operation involves an unprecedented number of people. But local organising committee insiders say the figure will never be known as there is a lot of private security on top of all the other layers. However, the one area where security appears to be lax in the extreme is around Diego Maradona, despite him leaving a trail of suspicious white powder wherever he goes. DELUSIONAL Sports Illustrated journalist Grant Wahl tweets: ‘the best quotes at World Cup press conferences are often asked by Americans. Questions from “traditional soccer countries” are often the worst ones.’ it seems to have escaped self-important Wahl that the Americans are famed for their woeful cheer-leading, soft-soap questions at Wimbledon and golf’s open championship.