The season had started like a fairytale. Despite initially facing the prospect of having no drive for the 2009 season after Honda pulled out of Formula One, Jenson Button was suddenly the man of the moment.

The hastily put-together Brawn GP team had developed a startlingly fast race car. So fast in fact that the British driver - whose career had seemed in terminal decline after one victory had come from six disappointing seasons with Renault, BAR, and Honda - was suddenly the man to beat.

The mark was set early - qualifying on pole for the curtain-opening Australian grand prix - Button led from start to finish to pick up maximum points and deliver a Brawn one-two finish. The first time a debut team had finished first and second since 1954.

With a car that seemingly could deliver, Button had the chance to realize his potential. He won the next five races, punctuated only by a third-place finish at the Chinese grand prix in Shanghai, to put himself top of the drivers' championship by some margin.

But just when it looked as if the 29-year-old's march to his elusive first world title was unstoppable ... the wheels, metaphorically speaking, came off.

Button has not been back on the podium since his win in Turkey, and in all subsequent races has been significantly off the pace with finishes of sixth, fifth, seventh and seventh.

Former triple-world champion Jackie Stewart theorized Button's problems were down to the peculiarities of the Brawn car. During a recent visit to CNN, the Scot revealed the leading constructors have problems getting heat into their tires. This is rarely a problem at races in warm climates - like those at the start of the season - but the cooler tracks of northern Europe have seen a marked decline in performance from the all-white cars.

The more well-financed competitors like McLaren and Ferrari have closed the technical advantage in recent months, however, this does not explain easily why Rubens Barrichello has stayed competitive and managed to outperform his teammate over the same period.

The 37-year-old Brazilian is now Button's closest title-rival, and it's a fair assumption that the wily driver from Sao Paulo plans to take full advantage of the fear he is sensing in his stablemate.

Maybe it's stage fright, it's easy to win when nobody expects you to, but maybe the pressure of being the front runner, the one the paddock looks to for delivery, is proving a heavy burden for the Englishman. Button himself has admitted in recent weeks that he needs to regain his form to prevent a capitulation at the last - the devastating thought of letting the F1 crown pass to another after so much hard work is a negative thought Button must keep from his mind if he is to come through.

His slump worsened at Spa where he retired on the first lap – shunted off by Renault’s Romain Grosjean. Button walked away from the accident relatively unscathed as did his lead at the top of Drivers Championship.

His teammate Barrichello finished seventh (2 points) and Mark Webber ninth. Only Sebastian Vettel who finished third (six points) made up any significant ground on the Briton. But Button can ill afford any more slip ups in the season’s remaining five races.

Champions are often those who are mentally most strong and Brawn's number 22 will have to prove his mettle to prevent 2009 being remembered as the mysterious case of the disappearing Button.

Portuguese football coach Jose Mourinho, ever the headline creator, has caused further outcry this week after he substituted Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari from his Inter Milan side during a drab 1-1 draw a league game against Bari.

Taking a tired player from the field of play was hardly breaking news, at least it wasn't until Mourinho revealed the move had been prompted because the player's perceived "low-energy levels" were as a result of fasting.

Muntari is a practising Muslim who, like many of the same faith around the world, is currently not eating during the hours of daylight to mark the Ramadan holy period.

A discipline that clearly irked Mourinho who said in a post-match press conference: "Muntari had some problems related to Ramadan, perhaps with this heat it's not good for him to be doing this (fasting). Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match."

Muslim leaders in Italy have criticized the opinions of the coach known as the "Special One", but Mourinho did not rule out the possibility of dropping the player for the Milan derby - between arch rivals Inter Milan and AC Milan - this weekend for the same reason.

Elsewhere in Italy, fellow Muslim and Siena striker Abdelkader Ghezzal added to the debate by revealing he cannot fast and play at the same time.

"I've always observed Ramadan but I have had to change my habits for health reasons from the first year that I became a professional. Before that I played at Crotone [while fasting] but after two weeks I felt ill and had to stop."

So is Mourinho right to take account of how religious practices may affect his players' performance? Is it wrong to drop a fasting footballer whose energy levels may be lower than his teammates? Should Mourinho contemplate that a player of faith may perform better in a period of self-enforced discipline? And can sport and religion ever be separated in a satisfactory way?

Let us know your thoughts below.

The strikes that have seen around 70,000 workers down tools at the 2010 World Cup stadium construction sites in South Africa have made news around the world.

With Bhekani Ngcobo, the negotiator for the body that represents many of the disgruntled labor force – the National Union of Miners (NUM) – suggesting that unless pay is increased the unrest could enter the "Guinness Book of Records" as the longest strike ever, storm clouds are seemingly gathering.

Of course, concerns regarding Africa's ability to host an international tournament of the size and scope of the World Cup have always been evident, ever since the "Rainbow Nation" were announced as hosts of the 19th edition back in 2004.

And the regular news of strife between workers and organizers plays well into an ongoing theme with many media outlets of trials and tribulations holding sway over triumph in the build-up to kick off. Do you agree? Add your comment below.

However, though the discontented workers could throw a major spanner in the building works, the recent news is in danger of overshadowing a growing optimism and confidence in a country that will invite the world's football fans to its shores come June 2010.

The recent Confederations Cup was deemed a success by Sepp Blatter, the president of world football's governing body FIFA, who gave the event a 7.5 out of 10 in terms of fulfilling the expectations laid down prior to the event. Blatter said in a press conference at the end of the tournament that his faith in awarding the finals to South Africa had been "more than justified."

It seems this feeling was reflected on the ground too. Editor of Sowetan Soccer magazine, Mo Allie, told CNN: "FIFA gave us a good mark because they were very happy with the turnout – and on average it worked out that 35,000 attended each game which was a better figure than when the event was held in Germany.

"Tickets were bought up by big sponsors and many of the matches finished late – but despite this people realized there was fantastic action at the ground if they went down to watch, and fans turned up.

"Football has always been a prominent sport in South Africa, especially with the big teams like Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates – but the great thing with the Confederations Cup was the mix of the crowds that attended, all ages and races, which is not something that is always found in other sports.

"The biggest change has been with the attitude towards the national team. Prior to the Confederations Cup there was widespread skepticism about how they would perform, but good performances against New Zealand, Spain and Brazil turned heads – they gave a good account of themselves and many people now believe Bafana Bafana have a fighting chance of getting past the group stages come the finals," Allie added.

"Transport and accommodation are still big logistical factors that need to be sorted. There is a park and ride system that did not work as well as it might, some drivers didn't know the way, buses weren't always on time. There were also many roadworks around the stadiums which led to a lot of delays, but in a way it was really good to have the Confederations Cup a year before the World Cup because it highlighted what shortcomings remain."

Such sentiments were echoed by the chief executive of the local organizing committee Danny Jordaan. Though it would be bizarre for a man in such a position to be anything other than optimistic, it is hard to argue that South Africa has successfully staged some major sporting events in recent months.

"In terms of scale and complexity, the World Cup is very different to the Confederations Cup and we are therefore already well advanced in planning for the extra demands. However, the success of the Confederations Cup is confirmation that we as a country can host major events. Look at the British Lions rugby tour and the Indian Premier League cricket tournament which we hosted successfully, and now also the FIFA Confederations Cup. It's a good boost for our country," Jordaan told a post-tournament press conference.

Undoubtedly, there are many challenges to be met before the World Cup party can start in earnest, but South Africa could yet prove many critics wrong.

MANCHESTER, England – As Manchester United near the end of another remarkable season, Alex Ferguson is in history-writing mood.

Not content with matching the record set by rivals Liverpool of winning the English league title 18 times, a trophy the Red Devils retained successfully in 2009 for the third season in a row, as well as taking the League Cup and the World Club Cup in the same campaign, United are now on the verge of a successful defense of the big one too - the European Cup.

Not that any weight of legacy was evident from the body language of Fergie's charges, as they trained at the club's plush Carrington training complex a week away from the final clash with Barcelona in Rome.

Despite the presence of at least 100 of the world's press in attendance the atmosphere was positively jovial and carefree, with only anxious cameramen concerned about their shots affecting the mood.

Top clubs are rarely easy to access for journalists but United's welcome embrace smacked of a club confident with its present state and rank of players. Cristiano Ronaldo is an awesome sight even in training, Wayne Rooney tricked and smiled his way around the pitch while Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes exude that thoroughbred class that has proved so valuable down the years.

Only Dimitar Berbatov failed to live up to expectations, or vice versa depending on your opinion of the Bulgarian. Slow, soporific and unable to hit a barn door with a banjo all day long he stuck out from the energetic ensemble as a lone loafer.

After training, with filming half complete, player after player then filed past the never ending row of microphones to patiently answer the same recycled questions for an avid gaggle of media bods eager to get their second hit of the day. For starved hacks used to writing essays from monosyllabic scraps, this was a feeding frenzy of unexpected proportions.

Bobby Charlton says it could be the best ever United squad assembled. This is hard to quantify, but on this showing and as someone who saw the same body language from the same players displayed before the semifinal thrashing of Arsenal in London earlier in the month, Barcelona should beware. Fergie has pen in hand ...