A Quote by Martin Samuel

It is a testament to the fundamental honesty of football that Israel, with nothing to play for, overcame Russia in Tel Aviv on Saturday. The sport has its faults, but this basic trust is the reason Wembley holds 80,000 and could take more and the track and field venue for the London Olympics will be reduced after the event to the same capacity as the home of Wigan Athletic.

Martin Samuel

Quote Topics

After Athletic Basic Capacity Could Event Faults Field Football Fundamental Holds Home Honesty Israel London London Olympics More Nothing Olympics Overcame Play Reason Reduced Russia Same Saturday Sport Take Testament Track Track And Field Trust Venue Wigan Will

Quote Author

Martin Samuel
English - Columnist
Born: 1964

I like Tel Aviv; I live in Tel Aviv, but our right of return is Jerusalem. We did not return after 2,000 years for Tel Aviv but for Jerusalem.

Yair Lapid

A trip to Tel Aviv is a ritual. I always wear the same clothes to Tel Aviv: black pants and a blue-checked shirt that I bought especially from Ralph Lauren.

Sayed Kashua

After my grandmother passed away, I felt the urge to take my camera to her flat. I knew this flat from my childhood in Tel Aviv. Going to this flat was like going abroad; there was a real feeling of traveling across Tel Aviv and ending up in Berlin.

Arnon Goldfinger

I grew up an athlete. Track and field and dance. In track, I actually went to the Junior Olympics. I've always been very athletic.

Kimberly Elise

Tel Aviv, Israel, me, Robbie Williams. I'm coming to see you. It's like a first date. I've got butterflies in my stomache, I can't wait. I hope you feel the same way too. There will be singing, there will be dancing, there will be banter, there will be love. Mainly from me, beaming it to you, from my heart into your heads and minds.

Robbie Williams

When I was a child I had a dream to become a football player. I always played as I played when I was a child. I tried to improve. I never dreamt of becoming a professional football player, I dreamed just to play with the best players in the best team. I never dreamed to be paid to play. I would have paid to play an FA Cup Final in front of 80,000 people in Wembley. I just tried to play the wonderful game that football is. So, I hope young players will still have this dream.

Eric Cantona

Israel is a wonderful country, especially Tel Aviv.

Steven Wilson

Tel Aviv is the most exciting place to eat in Israel.

Yotam Ottolenghi

London was the Olympics that I was most nervous about. From coming into the venue and stepping on to the mat, people were supporting with 'Saori' banners and waving the Japanese flag, so even though it was London, I felt much more like fighting at home that way, which was really inspiring.

Saori Yoshida

The weird thing about the subway is no one looks at each other. So I play the O2 in London. It's a 20,000 capacity venue, and then I'll take the subway to my gig, and everyone's going to my gig, and no one looks at you. If anyone does, they say, 'Hey, you look exactly like James Blunt, only smaller.'

James Blunt

This will be my first visit [to Israel]. I've heard it's a special place, that Tel Aviv is exciting and that the atmosphere is excellent....I hope I'll have time to visit the holy places.

James Blunt

You see somebody on a football field make a great, athletic 70-yard run, but the athleticism is immeasurable. It's undoubtedly athletic, but compared to somebody else who did something else, how do you compare it? That's the great part of track and field. It's a test, but with results that you can compare to others.

Ashton Eaton

We can never totally return to the indefensible pre-1967 borders, ... We simply cannot afford to make Israel 14.48 km (9 miles) wide again at its center. We can't allow the Palestinians to be a couple of [miles] from [Tel Aviv's] Ben-Gurion Airport in the age of shoulder-fire missiles with the capacity to shoot down jumbo jets. But that doesn't mean we must remain in every corner of the West Bank or in Gaza, where fewer than 10,000 Jews, living next to 1.3 million Palestinians, have been protected by twice as many soldiers.

Ehud Olmert

We're excited to be appearing in Tel Aviv in the framework of the Pic.nic festival. This is an important tour for us and we're glad that Israel is part of it