Arsene Wenger's long wait for another trophy goes on after Arsenal's League Cup final defeat to Birmingham City.

As I watched Arsenal surprisingly lose the English League Cup final to Birmingham on Sunday, I remembered an old tale from Hans Christen Andersen called “The Emperor’s New Clothes.”

You may know about this story from the legendary Danish writer which illustrates how intellectual vanity can lead someone into believing in something that everyone else can see is not true.

In my perspective, Arsene Wenger is guilty of this behavior, and let me be the one to point out and say, “but he isn’t wearing anything thing at all, he’s naked!” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Pedro Pinto
Filed under: Football

The Netherlands tested England before losing their opening match of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. (Getty Images)

The International Cricket Council has decided that the 2015 World Cup will involve just 10 teams – four fewer than this year.

It’s a decision which has been endorsed by Australia captain Ricky Ponting, who believes the so-called "minnows" of the game just aren’t competitive enough and that one-sided matches compromise the tournament.

Cricket is a massive sport, but its popularity is restricted to certain pockets in the world. For many people outside these areas, the game is like a foreign language – very difficult to understand. So shouldn’t organizers be trying to encourage cricket's global growth rather than discourage it? It is called the "World" Cup, after all! Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Candy Reid, CNN World Sport Anchor
Filed under: Cricket

England are fired up after winning their first two Six Nations matches against Wales and Italy.

When you say you don’t like your opponent, just days before a potentially championship-deciding match, it’s going to create a stir. But I believe England’s rugby players couldn’t care less about Marc Lievremont’s provocative remarks.

Not only did the France coach express his dislike for England, he also claimed the other four teams in the Six Nations tournament felt the same way. According to Lievremont, his cross-channel neighbors are “insular.” Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Alex Thomas, CNN World Sport Anchor
Filed under: Rugby

Sepp Blatter may face an unlikely opponent at this year's FIFA presidential elections. (AFP/Getty Images)

The bid by Grant Wahl to oppose Sepp Blatter in this year’s FIFA presidential election might seem like a humorous act of self-publicity by the Sports Illustrated magazine journalist, but it’s very much in keeping with the spirit of the times.

I’m not putting the battle for world football's top job on a par with the life and death struggle for democracy in the Middle East, but the tide of people power sweeping through countries such as Tunisia, Egypt and Libya can’t help but inspire a “we can” mentality among some of us watching the drama unfold. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Terry Baddoo
Filed under: Football

Bahrain's withdrawal has presented Formula One with a dilemma.

So, the Formula One season will now start in Melbourne, Australia, on March 27th. As Red Bull's Aussie driver Mark Webber put it: "Back to the good old days."

Australia has become used to kicking off the annual Formula One circus since 1996, but the emergence of a new track in Bahrain, whose backers have seemingly bottomless pockets, changed all that.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Don Riddell
Filed under: Motorsport

Shakhtar's Brazilian forward Luiz Adriano, right, is challenged by Arsenal's Switzerland defender Johan Djourou.

Last week's Champions League victories by Arsenal and Shakhtar Donetsk over Barcelona and Roma had football pundits around the world praising the exploits of the English and Ukrainian clubs.

However, as impressive as those wins were, it's debatable how much credit those two nations deserve for their clubs' successes. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Pedro Pinto
Filed under: Football

CNN's Patrick Snell agrees with basketball stars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett that the NBA All-Stars weekend is the biggest event in the sport.

I've covered FIFA World Cup football finals, UEFA Champions League finals and a fair few other high-profile tournaments in my time, but I was not quite sure what to expect when I was asked to attend my first ever NBA All- Star weekend here in Southern California.

Of course, I had a reasonable idea in one respect given the location of the event - Los Angeles, Hollywood. And we all know that nobody does showbiz or razzamataz quite like the Americans. There was a celeb sighting pretty much every which way you looked and the legions of young fans following Canadian singing sensation Justin Bieber were not disappointed with his appearance on court during the All- Star Celebrity game.

Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN World Sport Anchor, Patrick Snell
Filed under: U.S. Sport

Bangladesh will host eight matches at the 2011 Cricket World Cup. (AFP/Getty Images)

It's hard to travel around Dhaka this week without running into Stumpy, mascot to the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup. The city is dotted with posters of the upbeat, cartoonish blue elephant. In each one, he's holding a cricket bat-shaped clock, counting down to the second the World Cup begins.

As if anyone in cricket-mad Bangladesh could forget. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: CNN Producer, Pamela Boykoff
Filed under: Cricket

Gennaro Gattuso has apologised for his clash with Joe Jordan at the San Siro. (AFP/Getty Images)

Don’t expect Gennaro Gattuso to change even if UEFA punishes him for his aggressive behavior in Tuesday's fiery Champions League encounter at the San Siro stadium in Italy.

The footage of AC Milan’s captain grabbing Tottenham’s assistant coach Joe Jordan by the throat and, later, head-butting him is sure to be a hit on video sharing websites, and a massive talking point in offices around the world. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Alex Thomas, CNN Sport Anchor
Filed under: Football

Andy Murray has lost in the final of three major tennis tournaments. (AFP/Getty Images)

Some may describe him as sulky, some as dour. Both are sometimes right – but there’s a lot more to British tennis star Andy Murray than his on-court persona.

Not only is he said to be a popular member of the dressing room – and often seen to crack a smile or two - he’s also, as we saw recently at Melbourne Park, a really good player. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted by: Candy Reid, CNN World Sport Anchor
Filed under: Tennis