A surprising omission from the Guardian’s list of best songs about football (Ranked, 4 June) was the Manchester United Calypso, recorded by the Trinidadian actor and musician Edric Connor in 1957. A tribute to the Busby Babes, it is still sung to this day by United fans at many matches, both home and away. Also, while lacking the catchy vibe of the United Calypso, another song surely worthy of inclusion was All I want for Christmas is a Dukla Prague Away Kit by Half Man Half Biscuit. A song from their 1985 chart‑topping album Back in the DHSS, it celebrates the dubious pleasures of getting unfairly beaten by a neighbouring kid at Subbuteo table football. (His game, his rules.) Mick Balfour Leeds • Richard Gosnell (Letters, 15 June) has no need to worry that the Fitba’ Crazy song on Scottish football has been forgotten. Georgia Mann on the Essential Classics show on BBC Radio 3 played it to mark the World Cup finals – possibly to the consternation of the channel’s more traditional listeners. Steve Kibble Rudyard, Staffordshire • Many thanks to Richard Gosnell for providing an earworm in the form of Fitba’ Crazy. In the spirit of reciprocity, may I offer Lily the Pink. Anne Sempik Beeston, Nottinghamshire • No debate about football songs is reputable without the inclusion of the History of Football by Hamish Imlach, which explains the origins of our venerable sport. John Starbuck Lepton, West Yorkshire • Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication in our letters section.

It’s kicking off over the best football songs | Letters

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25 min: They’re back after a drink. Stephen McCrossan just wants to say that “Granit Xhaka is a lovely footballer”. He really is. Russell Brady adds: “Swiss attack asking questions, unlike the country’s banking executives” Four readers have made jokes about cheese. Hydration break. Yuck. I wonder if that might take some of the wind out of Switzerland’s sails. They’ve utterly dominated this first quarter. 23 min: Freuler has a pop from long range and it fizzes past the post on the right as Vasilj dives across. Fair enough. Switzerland were zipping it around but not quite working the shooting opportunity. 21 min: Dedic versus Ndoye down the Swiss left is the contest of the game so far. Ndoye moves centrally and links with Xhaka but credit to the Bosnians. They’re getting outplayed and they’re loose on the ball themselves, but they’re committed. How long can they keep this up for, though? 19 min: Ndoye skins his man down the left and gets in the box but the low cross is blocked. Then Widmer shifts into free ground inside the box on the right, but the diagonal is a little too long for him as he leaps in an attempt to reach it. A minute later Ndoye shoots after Bosnia give the ball away. It’s so one-sided but the Swiss know that doesn’t count. 18 min: Switzerland with all the ball. They’re moving it quickly though. It doesn’t feel ponderous but they are forced to go back to their centrebacks. Akanji rakes a ball for Widmer down the right flank. Nothing doing so they recycle again. 16 min: Ndoye is finding room down the left. He brings down a long diagonal but the cover defence is swift and he’s dispossessed before he can cause any mischief. 15 min: Now then. Memic manages to hook the ball away from Rodriguez on the halfway line and canters after it himself. He’s all alone on the right wing. He has two mates in the box but the cross is a howler, far too long and wide and it floats away for a goal kick. He knows that was a proper chance. 13 min: Lovely again from Xhaka. Inside left, he paasses for Rieder who is unmarked in the box. He spins and fizzes a low pass for the rushing Ndoye. But it’s a touch behind him so he tries to flick it with his trailing leg. He misses. Good chance that. Goal coming at this rate. 11 min: Xhaka rakes a delicious ball from inside his box and it lands at Embolo’s feel just on the edge of the area. He’s off-side, but that’s not the first time the Bosnians have tried to play a high line. They could get caught out if they persist, especially if Xhaka is one it, as he seems to be. 9 min: The short corner is eventually crossed in but again it’s a poor delivery. But Switzerland get hold of it once again after there’s an odd handball call against. Bosnian (missed who that was as Switzerland moved things along swiftly). It’s all Switzerland. Another cross from the left is easily dealt with. Xhaka gets on the front foot and slides in a pass to Embolo who ghosted into the box on the inside channel on the left. He turns and shoots but misses at the near post. Good from the Swiss. They look more threatening when they’re not just hoiking balls in the mixer. 7 min: The first corner doesn’t beat the first man but they get a second. This one is played short and Rodruiguez hoists a cross in from a 45 degree angle, looking for Akanji. That’s also easily cleared. Switzerland, as expected, are bossing possession. Xhaka takes a shot from distance and it’s deflected away for another corner, this time on the right. 6 min: Dedic is caught in possession deep in his own half. Switzerland work the ball around the left corner with Rodriguez involved. The ball is floated into the Bosnian box where Muharemovic gets himself in a proper tangle. It bounces off his standing leg and bobbles away for a Swiss corner. 5 min: There are more Bosnian fans in the stands. Every time Switzerland sit on the ball they’re greeted with boos and whistles. They have it now with Akanji sparking a move with a forward ball to Embolo through the lines, but he was off-side as Muharemovic stepped up. 4 min: Embolo brings the ball down for Switzerland in midfield, dropping deep. It’s recycled down the left but they can’t make the move stitch. Goalkick for Bosnia after a pretty tame start from both teams. 3 min: The corner is knocked away safely by Switzerland by the Bosnians come back. There’s a dinked ball from the left into Dzeko but he’s well covered. Switerland escape unharmed 1 min: Early foul down the left gives Alajbegovic a chance to whip in a ball for Bosnia. It’s long and knocked behind for a corner at the far post by Widmer for a Bosnian corner. They’re underway! This is ominous from Andrew Traynor (the last last mail before kick-off): Hey Daniel. An Englishman living in the urban hellscape between Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Yet to see a truly bad game yet (in fairness, I’ve missed a lot) unless you count the one-sided opener. But I’ve a feeling Switzerland and Bosnia are going to break that record. As they say in my home country, eish! Anthems done. The Swiss was a little jaunty and sweet and over quickly, the Bosnian one was stirring and instrumental and, for some reason, made every Bosnian player wear a pained look on his face. Maybe that’s just how they look when they’re locked in. As the players emerge from the tunnel, and the enormous flags stretch across the pitch of this humungous stadium, let’s take a couple last emails before kick-off. Keep the correspondence coming, I just hope the game is so much fun I won’t have time to get to them all. “I’m not sure I agree with my compatriot Steve Gisselbrecht that soccer needs quarterly ad breaks to succeed on TV,” says Ron Stack. “NBC broadcasts the Premier League without them, and streamers show other European leagues the same way. I’m sure that broadcasters appreciate having additional ad blocks to sell, but I’m not sure that slouching toward the NFL TV experience is the only way to grow a fan base. I do agree that, if the breaks become standard, the game will change as teams start to strategize around them.” James Humphries has the last word before the anthems start: “Hiya Dan, You think you’ve got it bad, the new motherwell manager’s just been announced and he’s four years younger than me. I’m just hoping nobody at this world cup turns out to be the grandson of someone I remember watching (let’s face it, it’ll probably be a Schmeichel when it does happen). “I used to be with it, and then they changed what it was, etc. Still, if Messi can do it at 39 then why can’t - *sleeps wrong, pulls muscle in neck*” We’re going over old ground moaning about the ad/water breaks, but, to mix metaphors, that is a deep well. Here’s Rachel Clifton from across the pond to share a take that I’m sure will resonate with most: Football IS shown here on regular tv – the Premier League is on NBC and USA and the Champions League is on CBS. They do not break for ads during the game – and even have a couple of hours post-game without ads from time to time. As a Brit living here (12 years and counting…), I get very annoyed at this idea that football should change for US sensibilities but we should all accept them calling the Super Bowl winners “World Champions” when they play fewer than 20 other teams all from the US. Karen Carney has just called Dzeko a “machine”. I’ve loved the old boys banging in the goals this tournament. I turned 38 in June. One of the worst things about growing up as a sports fan is watching the list of players older than you rapidly dwindle. I don’t really care who wins the tournament (I mean, South Africa aren’t going to do it). My only wish is that when the best XI is assembled every player was born before June 1988. Some more mails: “Hello Daniel,” says regular correspondent, Krishna Moorthy. “Can’t believe this is your first MBM!” Good to be here! “This will be a lively contest. Not many European teams understand or assess Bosnia properly . I will not be surprised if they notch up a win. I spent 8 months of 2025 in that country and boy! Are they passionate about their game! South Africa and Czech can make their plans for the summer. They can’t beat Mexico or South Korea . Tournament over for them.” I agree, sadly. Anyway, here’s David Marriott: “Greetings from sunny Vancouver Island, Canada. The parochialism is the same here in Canada, with TSN now going on about the black Canada kit. Having said that, we do have pretty good pundits in Kevin Kilbane and Steven Caldwell. The commercial breaks are there too, usually about two and a half minutes long -- sadly, the future of football, I think.” I get it. Got to pander to the home crowd on occasion. Glad to say we’re now seeing the experts analyse this game. Steve Gisselbrecht has written in to provide some real world perspective on the water breaks: Hi there. I just want to say, as someone born and raised in the US, that soccer will never be a truly major sport here until it’s shown on regular TV, and that’s not happening without ad breaks. I don’t write to praise US capitalism or the media landscape it produces! I only acknowledge that that’s the country I live in. Fair play. But it still sucks. And not just because these are ad slots masquerading as drinks breaks. But because it disrupts the flow of games. I fully acknowledge that money makes the ball go round, but when it comes at the expense of the game itself then I don’t like it. Another gripe now. I’m watching the build up to this game on ITV and they’re banging on about England’s win over Croatia in great detail. Look, I know it’s ITV, I know the majority of their audience are far more invested in Harry Kane than Dan Ndoye, but doe they have to be so parochial? Oh, and now they’re going to the Scotland camp! FFS. Just had a glance at the weather in Inglewood California. It’s a mild 22 C. Nowhere near hot enough to warrant a hydration break. But we’ll have one anyway. Look, I know you’re bored of all the moaning about advert breaks drinks breaks, but this is my first MBM. So let me have that one if you don’t mind. We’ve got our first email of the night. It’s from Kári Tulinius who straddle the game that’s just gone and the game to come like a pro: Hello Daniel, You’re not wrong about Bafana Bafana’s performance, but the Czechs didn’t deserve a win after spending the second half being as proactive as a block of cheese. That’s how I feel about the Swiss performance against Qatar too, though they weren’t quite as negative. If other teams learn from the Czechs and Swiss not to try to sit on a one goal lead, that will be good for the competition. To be fair ti Switzerland, they did create more opportunities to score a second against Qatar. They just wasted every one. How about some analysis on the teams then. Switzerland have made two changes to the side that fluffed it against Qatar. In comes right back Silvan Widmer who replaces Denis Zakaria (who is more of a midfielder) and Fabian Rieder will hopefully provide more passing through the lines than Ruben Vargas. Bosnia have handed a starting berth to their skipper and 40-year-old talisman Edin Dzeko. Ivab Sunjic replaces Ivan Basic and the 18-year-old winger Kerim Alajbegovic starts in place of Esmir Bajraktarevic. It’s as if both teams are telegraphing their intent. Bosnia will look to break at pace and stick in the mixer as often as they can. Switzerland will want to boss possession. I’m hoping we get to see Alajbegovic in a 1-v-1 situation against 33-year-old Widmer. I’ve got a feeling that could be a tasty match-up. While we get through the gears and build towards kick-off, here are my two favourite bits from my colleagues today: Jonny Liew (as you’d expect) is brilliant here: And David Squires (as you’d expect) is brilliant here: They are two very talented men, aren’t they? South Africa salvaged a draw in the game that’s just concluded. If you think I’ve been too harsh on my compatriots, drop Daniel Harris a line as he wraps up the blog on that one: Switzerland 4-3-3: Kobel; Widmer, Elvedi, Akanji, Rodriguez; Freuler, Xhaka (c), Aebischer; Rieder, Embolo, Ndoye. Substitutes: Mvogo, Keller, Coemert, Amenda, Jaquez, Zakaria, Manzambi, Jashari, Sow, Fassnacht, Vargas, Okafor, Amdouni, Itten. Bosnia & Herzogvina 4-4-2: Vasilj; Muharemovic, Kolasinac, Katic, Dedic; Tahirovic, Sunjic, Memic, , Alajbegovic; Demirovic, Dzeko (c). Substitutes: Jurkas, Zlomislic, Mujakic, Hadzikadunic, Radeljic, Malic, Gigovic, Basic, Hadziahmetovic, Burnic, Mahmic, Bazdar, Bajraktarevic, Tabakovic, Lukic. It’s not quite do or die, but there’s loads at stake as a victory in this one could be enough to secure passage to the last 32. Switzerland blew it against Qatar as they wasted a load of opportunities before conceding a 94th minute equaliser. Bosnia and Herzegovina weren’t pegged back as late as that, but they were 1-0 ahead against Canada until the 78th minute in their opening game. With Group B in a grid-lock, four teams locked on a single point, any side that can get ahead of traffic with a win in this second round will feel pretty good about their chances of reaching the knockouts. Switzerland will likely lean on their possession-based approach and back themselves to eventually make the pressure tell. They had 26 shots against Qatar, so chance creation clearly isn’t the problem. The question is whether they can move the ball quickly enough to pull Bosnia’s defensive block out of shape rather than just racking up territory and hopeful efforts. B&H are expected to sit deep and break on the counter, looking to spring runners into the channels whenever Switzerland’s full-backs push on. And with some tall timber in the ranks, they’ll be a real threat at set pieces, especially if this becomes one of those tense, second-ball-heavy World Cup scraps. With modern football tactics flattening so many differences between teams, this may come down to something beautifully old-fashioned: who takes their chances, who defends their box, and who keeps their head when the group starts to squeeze. I’m looking forward to this one, primarily as a palate cleanser after my fellow South Africans once again stank out the place with an inept performance. After hat-watching Bafana Bafana, I can sit back and enjoy this. Any thoughts? Drop me a mail Kick-off at 8pm BST/5am AEST/12pm in California. Teams and other bits to come.

Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina: World Cup 2026 – live

Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George is slated to be the next mayor of Washington DC after her opponent conceded on Thursday. Lewis George, a city council member, ran on a platform of expanding childcare, education and housing, and revoking the district’s cooperation with federal immigration enforcement. In the city’s first ranked-choice voting election, she succeeded in securing the Democratic nomination in a party stronghold, fending off another former city council member, Kenyan McDuffie. McDuffie had run a campaign more focused on public safety and local businesses. Now, Lewis George will be on the ballot in November’s general election, where she will likely run unopposed. “Earlier this morning, I called Councilmember Janeese Lewis George to congratulate her on her victory and wish her success as she prepares for the general election,” McDuffie said in a statement. Donald Trump loomed large over Washington’s primary elections, including threatening to expand federal control over the city if Lewis George won. In the past year, the president has deployed the national guard in the city, and supported widespread immigration enforcement. The city is also still reeling from blows to the federal work force after the Trump administration and Elon Musk’s “department of government efficiency” slashed entire agencies last year. DC unemployment remains among the highest in the nation. Further down the ballot, longtime city council member Robert White won the race for US congressional house delegate, a position which does not include voting powers because of the city’s status as a federal district. He beat out Brooke Pinto, another city council member who had also run largely on public safety. The current house delegate, Eleanor Holmes Norton, announced her retirement earlier this year.

Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George to be next mayor of Washington DC

Star-studded ceremony welcomes Obama Presidential Center to Chicago – live

Steve Clarke has warned Scotland the Morocco team they will face on Friday are superior to the one who reached the semi-finals of the World Cup in 2022. Scotland kicked off their tournament with a 1-0 win over Haiti, which came hours after Morocco impressed during a 1-1 draw with Brazil. Clarke answered with a firm “absolutely” when asked whether Morocco will pose as stern a threat as Brazil to his side in Group C. “We are under no illusion about the size of the task,” said Clarke. “I feel Morocco are a really, really good side. They reached the last four of the last World Cup and I have a feeling this Morocco team is slightly better than that, so that gives you an idea of the task ahead. They have power, they have pace, they have little bits of skill that can open up a game. For me they are the real deal, a top side. We will have to be at our very best to compete. “It is a big challenge for us. We give them a lot of respect. We expect they will probably have more of the ball, more possession. We have to make sure that when we have the ball we can be a threat to Morocco.” Clarke deployed a back three for the friendly against Côte d’Ivoire in March, which may serve as a clue to his plan or Morocco. It is a near certainty that Scotland will not lineup in the 4-4-2 formation used against Haiti. “Every system that we have ever played, we have put a lot of work into,” Clarke said. “I have shown over my time as head coach that we can play different systems. It is something that we have always wanted to expand on, more systems, different personnel for different games. “Sometimes the Scottish psyche and mentality is that we are a little more comfortable when we are the underdog. We were the favourites against Haiti and found the game a struggle, but we managed to win. This time we are the underdogs and sometimes Scotland prefer it that way.” Barring an utterly bizarre series of results, a point should be enough to earn Scotland a tournament knockout berth for the first time ever. They could progress on three points, which brings protection of goal difference into the conversation. It is one, however, Clarke is happy to ignore. “You just have to play the game,” said the 62-year-old. “The first thing is to try and win, if you can’t win then don’t lose. Permutations and whatever else is for you guys [the media] and all the punters to think about, not for us. “The players feel good about themselves. They wanted to win a game at a major tournament and have done that. Now they want the next step, which is to get what we need out of the next two games to make a little bit of history for Scotland. The training was electric today. We feel good.” Clarke made time during pre-match media duties to offer words of support to the family of Donnie Strathie. The 76-year-old had travelled to Boston as a Scotland fan but died in the aftermath of the Haiti game. “In among all the good news that has come out the World Cup for Scotland, that is obviously very sad for his family; his daughters, his grandchildren,” said Clarke. “My thoughts and condolences are with his family.”

It’s kicking off over the best football songs | Letters

More Filings

Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina: World Cup 2026 – live

Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George to be next mayor of Washington DC

Star-studded ceremony welcomes Obama Presidential Center to Chicago – live

FIVE STORIES.
ZERO NOISE.
EVERY 0600.

More Filings

Switzerland v Bosnia and Herzegovina: World Cup 2026 – live

Democratic socialist Janeese Lewis George to be next mayor of Washington DC

Star-studded ceremony welcomes Obama Presidential Center to Chicago – live

FIVE STORIES.ZERO NOISE.EVERY 0600.

FIVE STORIES.
ZERO NOISE.
EVERY 0600.