Today: an infantile Infantino World Cup final. But once, when football was still something serious — something respected, not merely a convenient interruption between the commercials and a Shakira show — somewhere on the Iberian Peninsula……it was a scorching summer, and there was a semi-final to be played. Portugal against France.Without Ronaldo.* Let’s move to the not-so-distant battlefield where these titans were fighting: Lisbon. The match is underway. A thick, sticky heat has swallowed the streets. The afternoon sun burns without mercy, but nobody cares. Not now. People are packed into bars, cafés, neighbours’ apartments — wherever there is a…

Read more →