The Europa League is a Cinderella competition, usually neglected and often ignored, but tomorrow night in Stockholm, Cinderella might have a ball.

Miraculously, it has arrived, the watershed to transform our media landscape. Every gaffer in Irish sport is turning into Rafa Benitez, writes Larry Ryan.

Had things turned out slightly differently you’d be reading about the darts as you, ahem, read. After all, if social media is anything to go by – and occasionally it is – half the nation appeared to be glued to it over Christmas. More drama than a Shakespeare festival and all of that.

It is not an uncommon scenario; the rugby man, with all his connections and influence, sending the football man, with his talents, away from the office disappointed.

Jordi Cruyff says he is “touched” by the messages of support and tributes to his father Johan, who lost his battle with cancer on Thursday.

I have, over the last week, being listening to both points of view as regards the state of Cork hurling. Both Donal Og and the county board have valid points but what seems to be lost in all this debate in the average player.

Irish football may have to wait up to 15 years for an overhaul of the grassroots system, according to FAI High Performance Director Ruud Dokter.

Ajax have such a memorable past, as a football institution as well as serial winners, that it is easy to forget they have had their ups and downs.

Ah good, the doctor will see us now. That would be Ruud Dokter, the puntastic but hitherto enigmatic FAI High Performance Director who has suddenly been thrust into the spotlight as an assistant to Noel King and as Ray Houghton’s fellow headhunter in the search for a new Ireland manager.

“I read in the paper this team are watching this player, this player, this player. Well, they’re idiots because those players are so different, how can you look at three different players in the same position?

The Bundesliga came back with a bang at the weekend after its month-long hibernation.

Should Spain win tomorrow night’s Euro 2012 final against Italy, Vicente del Bosque will become the first coach to win the Champions League, World Cup and European Championship trophies — an achievement which eluded even West Germany’s Helmut Schön, Holland’s Rinus Michels and Italy’s Marcelo Lippi.

Four first-phase clashes at Euro 2012 have a historical resonance, says Paul Kelly.

The life of a great football team is brief: as the great Hungarian coach Bela Guttmann observed, “the third season is fatal”.

CLOSE your eyes and listen and he might be José Mourinho’s twin brother.

Edwin van der Sar wants to take a year off to get used to being normal again.

Drumcondra’s Don Patricio became Barcelona’s manager just before the city was taken over by anarchists, the club’s president was shot and liquidation loomed. Richard Fitzpatrick unravels a club legend’s story

Darren Norris believes Alex Ferguson could become the greatest Champions League manager of all time if he wins tomorrow — a loss and Pep Guardiola rises further up the list

PORTO completed the treble of league, cup and Europa League in style on Sunday, thrashing Vitoria de Guimaraes 6-2 in the cup final in Lisbon.

IT’S not that long since Ajax were the best club in the world.

ARJEN ROBBEN would be delighted to win ugly in the World Cup final tomorrow night.

NETHERLANDS coach Bert van Marwijk has taken inspiration from former Dutch greats but insists comparisons cannot be drawn between his World Cup finalists and the ‘total football’ legends of the past.

Holland coach Bert van Marwijk is predicting a battle royal against the “fighters” of Uruguay in Tuesday’s semi-final but believes his Dutch players have added some steel to their renowned brand of attractive football.

SVEN-GORAN ERIKSSON will have “no excuses” if England fail at the 2006 World Cup finals after being granted his four-week break ahead of the tournament.

TOTTENHAM sporting director Frank Arnesen has hailed Rinus Michels as one of the greatest characters in Dutch football following the death of the former national team boss yesterday at the age of 77.

Holland coach Marco van Basten today led the tributes to Rinus Michels, the man who pioneered "total football", who has died at the age of 77.

Former Holland coach Rinus Michels, who pioneered ‘total football’ and led the country’s national team to their only major trophy in 1988, has died at the age of 77.

Fifa will keep the 'Golden Goal' rule for next year's World Cup and beyond despite moves to scrap it from competitions in Europe.