Sports Desk: 2nd Sept.

This week's sports desk is a smattering of violence, racism and filthy lucre. Enjoy.

Football;

John Wight takes a look at football violence in the Morning Star These Colours Don't Run. Peter Preston says the problem is people not football.

Charlie Bolton is prompted to thought on whether Bristol City need Tesco.

Manchester United's fowling is harming football at least according to Arsène Wenger, who describes their play as 'anti-football'.

UEFA has issued a warning to top clubs over their high spending, threatening that they might even end up being banned from the Champion's League.

There was an interesting piece about the history of the sporting rivalries between Barcelona and Real Madrid (among others).

Cricket;

Jon Gemmell asks Why the rush to kill off the 50-over game?

However, Dom Joly thinks cricket could take over the world.

Motor sports

Whatever happened to the French Grand Prix?

And finally;

The excellent Dave Zirin looks at race, the Republicans and bit of boxing history. Contains the following delicious phrase "the United States has two main political parties: one party on the center-right: the Democrats, and one party in a mental institution".

Then there's David Mitchell who wonders whether red guarantees sporting success? Talking of Mr Mitchell, here's something he knocked up earlier...