After your train from Berlin Brandenburg Airport has inevitably been delayed or cancelled, courtesy of the famously unreliable Deutsche Bahn , it will probably be dark by the time you arrive at your accommodation.  With your pre-conceived notion of German efficiency shattered, head to an ATM. Berlin’s approach to payment seems trapped somewhere in the late 1970s – it wouldn’t surprise me if some restaurants still operate a barter economy. The other thing to note about Berlin is that it exists...

The twenty or so hardy souls who braved the pissing rain might have agreed with George Livanos’ assessment on the Sunday League Final Facebook event that it was “by far the s***test thing I’ve been invited to in my four years here.” 

Anyone who has slotted a 50p coin into a vending machine will be familiar with the name Lipton (of iced tea acclaim). Few, however, will know that Sir Thomas Lipton — the Glaswegian merchant behind the brand — has a place in the America’s Cup Hall of Fame and is credited by FIFA as the organiser of the inaugural Club World Cup.