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Saptak Datta

Saptak Datta

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Norway’s Viking Row celebrations in World Cup show why football is the ultimate team sport

Norway's ‘Viking Row’ is charming and aggressive. It says that top players like Erling Haaland and Martin Odegaard are hardened warriors who have...

previous day 10

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Saptak Datta

The 48-team FIFA World Cup is producing football’s best stories

2026 FIFA World Cup so far—messy, expensive, controversial and brilliant.

20.06.2026 10

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Saptak Datta

Colombia’s 1st win in World Cup reopened old wounds for Radamel Falcao

For Colombia, the 2026 FIFA World Cup is about participating after almost a decade. But, for Falcao, it’s a reminder of a World Cup moment that...

19.06.2026 10

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Saptak Datta

Iran player’s gun gesture was just a goal celebration. Stop projecting your politics on it

From Gabriel Batistuta's machine-gun routine to Robbie Keane's finger-gun salute, guns aren't foreign to goal celebrations. Backlash against Iran’s...

18.06.2026 10

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Saptak Datta

Pochettino’s EPL-style football sailed past Paraguay. Tougher tests await at FIFA World Cup

This was the first glimpse of Pochettino's World Cup version. And, it was a moment of pure football. Not soccer.

14.06.2026 20

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Saptak Datta

Mexico’s wait for Day 1 win in the FIFA World Cup is over. Football takes its own sweet time

Mexico wanted to end their winless Day 1 run at the 2026 FIFA World Cup and finally had the chance to ‘settle the score’ against South Africa in...

13.06.2026 20

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Saptak Datta

What India can learn from Jordan’s journey to the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Today, as Jordan gets ready to face Austria, Algeria, and defending champions Argentina at the 2026 World Cup, India, ranked 139th, will once again be...

10.06.2026 20

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Saptak Datta

Japan is Asia’s best shot in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Expectations have never been higher

This is the first Asian side entering a World Cup where success and failure will be judged not by group-stage survival or an upset, but by how far...

08.06.2026 10

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Saptak Datta

Football needs Brazil to be Brazil again. Carlo Ancelotti might just be the right person

Nobody says they miss flawless and technical football. You can only hear, ‘I miss the old Brazil.’

06.06.2026 10

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Saptak Datta

England’s FIFA World Cup squad is missing its stars. Why that’s a good thing

England has finally realised that to win a match, a team is more necessary than star players whose egos clashed with each other on the field.

30.05.2026 30

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Saptak Datta

Football can be cruel, some stars won’t play 2026 World Cup—Lewandowski to Kvaratskhelia

The World Cup comes once every four years, but careers aren’t aligned accordingly. One injury, one failed qualification campaign, one bad season,...

26.05.2026 30

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Saptak Datta

Cristiano Ronaldo can learn from MS Dhoni. Sit on the bench this FIFA World Cup

Cristiano Ronaldo is not immune to age. His aura survives, but the aura will not win Portugal any trophies.

21.05.2026 40

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Saptak Datta

2026 FIFA World Cup is a generational shift—Messi and Ronaldo ready to pass on rivalry baton

Messi has already 'shaken hands with paradise' in 2022 after lifting the World Cup in Qatar. Ronaldo, despite his staggering achievements, still...

17.05.2026 30

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Saptak Datta

For 22 yrs, Arsenal fans survived in past to cope with present. All that’s about to change

The emotional tone surrounding Arsenal has completely shifted. The jokes are disappearing. And perhaps that is the clearest sign of all. Title’s in...

11.05.2026 20

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Saptak Datta

Abhishek Banerjee is now on mute mode after BJP sweeps West Bengal

New Delhi: Abhishek Banerjee could be heard everywhere in the weeks before the West Bengal Assembly election. The TMC honcho and Mamata Banerjee’s...

05.05.2026 30

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Saptak Datta

Bengal once had arenas for identity battles—stadiums, football, jerseys. Now it’s polling booths

From Mohun Bagan and East Bengal to Mohammedan Sporting, footbclubs once shaped identity, pride and belonging across Bengal’s social fabric. Now,...

27.04.2026 30

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Saptak Datta

Sorry, sprinters! It’s midfield generals who are running the show this Champions League

From Messi to Ronaldo, the Champions League has been a stage to display brilliance. This year, the midfield reclaimed its status as a facilitator of...

16.04.2026 20

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Saptak Datta

Iraq’s long road to FIFA World Cup qualification is a story of survival, defiance

Historically, football has been used as a lens through which political anger, identity, and resistance come into focus. From Mohun Bagan to Didier...

05.04.2026 30

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Saptak Datta

Mo Salah changed Liverpool beyond football. Hate crimes dropped by 19% after he joined

In a city like Liverpool, Salah became something more than a footballer. 'Salah became so popular that most of the babies born in Merseyside were...

27.03.2026 30

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Saptak Datta

Behind Messi’s 900th goal is a three-year game plan for Argentina’s World Cup bid

Messi was not merely choosing a ‘better life’ when he moved to the US; instead, he was calculating his next moves to lift another World Cup.

20.03.2026 60

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Saptak Datta

Indian women’s football team’s Asian Cup exit doesn’t tell the story of their rise

To expect India to suddenly rout top-class teams is irrational. It only happens in video games.

12.03.2026 50

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Saptak Datta

Don’t blame Lamborghini driver. Indian toll plazas are for Maruti 800 era, not supercars

Who knows the Lamborghini guy escaped the toll on purpose. After all, they could not test the beast by touching the odometer to 200 kmph. Most...

19.11.2025 40

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Saptak Datta