Manchester produced a European veto all of its own this week ,as ‘City’ ‘United’ with Channel 5 in an exclusive Thursday night alliance.
For City the result was perhaps expected. In a tough group on their Champions League debut their time will surely come.
United have no such excuse as the might of Romania, Switzerland and Portugal seemed an effective bye to the knockout stages.
I 8-2 say it so soon after that Old Trafford annihilation but United are missing the Szczesny, Vermaelen, and Van Persie-esque spine that their London rivals now have.
An easy win over Wolves and a seemingly straightforward Christmas timetable could spare the blushes but cracks long disguised by a litany of last minute goals are now there for all to see.
Finance has also been high on the agenda. United’s exit will see a projected £20 million loss, while LOCOG will add more than double that to their Olympic ceremony budget, a move that has drawn derision from the National Audit Office and Paula Radcliffe alike.
In Dubai the banks of McIllroy and Donald went head to head over 72 holes, and unsurprisingly it was Ireland who fell short. Donald may not have won a major in 2011, but his consistency has been magnificent, and despite last week’s re-emergence of Tiger Woods, an elusive major triumph cannot be far away.
Diplomacy is a tale of success and failure, and in Switzerland it saw a reduction for Wayne Rooney and his 2012 ban, but in Perth it ended disastrously for Ben Ainslie and his World Championship Sailing hopes after a failed remonstration with officials.
Disqualification seems the only way that Ainslie can be beaten, and while it did seem an over-reaction spare a thought for teammate Giles Scott, who won gold and will still be overlooked for the single Olympic selection.
Accusation was also rife in Snooker where Judd Trumped the opposition but runner-up Mark Allen was locked in a spat with boss Barry Hearn over the sports increasing ‘commercialism.’ Allen prefers the traditional version of the game, but it is important to remember in this world of short-attention spans that viewers and broadcasters do matter as well.
Corruption appears rife in Wrestling where bizarre allegations have emerged over the British team. A group of Ukrainians brought to Britain as sparring partners have all married other GB squad members and all hope to have British citizenship fast-tracked in time for 2012.
Moral obligations may have been overlooked but it is great to see attention being paid to these lesser Olympic disciplines.
It has been a good week for Sailors and for runners who won twelve medals at the European Cross Country Championships, but less good for Wrestling and for Hockey as Britain were humbled 8-1 by Spain.
In World news, the latest instance of El-Classico showed England the way to go. It was a mesmerising Bernabeu encounter but Messi outshining Ronaldo was the tale of the day as Barcelona revived La Liga with a scintillating victory.
In Cricket New Zealand edged Australia in another thrilling test encounter but after Virender Sehwag’s ODI 219 against the Windies, doesn’t Sehwag (along with summer star Rahul Dravid) deserve the same status as Sachin ’99 hundreds’ Tendulkar?
And while Congo-esque election rioting may have been avoided, big new appointments were seen in tennis for Judy Murray and in Rugby for Stuart Lancaster in a week where Harlequins unbeaten run was finally ended by an inspired Toulouse.
And a run was also ended in Washington for Amir Khan. In a sport full of cliché’s, the inevitable street fighter triumphed over the complacent champion in a bout tainted by official ineptitude. Khan will return but his showdown with Floyd Mayweather will wait a while longer.
Sport is full of twists and turns, but the City of London’s battle with Europe will continue next week with the Champions League draw, and FC Basel will remain the dream opponents.
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