Try convincing Australian sports fans that Hawthorn’s dominance in the AFL is purely down to a cosmological coin flip.
AAP/Mick Tsikas
Sport is by its very nature unpredictable, and that’s why we love it.
Welcome Culture comes to Calais.
EPA/LAURENT DUBRULE
French efforts to dismantle the Jungle migrant camp are leaving crucial volunteer services at risk.
Rebecca Naden / PA Archive/Press Association Images
And it’s not all down to David Beckham…
Level playing field? Jamie Vardy causes panic in the Manchester City defence.
EPA/TIM KEETON
Moneyball tactics and a deluge of new money have served up a season of shocks and drama.
Getting bums on seats.
Peter Werkman/Flickr
Fans are notoriously reluctant to let their clubs play fast and loose with clever ticket pricing, but it might be better for everyone.
Guangzhou Evergrande supporters cheer their team on at the 2015 Club World Cup.
EPA/Kimimasa Mayama
Big name signings, inflated wages, high hopes of success – welcome to China’s Super League.
We mustn’t allow convicted rapists or abusers to continue as role models.
Vladimir Wrangel / Shutterstock.com
The tiltyard – like the football pitch – was an important arena in which men could demonstrate their prowess in front of a vast audience.
But who’s the favourite?
STF/EPA
FIFA stands on the cusp of a new era. Here are the chances of the men who want to take on the challenge.
Jon Candy
The case of Bolton Wanderers is yet another example of how different football clubs are to normal companies – and why they rarely pass away into total, terminal, permanent death.
Watching, waiting.
Vlad1988/Shutterstock
All eyes are on Jose Mourinho to take over at Manchester United. But does he have what it takes?
Fans took it literally.
Mikey
Football supporters can make a difference when it comes to Premier League clubs prioritising profit over fans.
Eye in the sky: the ‘spidercam’ is just one of the technological innovations bringing ever more information to football fans.
J. Glover/Wikimedia Commons
Is there now so much information being shown on football broadcast screens that it’s time for another announcerless game?
Is a warning enough?
Reuters
The evidence that football leads to brain injury is mounting, but there are two big reasons why it’s not likely to change anytime soon.
Will Smith as Dr Bennet Omalu.
Columbia Pictures
Once the stuff of tweeting birds and rolling cartoon eyes, bumps on the head are now linked to dementia. Will Smith’s latest movie tells how sports authorities tried to cover it up.
Reuters/Damir Sagolj
The performance of England’s football team this summer could affect the way people vote. It’s happened before.
Football’s Asian Cup dominated Korean-language news coverage of Australia over the past year.
AAP/Mitchell Burke
Australia struggles to rise above the fray in Korean news, consigned to one of a number of countries that form an international community. But football seems to be a clear exception to this.
Cristiano Ronaldo in action for Real Madrid.
Albert Gea/Reuters
Prohibiting the transfer of under-18s hasn’t stopped it happening. Football needs a new approach.
Going their separate ways: Diego Costa and José Mourinho.
EPA/Facundo Arrizabalaga
A look at the statistics shows that having a top-performing centre forward is key to winning games – and ultimately trophies.
The Fed knows when to adjust its strategy and go for two.
Reuters
Just as football coaches reconsidered when to opt for a two-point conversion after the NFL made a change, the Fed adjusts its decisions in line with an evolving economy.