BBC SPORT | Tim Vickery

“One of the biggest blasts of hot air, which I’ve been hearing ever since I was an adolescent, is the idea that top level sport is a good place to learn and develop ethical and moral values. ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/11/one_of_the_biggest_blasts.html

All's fair in love, war and relegation battles - or Palmeiras seem to think so. The Sao Paulo giants, the team of the city's Italian community, are in trouble. Back in July they won the Brazili...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/11/alls_fair_in_love_war.html

The biggest occasion in South American domestic club football was back on Sunday when River Plate met Boca Juniors in a league match for the first time in almost 18 months . The big Buenos Aire...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/10/river_plate_v_boca_juniors_-_w.html

"I was too busy scoring goals to learn how to play football," says Dario, a legendary figure in Brazilian football from the 1960s and 70s. A charismatic character, Dario invents phrases as easily...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/10/brazil_look_on_target_without.html

A gap has opened up as South America's World Cup qualification campaign reaches the halfway stage. Victories on Friday for Argentina, Colombia and Ecuador mean that three teams have pulled away f...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/10/venezuela_profit_without_kicki.html

The so-called 'super-classic of the Americas' descended into the farce that it probably deserved last week. Argentina against Brazil is one of football's greatest rivalries. But the occasion ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/10/argentina_uruguay_on_road_to_b.html

Veteran Colombian midfielder Gerardo Bedoya came up with something special for his record-breaking 41st sending off. Playing for Santa Fe in the big Bogota derby against Millonarios, first, in ...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/10/can_colombian_football_launder.html

Little more than a month into the season, new signing Oscar is already a Stamford Bridge sensation. I must confess that I took a bit longer to be won over by him - before making up for lost tim...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/09/oscar_-_a_midfielder_in_the_fu.html

World Cup qualification in Europe has a few good games along with plenty of mismatches. In South America, meanwhile, every game in the long campaign is resonant with rivalry and relevance. The...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/09/higher_stakes_for_south_americ.html

In the context of a league campaign, a resounding win or a heavy defeat never ends at the final whistle. More important than the points won or lost can be the team's reaction. Can it rally in the...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/09/beaten_uruguay_have_no_time_to.html

World Cup qualification resumes in South America this Friday, with a question mark hanging over the team which have been the continent's form side over the past two years. Might the London Olympi...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/09/uruguay_have_cause_for_world_c.html

Manchester City coach Roberto Mancini was frustrated when his striker Sergio Aguero was called up by Argentina for a friendly against Germany two weeks ago. And he is exasperated to see Aguero...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/08/aguero_messi_-_argentinas_perf.html

On Wednesday Neymar helped Brazil to a morale-boosting 3-0 win away to Sweden. The next evening he was back in action on the other side of the Atlantic, in Florianopolis in the south of Brazil, w...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/08/neymar_must_leave_comfort_zone.html

In the culture of Brazilian football, there are few crimes more serious than losing in a final. The celebrations have been planned and the champagne is on ice. Then, when things go wrong, every...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/08/brazils_menezes_under_pressure.html

When I fly back to Rio - the host of the 2016 Olympics - my enduring memory of London 2012 will be that of Great Britain women's football team beating Brazil. Included in a Wembley crowd of 70...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/timvickery/2012/08/inspiring_a_generation.html