Extra Time!

The modern age. Every goal is amazing, every tackle is vital, and every player a finely honed athlete. These gladitorial moments are captured in 3D super high-definition slow-mo for us to celebrate (or commiserate) to later. Football is art.

February’s Extra Time! celebrates football gone bad.

And to start with how about this tackle from Algeria’s Nadir Belhadj against eventual winners Egypt in the African Cup of Nations semi-final? If it was up to us we’d fine him at least one month’s wages for that one. Although given he’s at Pompey he’s probably not going to get paid anyway.

Over to Spain next for the Betis-Salamanca clash and an absolutely stunning miss from Betis’ Dani. Who says La Liga is the best in the world? There seems to be an awful lot of comments underneath defending him because of the bobbly pitch too. Have a few different log-ins do you there, Dani?

Bad language is, obviously, par for the course in the football world so the more timid among you are advised not to click this link to see Harry Redknapp in full flow. To be honest we probably wouldn’t have included it in normal circumstances but any excuse to see ‘Arry getting hit in the face by a football.

Every few years you tend to stumble across a piece about the worst football kits ever and, seemingly without fail, Coventry’s chocolate brown away kit seems to win out. We actually think that’s a bit harsh as it’s actually aged pretty well and looks retro-tastic nowadays. Less said about that players hair the better though.

Our vote, although we’re open to persuasion so feel free to drop us an email, for worst kit ever goes to this 90s horror from Hull. So tacky even a Ukrainian WAG would find it a little garish. Or maybe not.

No worst of list is complete without a mention of Southampton’s Ali Dia, whose surname accurately described his footballing ability. A man so bad that he was even a laughing stock at a club where Francis Benali inspired awed silence.

Claiming to be George Weah’s cousin Dia convinced then Saints manager Graeme Souness that he was worthy of the Premier League. He definitely wasn’t. In fact, he wasn’t even good enough for Gateshead who let him go after eight games. Matt Le Tissier, who was replaced by Dia, tells the tale here.

Of all the people in football our deepest sympathies tend to lie with the away fan. The reasons are so lengthy and wide-ranging that we won’t pound your ear drums with them all. Suffice to say the Polish fans who make the journey to the worst away end in football have our sympathy.

Look out for Extra Time! next month and if you got this far you might also want to check out The Week That Was our weekly round up of football news posted every Friday afternoon at www.fsf.org.uk.

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