Once upon a time, Barcelona were held up as the model to follow in football.

Their dedication to an ambitious style of play, the influence of a revolutionary manager and an unrivalled trophy haul led to admiration well beyond the shores of Catalonia. These days, though, they dominate headlines for very different reasons.
Performances on the pitch are no longer up to the standards of old, the trophies are starting to dry up, a transfer ban will stop them signing players until 2016, and in-fighting has led to early elections.
To cap it all, there is even talk that Lionel Messi might want to leave.
Only a few years ago, it seemed Barcelona could do no wrong.
Fourteen trophies won under Pep Guardiola with an exhilarating brand of football ensured the Catalans were regularly hailed as the best team in the world, while a regular supply of bright, young academy players suggested the future was in safe hands.
But things have taken a turn for the worse. Not a single major honour was won by Barça in 2014, while Atlético Madrid claimed the Spanish league at the Nou Camp on the last day of the season.
More damning still, the Blaugrana had to look on as Atletico and Real Madrid fought out an all La Liga Champions League final in Lisbon.
In response, Barcelona spent big, investing well over £100m on players ranging from goalkeepers, defenders, midfielders and forwards. Above all, they invested in Luis Suarez, paying around £75m for the Premier League's top scorer.
Yet despite the new names, many of the old problems persist, with Barça still struggling to raise their game to the heady levels of old.
Matters off the pitch haven't helped. Resignations, sackings, fall-outs and in-fighting have all marred the club in recent months, while a transfer ban, imposed after the club breached rules on signing international players under the age of 18, prevents them from signing players until 2016.
On paper, Barcelona's position as second in La Liga looks positive enough, as does their presence in the knockout stage of the Copa del Rey and Champions League.
The devil is in the detail, however. Performances have been poor, particularly against the toughest opponents, and, at a club that demands good football just as much as good results, fans have not been satisfied.
Unable to sign players in an effort to improve displays, Barcelona have to work with the tools they have - and that means looking to their famed youth academy for support.
Even the fabled Barça school of football isn't without its issues these days, however. The club's B team, whose sole purpose is to supply players to the senior side, sit one point above relegation from the Spanish Second Division.
Talent is certainly there, but there are worries that it is being mismanaged - and that could soon have an impact further up the food chain.
The tense atmosphere has only been worsened by the departure of Andoni Zubizarreta and Carles Puyol.
Zubizarreta was Barça's goalkeeper when they won their first European Cup in 1992 and had been working as director of football since 2010. On Sunday, he was sacked: a mixed record in the transfer market coupled with the need for a sacrificial lamb ensuring his time was up.
Zubizarreta's departure was followed the same day by the exit of his understudy, iconic former defender Puyol.
Captain of the club through the most successful period in its history, he had already decided to leave, but the timing of his announcement turned the move into a gesture of solidarity with his superior.
Both departures only served to increase the focus on the club's president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, who had already been suffering in the wake of diminishing returns on the field.
Pushed by critical voices within his own board of directors, he has decided to call elections this summer one year ahead of schedule.
In all likelihood, the 51-year-old entrepreneur and engineer will have to take on Joan Laporta, who oversaw the Blaugrana's golden era in the mid 2000s and is expected to run for presidency again.
Perhaps the biggest concern for supporters is the prospect of losing their best player and talisman, Messi.
The Argentine's answers have grown increasingly ambiguous when questioned on his long-term future at the club, while stories of a training ground confrontation with Luis Enrique - that neither the manager nor Bartomeu have denied - suggest something is not right.
The plot thickened further, when on the same day news of his fall-out with Enrique emerged, Messi mischievously decided to follow Chelsea and Blues players Filipe Luis and Thibaut Courtois on Instagram.
That may sound trivial, but murmurs that the London club are interested in signing the Argentine have been around for some time.
In reality, the prospect of another club signing Messi are slim, not least because of his 200m euros (£156.7m) buyout clause on a contract that runs until 2018.
More probable is that his actions were an attempt to speed up the process of change that many feel the club needs. With elections now called, it may well have worked.
One change that may well arrive sooner is the manager. A club icon in his playing days and a successful former B team coach, Enrique was hailed as the man to bring 'intensity' back to Barcelona when he arrived last summer, but so far he has failed to bring quality football along with it.
Defeats in big games against Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid, along with a bizarre refusal to repeat the same starting line-up twice have seen his status slip among supporters.
For the moment, the club insist he has their backing. With elections now on the agenda however, a change of coach may be the only calculated risk left to get voters on side should they continue to prove disgruntled.
Comparisons between his current situation and his failed stint at Roma in 2011 are increasingly frequent. That year, the Italians finished seventh, failing to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League, a hint that his methods may not be suitable at bigger clubs.
The opinion of the local press is particularly important and, at the moment, neither Enrique nor the club's board of directors are popular.
Barcelona has two main daily sports papers that are consumed on a tabloid-like scale and their voice can often sway public opinion.
One particularly telling headline this week read: "This club will self-destruct in 3,2,1…"
A number of popular radio programs spend an increasing amount of their time debating the perceived incompetency of Barca both on and off the pitch, too.
Everything changes with elections on the table. Any act carried out by the Barcelona board henceforth can be seen as part of pre-electoral campaigning - and that means populism will be difficult to resist.
In the long-term, that could mean sacking Enrique should performances fail to improve, but a more imminent move will be bringing in a figure of importance from the club's past to fill the vacant sporting director role.
The best way to try and stabilise the situation would, of course, be by delivering convincing performances on the pitch, but the fixture list in the coming months does not bode well.
Atlético Madrid, who have just beaten Real Madrid 2-0 in their Copa del Rey last-16 first-leg tie, come to the Nou Camp this Sunday, while Manchester City lie in wait in the Champions League. In the cup, either a Clasico encounter or further confrontation with Atlético awaits in the next round. An already poor situation could quickly deteriorate further.
Even if Barcelona come out of those fixtures relatively unscathed, it is still unlikely to suppress public opinion for too long.
The Catalans may never return to the heady heights of the Guardiola era, but it is the speed with which they have fallen that stands out the most. Dragging them back to the top will be a huge challenge.


On EgyptAir flights arriving in Cairo since flight MS804 disappeared from radar screens over the Eastern Mediterranean, one finds a mix of attitudes.

On mine, some were fatalistic, others nervously pragmatic - one passenger told me he could not afford to change expensive, long-laid travel plans, however grim the news. Some were more openly apprehensive.
Egypt sees itself as a regional power in the front line of a war against global jihadism and its strong-man President, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, portrays himself as the hammer of political Islamism at home.
Privately many Egyptians appear to worry that might make their country an obvious target for jihadists - the fear being that a long-bubbling Islamist insurgency in the Sinai Peninsula might escalate elsewhere in Egypt.
You do not find those fears reflected in the mainstream media, which sees its role in Mr Sisi's Egypt as cheerleading for the state where possible and downplaying criticism when necessary.
But the fears are nonetheless real - most Egyptians firmly support the idea that their country should be a strong regional power but there is a genuine anxiety about the price tag such a role might ultimately carry.
For the relatives of the missing gathered at a Cairo hotel, the absence of concrete information must be almost unendurable.
They now face a very personal and agonising search for answers that cannot really begin until the search for the bulk of the missing wreckage yields results.
The Egyptian air force has now reported finding debris in the Mediterranean somewhere between 125 miles (200km) and 185 miles north of Alexandria.
That is a start, but the task of recovery remains immense - this is a search not just for evidence of what caused the crash but for the bodies of those who died in it.
The performance of Egypt's armed forces and intelligence agencies will be closely scrutinised.
If the loss of flight MS804 turns out to be the result of a terrorist attack, as most Egyptians now assume, it will raise further questions about the quality of security surrounding EgyptAir operations.
A competent and efficient process that quickly identifies who did it and how, may go some way towards restoring that reputational damage.
Alongside the mood of national mourning and a feeling that the grief of the passengers' families is widely shared here, there is also a sense that Egypt is once again the subject of hostile foreign scrutiny and part of the reaction in the media reflects a deeply felt resentment at any criticism.
That has been reflected in part on social media where the Arabic hashtag "I will only fly EgyptAir" was created in the hours after the plane was reported missing.
The defensive tone was also taken up by a television presenter who appeared on screen dressed in an EgyptAir pilot's uniform to decry criticism of the airline.
He was careful to add, though, that he did not want to imply such criticism amounted to a "conspiracy".
Conspiracy theories abound at moments of crisis in Egypt and they are particularly likely to flourish when there is a lag between speculation and concrete official information.
No event creates those circumstances more starkly than the loss of an aircraft at sea, when there is a lag between the sort of speculation and interpretation which floods the internet and the dearth of hard, official information.
There are now signs that the first evidence is being recovered but everything depends on finding the aircraft's black-box flight recorders which should include the details of its final, fatal moments.
Nowhere is that evidence awaited more keenly than here in Egypt. There is sensitivity to outside criticism here but that is is vastly outweighed by a shared sense of shock and grief.


The Scottish government has said the BBC's proposals for its future are "far short on our ambitions for the broadcaster in Scotland".

Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop made the comments after director general Tony Hall said the BBC needed to adapt to the changing face of British politics.
The BBC laid out its plans as part of negotiations with the government ahead of charter renewal in 2016.
Ms Hyslop said it was time for the BBC to take "bold and radical steps".
During his speech, Lord Hall said the BBC needed to "reconfigure our news coverage to meet the changing expectations of audiences across the UK".
The plans include:
Lord Hall said: "As the pace of devolution quickens, we will need to adapt our services on television, online and radio to ensure that they fully reflect or are able to report the increasingly divergent politics of the UK.
"We will never give up our role in reporting the whole of the UK back to itself, but we also have to recognise that news in some parts of the country simply does not apply in others.
"We want to look at how, within existing resources, we might better configure the BBC's news offering across the UK, and, by the way, how across the range of our services more broadly, we reflect the nations of the UK to the whole UK."
The SNP won 56 of the 59 available seats in Scotland at this year's general election, a landslide election victory which saw the Labour party suffering a near wipeout after holding most of the Westminster seats in Scotland since 1959.
At the Edinburgh Television Festival last month, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called on the BBC to greatly enhance its Scottish presence.
She called for a new BBC Scotland TV channel and a second English-language radio station.
Ms Hyslop said the BBC's response to the UK Government's green paper had "some merits" but fell short of the vision set out by the first minister last month.
The Scottish culture secretary said the changes were "long-overdue" and the BBC did not need a new charter to be able to put them in place.
She said: "It is time for the BBC to take bold and radical steps when it comes to winning back the approval of audiences in Scotland and reflecting the changing nature of the UK as a whole.
"This cannot be the limits of the BBC's ambitions for Scotland, and the Scottish government will use the charter renewal process to build support for a better and bolder BBC in Scotland that reflects our national life, our outlook on the world and supports the creation of content in Scotland."
Another of the plans announced by Lord all was for "a network of 100 public service reporters across the country", who will share work with local newspapers.
It did not find favour with the Scottish Newspaper Society, who labelled the proposal "a Trojan horse which will undermine long-established publications and destroy local news agencies".
"Instead of helping local news publishers, it would make the BBC even more powerful and would further concentrate coverage of news in the hands of the state-funded broadcaster," said its director John McLellan.


As the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge - plus the world's media - await the birth of a new royal baby, one woman who has devoted decades of her life to the Royal Family is more excited than most.

Mary Relph is on first name terms with the Queen which, for someone who is not an aristocrat, politician or celebrity, is no mean feat.
It is the result of years of loyally enduring snow, driving rain and the bone-chilling cold to see the Queen attend church on her Sandringham estate.
Her popularity with the Windsors is such that, when Prince William and Kate Middleton married in 2011, the Duchess of Cornwall sent the 81-year-old a slice of wedding cake.
Mrs Relph, of Shouldham, Norfolk, had been unable to attend the public celebrations due to an injured back.
The piece of cake, inset in a specially-designed tin and wrapped in baking parchment, was accompanied by a hand-written note from the Duchess, who also sent her a "beautiful bouquet" after discovering she had a major cancer operation earlier this year.
In February, at Sandringham, the Queen also asked her if she "should be out in the cold" following her illness.
Such is the great-grandmother's dedication to her "hobby" she has only missed seeing the Queen at Sandringham three times since 1988 - once when her partner died, the second time when she fell down the stairs and most recently following her operation.
So far, she has seen three generations of royal babies grow up.
"I am very excited to have another little royal baby here," she said. "I've seen all the Queen's babies and have all their photos in books. Princess Anne's children, the Duke of Kent's - I've followed them all.
"But I have always liked Charles - I've always had a soft spot for him. I used to watch Charles and Anne playing snowballs as children at Sandringham, they had little blue coats on. Yes, I go back a long way."
As the years have rolled by, the royal parenting approach has softened, according to Mrs Relph.
"Charles had a bad deal when he was young as the Queen was always so busy, but the Queen Mother always favoured him a lot.
"We are living in a different age now - William and Harry are more modern and so laidback."
The Norfolk country retreat has been a long-held favourite holiday location for both the Queen and her father, King George VI. But the newest addition to the Royal Household is expected to be brought up in the county as well.
The royal couple are believed to be living between Kensington Palace and Anmer Hall, near Sandringham, while Prince William works as a pilot for the local air ambulance service.
"It's wonderful to have William and Kate in Norfolk, but I don't suppose we'll get anywhere near the house. I haven't seen George yet - I'm still waiting."
Mrs Relph first began watching the Windsors when she was about eight years old. One of her earliest memories was spotting the Queen as a young princess standing with her sister Margaret on the steps of Sandringham church.
Despite her advancing years, she still gets up early in order to secure the best vantage points for royal watching. As she gathers with the photographers and friends waiting for "the moment", the conversation will often turn to fashion, she says.
"We talk about different things when we're waiting, but what the Queen is going to wear is always a hot topic.
"Some people don't like it if the Queen has the same outfit on, one that they've seen before. 'She had that on on so and so' they say."
A fan of nearly all the Royal Family, she said Princess Diana, an icon to many, never got her seal of approval.
"I never really liked her, she used to look at you under her eyes," she said.
"She always seemed to try and get one ahead of Charles. I never wished her any harm, but I wasn't keen on her."
Over the decades Mrs Relph has also followed the royals to various locations across the UK, including regular trips to Balmoral and numerous events at Buckingham Palace.
"For many years, Mary has been a familiar face for members of the Royal Family at Sandringham," a royal aide said.
"As we prepare to welcome a new arrival, it's remarkable to think how her interest and goodwill have spanned the generations."
Mrs Relph has built up a large amount of memorabilia, including the royal wedding cake tin, more than 100 commemorative plates, hundreds of mugs, ornaments and thousands of photos.
Some of these are signed gifts from celebrated royal photographer Arthur Edwards - a surprise guest at Mrs Relph's 80th birthday.
She hopes her next event will be the Trooping of the Colour in June. However, anyone wishing to reserve a spot should beware.
"Two years ago I went and this American woman had blankets all around - I went and stood there and she looked at me and said 'I'm sorry madam you can't stand there'.
"I said: 'Why not - I've been standing here for years'. She said: 'Well, I'm saving these places for people'.
"There's this spot you go near the memorial so you're dead in line for the balcony and for when they come out to go over the Mall.
"I held my ground - I'd been there for years and years."


Glenn Maxwell blasted a 71-ball century as Yorkshire beat Worcestershire by 133 runs in the One-Day Cup at New Road.

The Australian hit eight fours and four sixes in his first ton for the Tykes before being caught behind for 111.
Opener Alex Lees (67), Jack Leaning (58 not out) and Adil Rashid (41) also contributed as Yorkshire made 345-6.
Worcestershire's in-form Ross Whiteley hit 77, but wickets tumbled around him as the hosts were all out for 212, with Steven Patterson claiming 5-24.
After stand-in captain Lees was out in the 24th over, Maxwell took the game away from Worcestershire, putting on 105 in 13.4 overs with Gary Ballance, who contributed only 28 runs in the partnership.
Whiteley struck five sixes in his List ' A' career-best 51-ball innings, but was last man out when he skied Patterson to Leaning at deep mid-wicket.
Worcestershire director of cricket Steve Rhodes:
"Yorkshire played really well and we weren't quite at our best at all. The result was inevitable.
"When you play against someone who has a real 'A' game you've got to make sure you have an 'A' game and we didn't do that.
"We were a bit sloppy in the field. We had some silly run-outs at the top of the innings and possibly we could have started with the ball a little bit better as well."
Yorkshire first-team coach Jason Gillespie:
"For me, honestly, Glenn Maxwell could have gone on even further and scored even more runs.
"To perform like he did was absolutely fantastic. He really gave us an opportunity to make a 300-plus score.
" We have done a lot of talking about our limited-overs cricket and this morning was about 'We have done enough talking, just go out and do your job'."


Fleetwood have signed Bradford City striker Devante Cole for an undisclosed fee, with forward Jamie Proctor moving the opposite way on loan.

Cole, 20, joined the Bantams last summer on a two-year deal after his release by Manchester City.
The England Under-20 international is the son of former Newcastle and Manchester United striker Andrew Cole.
Proctor, 23, has scored four goals this season and moves to Valley Parade on a one-month loan deal.
"Devante has got terrific speed and is an exciting player," Cod Army boss Steven Pressley told the club website.
"I hope he brings goals because we need a number nine we can rely on to score goals."
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


The owners of Bosley mill, where four people are thought to have died in a fire, have said it was a "difficult decision" to make staff redundant.

Wood Treatment Limited announced 20 redundancies in a letter to staff on Friday.
The blast at the Cheshire mill caused a four-storey building collapse on 17 July.
A council leader said he was "appalled" at the treatment of staff by the mill owners.
In a statement, the company said: "Following the fire at our site in Bosley, we have had to take the difficult decision to consult our staff on redundancy.
"Unfortunately, the devastation at the factory and the ongoing joint police and HSE investigation into the cause of the fire mean that we cannot predict when the factory will be operational again."
The firm said it would support employees "as best we can".
The GMB union has called a meeting on Monday afternoon in Bosley to discuss the plans.
Temperatures reached 1,000C in the blast and it was described by rescuers as the "worst incident of its kind" in a decade.
Four people unaccounted for after the blast were Derek Moore, 62, from Stoke-on-Trent, William Barks, 51, from Leek, Jason Shingler, 38, from North Rode, and Dorothy Bailey, 62.
Will Barks, Derek Moore and Dorothy Bailey  have been identified as victims. Other remains have been found. Jason Shingler, 38, is still missing.
Michael Jones, leader of Cheshire East Council, said: "I'm appalled at the treatment of these people by the mill owners. Whatever business is done by them from the site should deliver local benefit."
The council has established a drop-in centre in the village providing advice about employment and benefits.
An investigation is under way into the cause of the explosion.


China says the decision to devalue its currency is all part of the plan to reform the way it manages its exchange rate.

In fact in its statement the central bank said that while the intention was to keep the yuan "basically stable", market forces will be given a bigger role in the economy.
Analysts say that could indicate that there may be further devaluation of the currency ahead - although China says this is a one-off event to react to a "complex situation" which "is posing new challenges".
So why is this important?
Well, Washington has been pressing Beijing to allow its currency to reflect what it thinks is its fair, higher value - the US argues that China keeps its exchange rate unfairly low so as to keep the price of its goods more affordable when they're sold overseas.
But China watchers say there's another reason behind the devaluation - and one that's far closer to home.
The Chinese currency has effectively strengthened against other Asian currencies in the last 12 months - by more than 10%. This makes Chinese goods more expensive abroad.
Then came the shocker - this weekend's export figures - showing that exports slumped by 8.3% from a year ago.
That's worrying news for Chinese factories, which in turn provide jobs for millions of Chinese villagers.
Economists say the government may be trying to avoid job losses at these factories by weakening the yuan.
The export story is just one part of it however. Analysts have also pointed to China's longer-term goal of turning the yuan into a global reserve currency.
Later this year the International Monetary Fund (IMF) is expected to announce whether or not the Chinese yuan will be allowed into the elite currency club which includes the dollar, the euro, the pound and the yen.
In the past the IMF has said that China needs to have a flexible exchange rate, so that the value of the yuan adjusts to China's growth - the way currencies do in other market-driven economies.
The devaluation could be seen as a step in the right direction, but one that may well be viewed with caution by China's trade partners who are already wary of what they see as the Chinese government's management of financial markets.


A former Radio Clyde DJ who confessed online to sexually abusing a young girl has been jailed for three years.

James Russell, 56, was caught when a female friend lured him into admitting his crime on a swingers website.
Glasgow Sherriff Court heard that one of the online names used by Russell was "Peter.fyle".
Russell, who also previously worked for Motherwell Football Club, told the woman - who he thought was a stranger - how he abused the 10-year-old girl.
He also posted a photograph of the girl online, unaware that the woman knew the child.
The woman had become suspicious of Russell and, after carrying out an internet search, found him on a swingers website.
She created a fake profile which led to him starting a conversation with her online.
During the chats Russell, from Govanhill, said: "Every time I see her in her school uniform I want to molest her so sometimes I do".
He also described how he "can't resist" the child.
Excerpts of chat logs were read to the court including him saying to her that he was a "borderline paedo". He said "It's actually quite nice to admit".
Russell told the woman he was "especially turned on" by eight to 14-year-olds.
During one conversation he changed his profile picture on the Yahoo chat to one of the young girls he was talking about, in her school uniform.
In evidence the woman said: "I was very shocked, I didn't know what to do. Obviously I was upset, I knew at that point I had to take it further ."
Russell, who was not working at Radio Clyde at the time, also told the woman about his "illegal" pornography collection.
In court, he claimed he wanted to become sexually involved with the woman he was talking to online and thought their conversations would help with this.
He denied sexually abusing the girl.
His victim, now 16, told a jury she had been indecently assaulted by him.
Russell was convicted of using lewd and libidinous practices and behaviour towards the girl on a number of occasions between November 2009 and November 2010 when she was between 10 and 11 years old.
He was also convicted of sexually assaulting her in December 2010, as well as taking indecent photographs of her.
Russell was also found guilty of possessing indecent images of children and sexual pictures of humans and animals.
Sheriff Sam Cathcart ordered Russell to be monitored in the community for two years after his release from jail due to the risk he poses to the public.
He was also placed on the sex offenders register.


UKIP's leader in Wales has said that more Muslim leaders should preach in English to help their communities integrate into British society.

Nathan Gill told BBC Radio Wales it would make people "feel more inclusive about Britain" and that their British roots were just as important to them.
However, Saleem Kidwai, secretary-general of the Muslim Council of Wales, said 99% of sermons were in English.
He said the rest were all simultaneously translated.
Mr Gill told the Jason Mohammad programme that imams preaching in mosques should help Muslims feel "that their British roots are just as important to their religion as being instructed through a different language which not all of them fully understand".
"It would also enable families and people to know what is actually really being said to people about their faith so they can challenge it," he added.
"I would be very surprised if there was an entire congregation that didn't speak a word of English, and they should be learning English or Welsh if they live here in Wales."
Mr Kidwai dismissed the suggestion that Welsh mosques were not helping to promote integration, adding that very few Muslims in Wales did not understand English.
"For religious reasons our prayers are said in Arabic, but 99% of sermons are given in English.  In some cases where they are given in a language like Bengali or Urdu, there is a simultaneous translation.
"People are making the effort to integrate by learning English - they may not be very articulate but they can get things done."


Nottingham Forest midfielder Chris Cohen will be out for up to three months with an adductor muscle injury.

Cohen, 29, missed Forest's 2-0 win over Ipswich on Saturday after sustaining the problem in a training session.
He has had a number of fitness issues in recent years, including a knee injury suffered in September 2014 which kept him out for 15 months.
The former West Ham trainee joined Forest from Yeovil in 2007 and has made 292 appearances for the club.


George Best was used to dazzling opponents as a soccer superstar, but it was Monaghan GAA football fans who had to blink twice when he joined in their team's Ulster senior title celebrations in 1988.

The Manchester United maestro lined up with another sporting legend, Kerry kingpin Jack O'Shea, for this image captured at a unique event at a Castleblayney hotel.
A similar one was posted on social media by Anthony Loughman, the young boy being cradled, far right, in the arms of his cousin Declan, following Monaghan's recent Ulster Championship triumph over Donegal.
Declan had played for Monaghan in the 1988 final against Tyrone and his father Tony, a music promotions entrepreneur who represented the county in the 1960s, secured the appearance of Best and O'Shea.
It was organised as a summer showcase for Declan's sports goods firm and he said the fear was that George wouldn't turn up.
"My dad organised the visit of George Best through his agent. It was a shock that he landed, people were telling me there was not a chance," he said.
"We didn't think he would be available.
"George and Jack O'Shea got on the best, he was very approachable.
"The place was packed, there were hundreds there, and he got a great reception, it was buzzing."
Jack O'Shea told BBC News NI that he had admired Best's skills as a childhood Manchester United supporter, but never thought he would get the chance to meet him.
The seven-time All-Ireland title winner had dinner with the Old Trafford icon and was able to witness his magnetism at close quarters.
For one evening only, the masters of balance from Cregagh and Cahersiveen, would meet on the level.
"It was just great to be in George's company, we had dinner and we talked about sport and preparing for games," Jack said.
"George talked about the importance of expressing yourself when playing, respecting your opponent but having the confidence about what you can do yourself.
"He also talked about his career with Manchester United. He was charismatic, very approachable and sociable, he was easy to talk to and relate to.
"When he was in the function room, it was an electric atmosphere, people were all around him, he was like a magnet.
"I am a Manchester United fan, I never thought I was going to meet him so it was a huge occasion for me."
The picture also triggered memories for Emmet McAviney, who attended the event with his father John - a well-known photographer in the Monaghan area.
John McAviney passed away in December 2009, leaving behind thousands of images that are now being digitised by Emmet. His bedroom walls were once adorned with the sporting personalities his father snapped.
Among them, several of the Clones Cyclone, boxer Barry McGuigan, whose 1985 world championship triumph against Eusebio Pedroza at Loftus Road in London, John attended.
The night George met Jack has even more significance for Emmet, now he is a father.
"There was real excitement going to meet these guys and I got my photograph taken with both George Best and Jack O'Shea," he said.
"I was a Manchester United fan and it was a big thrill to meet George, who was there with his son Calum.
"Actually I came across the photograph of myself with George in recent years and was able to show it to my son.
"He is 11, the same age I was when I met George. It would be like him getting a picture with Lionel Messi now.
"That is the beauty of my father having been a photographer."


Plans to cut a school transport budget have been deferred by Leicestershire County Council after opposition from residents and councillors.

Some pupils faced transport fees of £400 a year under the proposals from the Conservative-controlled council.
It has agreed to defer the cuts and take another look at the proposals.
Conservative councillor Lesley Pendleton said the main aim was to cut council expenditures, but added the proposals would now be reconsidered.
Councillor Pendleton, said: "We felt it was a little too soon to make an immediate decision so we are going to have another look to make sure everything is as it should be."
She added the council would look to see "whether there is actually some money we can claw out from somewhere" to pay for the transport costs.
"I have changed my tune a little but then that is democracy isn't it. You have to listen to everybody," she added.
Liberal Democrat opposition leader Simon Galton said: "I am delighted that the Tories listened to us. What they had proposed had no public support and it was clear that this was a cut too far."
The authority had proposed to cut £1.3m a year by making changes to the way home-to-school transport and some concessionary travel was funded.
Proposals included withdrawing bus subsidies for pupils of faith or voluntary-aided schools and over-16s.
The Conservative-run authority is aiming to save £74m over four years.


Blackburn Rovers manager Owen Coyle is confident his club will avoid relegation this season.

Danny Graham scored twice as Rovers came from behind to beat Brentford 3-2 and move up to 22nd in the Championship, two points from safety.
Coyle, who took over at Ewood Park in the summer, has seen his side just spend one week outside the Championship bottom three this campaign.
"We will move ourselves to a position of safety in this league," he said.
He told BBC Radio Lancashire: "There is absolutely no doubt about that and when we do, we need the right investment and the right time to kick on.
"We believe that we can get this club, in time, back to where we feel we should be.
"We want to get better in one or two areas and I certainly know the areas we want to improve the club."


Wycombe's hopes of a place in the League Two play-offs suffered a setback with a goalless draw against Yeovil.

The Glovers had the better of the first-half chances, as Wanderers keeper Ryan Allsop was forced into saves by Connor Roberts and Leroy Lita.
Wycombe improved after the break, Marcus Bean testing keeper Artur Krysiak with a volley from distance.
Aaron Pierre then had a header cleared off the line for the hosts, as Yeovil clung on to secure a point.
The result leaves Wycombe eighth in the table, four points outside the play-off places with three games to play, while Yeovil climbed a spot to 19th.


African mediators trying to avert civil war in South Sudan say they have held "productive" talks with President Salva Kiir.

Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom said consultations were continuing, but did not give details.
Clashes began a week ago when President Kiir accused his former deputy, Riek Machar, of a failed coup.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said he was sending a special envoy to help foster dialogue.
He said his decision to send Ambassador Donald Booth followed a phone conversation with President Kiir on Thursday.
"Now is the time for South Sudan's leaders to rein in armed groups under their control, immediately cease attacks on civilians, and end the chain of retributive violence between different ethnic and political groups," Mr Kerry said.
Hundreds of people have already died in fighting across the country.
Although Mr Kiir has said he is ready for dialogue, Mr Machar told French radio he was only ready to "negotiate his [Salva Kiir's] departure from power".
On Friday, President Kiir met foreign ministers from Ethiopia, Djibouti, Kenya, Sudan and Uganda who had travelled to the capital Juba to mediate in the crisis.
He told them he agreed to "unconditional dialogue" to stop the violence.
"We had a very productive meeting with his Excellency President Salva Kiir and we will continue consultations," Mr Adhanom, who led the delegation, told reporters before returning to the talks.
As the violence escalated, Ugandan troops flew to Juba on Friday to help evacuate their citizens.
Military sources quoted by Reuters said they would also help secure the capital, which is about 75km (50 miles) from Uganda's border.
A number of other countries are also evacuating their nationals from South Sudan.
And with the fighting spreading to South Sudan's oilfields, China National Petroleum - one of the main operators - said it was evacuating workers back to Juba.
President Kiir, a member of the majority Dinka ethnic group, sacked Mr Machar, who is from the Nuer community, in July.
He said that last Sunday night uniformed personnel opened fire at a meeting of the governing party, the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM).
Violence then broke out in Juba and has since spread across the country, pitting gangs of Nuer and Dinka against each other and sparking fears of a civil war.
The whereabouts of Mr Machar, who has denied trying to stage a coup, remain unknown.
Thousands of civilians have flocked to UN compounds seeking shelter from the unrest.
The UN on Friday condemned an attack on its compound in Akobo, Jonglei state, a day earlier in which two Indian peacekeepers and at least 11 civilians were killed.
The UN mission in South Sudan, Unmiss, said some 2,000 armed youths believed to be Nuer surrounded the base and opened fire "in the direction of Sudanese civilians of the Dinka ethnic group who had sought refuge in the compound".
Unmiss said all its personnel - along with civilians and members of non-governmental organisations - had now been airlifted from the base.
France's UN ambassador Gerard Araud said there were fears of another assault as armed youths gathered near the UN compound in the town of Bor, in Jonglei, on Friday.
Jonglei state has seen some of the worst violence since South Sudan became independent from Sudan in 2011, with hundreds killed in periodic clashes between rival heavily-armed ethnic militias sparked by cattle-rustling.
Following decades of conflict, weapons are widely available across much of South Sudan.
South Sudan's government insists the clashes are over power and politics, not between ethnic groups.
President Kiir said the majority of those arrested after Sunday's alleged coup attempt were Dinka, not Nuer.
The oil-rich country has struggled to achieve a stable government since becoming independent.


Players who dive in English football will face bans from next season under new Football Association regulations.

Under the new rules, passed by the governing body at its annual general meeting on Thursday, a panel will review footage from the weekend each Monday looking for cases of simulation.
Any player unanimously found guilty of diving would be given a suspension.
The FA also announced it has passed reforms it proposed in March, following criticism over the way it is run.
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The FA defines the new offence for which players will be punished as "successful deception of a match official".
Only incidents that result in a player winning a penalty or lead to an opponent being sent off - through either a direct red card or two yellow cards - will be punished.
The FA says it will act "where there is clear and overwhelming evidence to suggest a match official has been deceived by an act of simulation, and as a direct result, the offending player's team has been awarded a penalty and/or an opposing player has been dismissed".
Its panel will consist of one former match official, one ex-manager and one ex-player.
The announcement follows what the FA said was "a period of consultation with stakeholders over the past few months".
The rule change also required approval from the Premier League, the EFL and the Professional Footballers' Association.
Speaking in December, Burnley manager Sean Dyche said he thought diving would be eradicated from football "in six months" if retrospective bans were introduced.
Such bans have been in place in Scottish football since 2011.
BBC Scotland's Richard Wilson:
The Scottish Football Association compliance officer - Tony McGlennan - reviews incidents in matches and determines whether or not notices of complaint should be raised.
If a player is deemed to have dived during a game and the match officials did not recognise that at the time, the player will be issued with a disciplinary notice.
The player can then either acknowledge guilt and accept the punishment offered by the compliance officer, or appeal.
If it is the latter, a hearing is convened with an independent three-man panel - including people from legal and football backgrounds - who consider the case made by the compliance officer and the player before making a ruling.
In December, five ex-FA bosses asked the government to intervene and change an organisation they described as being held back by "elderly white men".
Sports Minister Tracey Crouch had said the FA could lose £30m-£40m of public funding if it did not modernise.
In March, the FA announced proposed reforms to:
These were passed after a vote by shareholders at Thursday's annual general meeting, having already been approved by the FA Council in April.
However, the proposals were criticised when first announced in March for not going far enough.
Lord Herman Ouseley, the chairman of anti-racism group Kick It Out, said he had "no confidence in the FA's proposals" and described the reforms as a "sham". He added that certain minority groups would continue to be under-represented, and that "by prioritising women on boards, all other protected groups are being left behind".


More than 200 writers including Salman Rushdie, Val McDermid and Ian McEwan have called on David Cameron to address India's "rising climate of fear" with its Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

An open letter has been published by Pen International as Mr Modi flies into the UK for a three-day visit.
The writers have expressed concern over the "growing intolerance and violence towards critical voices" in India.
They want to urge Mr Modi to "safeguard freedom of expression".
The letter has been signed by hundreds of members and supporters of Pen International's centres in England, Scotland and Wales, including Nikita Lalwani, Henry Marsh, Hari Kunzru, Neel Mukherjee and Owen Sheers.
It urges the British prime minister to raise the "crucial" issue with Mr Modi both "publicly and privately" during his visit, where plans include addressing parliament, visiting the Queen and staying at Chequers.
The letter highlights threats made to writers who have "challenged orthodoxy or fundamentalism in India", and the murders of three intellectuals - Malleshappa Madivalappa Kalburgi, Govind Pansare and Narendra Dabholkar - in the last two years.
Recently at least 40 Indian novelists, poets and playwrights have returned prizes awarded by India's National Academy of Letters in protest over the organisation's silence on the attacks.
They criticised the academy's failure to speak up and challenge the government to "demonstrate tolerance and protect free speech" and the "deteriorating political environment in which those expressing dissent have been attacked by government ministers".
The letter concludes: "In line with the United Kingdom's stated commitment to promoting human rights, we ask that you raise the above issues with Prime Minister Modi and urge him to provide better protection for writers, artists and other critical voices and ensure that freedom of speech is safeguarded.
"Without these protections a democratic, peaceful society is not possible."
Downing Street has yet to respond to a request for comment on the letter.


The French Riviera is a renowned playground for the cosmopolitan elite, but what is less well-known is that it is also a breeding ground for jihadists.

Move a mile or two from the Nice coastline and its marinas, and you find bleak housing estates where disaffected youths of immigrant origin are vulnerable to radical Islam.
In recent years, 55 people are estimated to have left the region for Syria, including 11 members of the same family travelling together in 2014.
In terms of reported cases of radicalisation, the Alpes-Maritimes area is second only to the notorious "93" district north of Paris.
Imene Ouissi, a 22-year-old student who volunteers for a women's group in the town of Vallauris, west of Nice, noticed in 2012 that local youths were becoming fascinated by slick recruitment videos produced by Islamic State.
"It was better than a film. It made them dream," she says. "In gaming you can shoot again and again, but this was real. And you can do that for God! They found it fantastic."
At the same time, self-styled preachers emerged with a message targeted at disaffected Muslim youths. Playing on widespread feelings of resentment about poverty and discrimination, they told their audience that they would always be treated as foreigners in France.
In Vallauris, one charismatic figure pitched up in a high-rise housing estate in 2010. People came from all over the region to hear him preach every Friday until, after three years, the authorities dismantled his makeshift mosque.
"What he said really shook me," Imene Ouissi recalls. "I had gone there because everyone was talking about it.  He spoke the language of the kids, so they identified with him.  His message was: you must not stay in a land of villains, you will never succeed here. You must go to a Muslim country."
Kamel, a youth worker in the Nice area, says one of the reasons for the recent success of the Salafist ideology that has inspired jihad, is that it provides a ready and easy way of justifying the actions of petty criminals.
"The kids are told that they are in a land of unbelievers, so when they steal and attack people it is justifiable. The petty criminal is turned into a holy warrior, and is promised status, sexual gratification and eternal life."
At a time when identity feeds on a sense of victimhood, past trauma is often used to stoke current tensions.  In the Nice area, Algeria's war of independence in the 1950s and early 60s casts a long shadow.
Many former French colonists who were summarily expelled from Algeria settled in Nice. Their political influence and lingering resentment at the French state that let them down are still felt in the strong presence of the far-right National Front there, Kamel says.
Equally, he adds, crimes committed by the French army during the war are increasingly being dredged up by children of Algerian ancestry to nurture a feeling of alienation. "We have competing identities, and people who want to make others pay for the crimes of past generations."
Fatima Khaldi, a councillor for a tough area of north-eastern Nice, is alarmed by the number of young people who define themselves as Moroccan, Algerian, or Tunisian.
"It's worrying to see third, fourth or fifth-generation children who do not feel French. People like me, who are from the second generation, cannot understand that."
Boubekeur Bakri, an imam from the same area, says he became worried about the rise of extremism as early as 2010. By December 2014 he gathered local officials and Muslim leaders in his mosque to sound the alarm.
Three weeks later the attacks against Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket confirmed his fears. He calls radicalism an "open wound" for the Muslim community.
The problem, he says, is that having 40% unemployment "lowers the immunity" of marginalised communities, allowing "microbes" to spread.
Another reason for the prevalence of jihadist ideas in parts of the Riviera hinterland has been the presence of good recruiters. Omar Diaby, a criminal from Nice also known as Omar Oumsen, is believed to have sent about 40 local youths to Syria before settling there himself three years ago.
A few budding jihadists have managed to return to the city. Jean-Francois Fouque is a lawyer for one of them, a troubled youth who went to Syria as part of a group of friends in 2014.
The man witnessed unspeakable violence, including the beheading of one of his fellow French recruits who had complained about IS discipline. He managed to slip out but what he went through will stick with him forever, Mr Fouque says. "He wants others to know. His message is: don't go."
But as word of atrocities in IS territories spreads and border controls are tightened, most observers believe the main danger is no longer departure for Syria - but conducting the holy struggle at home.
Patrick Amoyel, a psychoanalyst who heads "Entr'Autres", a Nice-based association that helps fight radicalisation, stresses that jihad means an effort to reach out to the House of Islam.
Speaking on a glorious afternoon before the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice, he said: "You can either wage Jihad by the tongue and by the mouth - that is ideological jihad - or by the hand and the sword. Those are the official categories of jihad.
"And jihad by the hand and the sword can be done here in France with cars and knives."


Two GPs have gone on trial accused of the manslaughter of a 12-year-old boy from Blaenau Gwent.

Ryan Morse, from Brynithel, died on 8 December 2012, of Addison's disease.
Dr Lindsey Thomas, 42, of Tredegar, Blaenau Gwent, and Dr Joanne Rudling, 46, of Pontprennau, Cardiff, deny the charges.
Cardiff Crown Court heard Ryan's mother made several appointments at Abernant Surgery in Abertillery, but they failed to diagnose his condition.
Prosecutor John Price QC said: "The cause of his death was what is called an Addison's disease crisis.
"Addison's disease is a rare but treatable disease. There are 10 to 15 cases for every 100,000 people."
The jury heard Ryan's mother became concerned with her son's health during the summer holidays of 2012 when he complained of a bad head, sore throat and aching legs.
She was concerned his skin was "yellowing" and feared he may have glandular fever.
The court heard his discolouration had become so obvious his friends had given him the nickname Teabag.
When he fell seriously ill in December 2012, his mother Carol called the surgery and asked for the doctor to call her back, declining an appointment because she felt Ryan was too unwell to move from his bed.
Mr Price told jurors the doctors should have visited Ryan's home to personally examine him.
"Had that happened it would have confirmed the severity of the situation. They would have seen a very sick child in need of immediate attention.
"Ryan was, in fact, dying."
If they were not able to attend his house, Mr Price said the doctors should have sent an ambulance to take him to hospital.
"If they had done as they should, his life would have been saved," he added.
The court heard Ryan weighed just 4st 11lb at the time of his death.
Mr Price told the court that Dr Rudling failed to weigh him during two appointments, where she became aware of his weight loss.
During police interviews almost a year after his death, Dr Rudling said she thought his weight loss was because he had grown taller.
But Mr Price said: "He was very significantly underweight for a child of his age."


Gemma Gibbons has become Great Britain's first Olympic judo medallist for 12 years, despite losing her gold medal match to American Kayla Harrison.

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The London-born judoka had to settle for silver as Harrison landed two yuko scores in the -78kg final.
Gibbons, the world number 33, beat French world champion Audrey Tcheumeo in extra time to earn a place in the decider.
She was bidding to win Britain's first ever judo gold at an Olympics.
"Gemma deserves that silver medal. She hasn't lost the gold, she has won the silver. I can just imagine how she is feeling. She has had a fantastic day. She has come so close to the gold and will wish it was that little bit more."
The last British medallist was Gibbons's coach Kate Howey, who took silver in Sydney 2000.
Gibbons, 25, had beaten three of the world's top 10 on her way to the final, where she had to contend with another of the best judokas in the sport.
Harrison, the 2010 world champion, was aiming to win her nation's first ever judo gold medal and started the stronger.
She notched the first point of the final, a yuko, after a minute, landing Gibbons on her right shoulder.
The Briton attempted an audacious throw inside the second minute, but it was Harrison who scored with another yuko 30 seconds later, although, following protestations from Howey on the sidelines, the point was wiped out after judges ruled it had not been completed in one movement.
Gibbons was being cheered on by her partner, fellow Great Britain judoka Euan Burton, who crashed out of the men's competition on Tuesday.
But the hometown player was unable to gain momentum and the American once again upturned her opponent and scored a yuko which this time stood.
Gibbons launched waves of sustained pressure inside the final 45 seconds, but Harrison adhered to the message bellowed from her coach Jimmy Pedro: "The gold medal is yours if you fight smart."
Harrison did just that, holding off the British charge to seal the win and the victory for the United States.
Gibbons's brave performance in front of raucous support at the ExCel will have won her many admirers - and capped a day of impressive and successful judo.
She beat Marhinde Verkerk from the Netherlands in the quarter-final following wins over Mongolia's Lkhamdegd Purevjargal and Portugal's Yahima Ramirez in the earlier rounds.
In a memorable moment after defeating Tcheumeo in the last four with an ippon, Gibbons broke into tears as she looked to the heavens, paying tribute to her mother, who passed away in 2004 after suffering from leukaemia, with the message: "I love you mum."
Watch the whole of the women's -78kg gold medal match


"Less democracy is sometimes better for organising a World Cup."

The words of Fifa secretary-general Jerome Valcke in the fraught build-up to Brazil 2014 may have surprised some people, but they serve as a reminder that sport's relationship with democracy is an uneasy one.
Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone is another powerful sporting figure who has made no secret of his preference for totalitarianism.
More and more sports events seem to be hosted by authoritarian states, using them to gain political legitimacy and strengthen the power and profile of their rulers
The billionaire provoked outrage in 2009 when he spoke of his admiration for Adolf Hitler for "getting things done".
And yet, ever since ancient Greece, the birthplace of both democracy and the Olympics, sport and self-rule have had a close relationship.
As Professor Paul Christesen points out in his book Sport and Democracy in the Ancient and Modern Worlds, there was a correlation between the advent of mass sports participation on the playing fields of 19th Century Britain and the granting of political rights to the middle class.
Self-governed "horizontal sport", as Christesen puts it, promotes the concept of teams and clubs, levelling social relations between people and acting as a force against discrimination.
At a fundamental level, sport can help us to trust others, encouraging us to adhere to rules without the need for excessive coercion.
Free societies cannot be too controlling of course, so sport's requirement for participants to be willing to stay within the rules can have a strong democratising effect.
Sport does not necessarily equal democracy, however.
The regimented gymnastic displays seen in North Korea and Nazi Germany, where sport was very important, reflect an authoritarian political system while doing nothing to bring about reform.
The recent protests in Hong Kong are evidence that when it comes to democracy, the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing did not achieve anything like as much as many had hoped.
But sport has proven to be an incredibly powerful force for change.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC)'s exclusion of South Africa from the Olympic movement in 1970, along with cricket and rugby boycotts, helped to bring about the end of apartheid.
The 1988 Seoul Olympics are widely credited with sparking the demonstrations that resulted in the downfall of South Korean dictator Chun Doo Hwan.
However, although sport may help to shine a light on repressive regimes, it has also been exploited.
Ever since Hitler's 1936 Olympics in Berlin, dictatorships have used competitive events as a form of propaganda, diverting attention from some of their less appealing activities.
Even now, in the 21st Century, more and more sports events seem to be hosted by authoritarian states, using them to gain political legitimacy and strengthen the power and profile of their rulers.
Where once sports turned to Western democracies as the natural place to do business, they increasingly look east, to countries where money, rather than freedom, rules.
Thanks to its vast wealth, the Arab world is becoming a true sporting hub. Dubai and Abu Dhabi, in particular, are hosting more global events, sponsoring shirts and stadia, and buying up sporting assets. By doing so, they gain exposure, improve their image, and accumulate "soft power" among their trading partners and military allies in the Western world.
No matter that Amnesty International says the United Arab Emirates is a "deeply repressive state", a recent report pointing to "a climate of fear, with authorities going to extreme lengths to stamp out any sign of dissent".
This summer, Azerbaijan will host the first European Olympics, despite ranking 156th out of 179 in the Reporters Without Borders world press freedom index, "a template lesson in how to launder a country's image through sport", according to Amnesty.
Despite grave concerns over its human rights record, the country's capital, Baku, will also stage an F1 race in 2016 and host matches in the Uefa 2020 European championship finals.
Hosts of both the 2014 Sochi Winter Games and the 2018 World Cup, Russia is staging more international tournaments and competitions over the next few years than any other nation in the world, despite controversy over a crackdown on freedom of speech and expression.
Last year, Amnesty demanded the IOC take Russia's leadership to task over a "blatant violation of human rights" in the context of the 2014 Games.
"Its failure to admonish the authorities for their ongoing harassment is a failure to live up to the very principles that form the core of the Olympic Charter," Amnesty said.
After being left with a choice between cities in two repressive states - Beijing and Almaty, Kazakhstan, - as host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, the IOC has now passed a raft of reforms designed to entice more democratic countries to bid for such events.
For the first time, human rights protections will be included in host city contracts.
"For years repressive governments have brazenly broken the Olympic Charter and the promises they made to host the Olympics," said Minky Worden, director of global initiatives at Human Rights Watch.
"This reform should give teeth to the lofty Olympic language that sport can be 'a force for good'."
But as well as being accused of turning a blind eye to human rights violations, sport can even find itself responsible for them.
Fifa has been admonished for its decision to give the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, where the abuse of migrant workers building the infrastructure for the tournament continues to cause concern.
Critics also point to the violent response of the Brazilian police to anti-World Cup protesters in the run up to the tournament there last year.
F1 has been blamed for crackdowns in Bahrain whenever grands prix take place on the troubled island kingdom.
But should we really be surprised?
Play the Game, an initiative aiming to promote transparency and freedom of expression, argues there is little democracy in sport.
Its Global Sports Political Power Index of international sports organisations found only four out of 16 federations published an externally audited financial report and only two had an athletes' commission.
From Fifa president Sepp Blatter to Bernie Ecclestone, sport is no stranger to dictatorial rule.
Scandals over integrity litter the sporting landscape.
The world governing bodies of athletics, football and cycling are all currently struggling to tackle allegations of corruption and cheating.
Repressive regimes have certainly looked to exploit sport for their own political ends.
During the Cold War, Communist countries wanted to use Olympic medals as a means of proving the superiority of their ideology over capitalism.
With greater state control of the population, a more industrial approach to the production of athletes was possible, with talented youngsters hot-housed in dedicated training bases by target-driven coaches in a way seen as too intense in many Western cultures.
State-sponsored sport became a key priority for East Germany, which despite a population of fewer than 17 million people, used a highly organised sports programme - and systematic, state-sponsored doping - to became an Olympic phenomenon during the five summer Olympic Games in which it competed, second only to the USSR in 1976, 1980 and 1988.
Over the course of its nine summer Games, the Soviet Union topped the medal table six times, averaging 112 medals per Games, more than the USA, where professional, commercial major-league sports such as American football, baseball and basketball took priority.
Thanks to Soviet help in training its athletes, Communist Cuba, with a population of just 10 million people, also finished in the top 10 of the medal table in the five summer Games it competed in between 1976 and 2000 (they boycotted 1984 and 1988).
After the end of the Cold War, many Soviet coaches found employment in China, which began a remarkable nationwide push towards sporting success as a means of healing wounds left by the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre and to improve its image abroad and its chances of bidding to stage the Games themselves.
Having won just five golds in 1988, China's programme paid off dramatically, winning 10 times that number in 2008, topping the medals table in its own Beijing Games, and establishing itself as the Olympic powerhouse of the 21st Century.
But what role does sport play in democracies?
We are often told here that sport and politics should not mix, that politicians should not meddle with sport, and most sports organisations actively discourage governments from encroaching on their territory.
The prime minister spoke out on the divisive argument around convicted rapist footballer Ched Evans, but was careful to avoid telling the FA what to do about it.
Many were surprised last year, when Sports Minister Helen Grant dared criticise the Premier League over rising ticket prices.
But as the tit-for-tat boycotts of the Olympic Games in the 1980s proved, sport operates in the real world.
And when it comes to the furthering of political causes, sport has often shown itself to be more powerful than elected representatives.
One need only think of Jesse Owens's four gold medals in Berlin in 1936, shattering Hitler's plan to use his Olympics to demonstrate the superiority of the Aryan "master race" or Muhammad Ali's opposition to the Vietnam War by refusing the draft.
The raised, clenched fists of John Carlos and Tommie Smith as they gave the Black Power salute on the podium during the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City remains one of the enduring images of sporting history.
As does Nelson Mandela wearing the Springbok rugby jersey, that emblem of white rule, as he presented South African captain Francois Pienaar the Rugby World Cup in 1995.
For all their fame and fortune, sportsmen and women now seems less willing to be political.
Perhaps the financial fortunes at stake make them nervous about offering up opinions in case they upset anyone.
"Athletes today tend to be so focused in their own bubbles, the world passes them by," says Professor Alan Bairner, of Loughborough University.
Sport and politics simply cannot escape each other
"These days, there are few socially concerned sportspeople.
"Even during the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, there seemed to be a truce called ahead of the vote on independence.
"There was pressure not to politicise it.
"Scottish athletes were reluctant to say how they felt."
From Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler expressing his support for striking dockers to NFL stars backing the Ferguson rioters, there are exceptions.
But sport seems increasingly nervous about overt displays of political opinion.
England cricketer Moeen Ali wore "Save Gaza" and "Free Palestine" wristbands during a Test match against India in 2014.
But he was quickly banned from doing so by the International Cricket Council, on the basis that the rules "do not permit the display of messages that relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes during an international match".
Having tweeted his support for the Yes campaign on the morning of the referendum on Scottish independence, tennis player Andy Murray received a torrent of abuse via social media and quickly expressed his regret at having revealed his opinion.
Sport and politics remain uneasy bedfellows.
Politicians may like to associate themselves with successful sportspeople and events, but democracy is rarely influenced by them.
Back in 1970, the outcome of the general election itself may have been swayed by a sporting result - Edward Heath's Conservatives pulling off a surprise victory in a poll that many believe was influenced by England's shock defeat to West Germany in the 1970 World Cup a few days before.
Local Government Minister Tony Crosland famously blamed Labour's defeat on "the disgruntled Match of the Day millions".
Forty-five years on, sports issues will play a much less decisive role in the forthcoming 2015 poll.
There will be some interest in how the parties intend to make the country more active at a time of rising childhood obesity, three years on from the London Olympics.
But it is the economy, the NHS and immigration that will determine how we all vote.
However, the place of sport in society, whether democratic or otherwise, remains significant. Sport and politics simply cannot escape each other.
They remain as interlinked as the Olympic rings themselves.


A man has been arrested on suspicion of rape after an incident at a property in Dedworth, Windsor.

A 46-year-old man from Windsor is in police custody. Thames Valley Police received a report of rape at a property overnight on Friday.
Three properties in Dedworth were searched as part of the investigation.
Det Sgt Jon Groenen, of the force, said: "Detectives are continuing to work to establish the circumstances of this serious incident."


Ten years ago, Coventry City played their last match at Highfield Road - the ground that had been their home for 106 years.

The club beat Derby County 6-2 in a memorable Championship clash on 30 April 2005.
"The buzz in the pubs that night was brilliant," says Dave Kaczur, who has supported the club for 50 years.
"Even though you were apprehensive about moving to a new ground, the result gave you a real sense of optimism.
"Unfortunately though, we haven't had much to cheer about since then."
Coventry's Highfield Road years are now regarded by many fans as the club's golden era.
The ground was the first all-seater stadium in English football and its position, on the fringe of the city centre, meant it was always at the heart of Coventry life.
"You used to walk up the hill and you were there," said Mr Kaczur.
The club's greatest achievement - a cup run which saw them beat Tottenham Hotspur in the 1987 FA Cup Final - was the highlight of that era.
"That was the best weekend of my footballing history," says Mr Kaczur.
"Six of us hired a stretch limo and drove down to Wembley on the Friday night because we wanted to see the sun over the twin towers.
"The next day, thousands of fans were dancing and singing on Wembley Way - and that was before the match even kicked off."
Through the Highfield Road years, Coventry had many heroes. The main one - Jimmy Hill - achieved promotion to the old Division One in 1967.
The club remained in the top tier for the next 34 seasons - one of the longest serving top-flight clubs - until their relegation in 2001.
As a mark of their gratitude to Mr Hill, fans raised Â£100,000 for a 7ft bronze statue of their former manager at the Ricoh Arena.
However, the club's move to the Ricoh Arena has not brought the success many fans hoped for.
The Sky Blues faced further relegation in 2012 and may yet be relegated to League Two for the first time in their history.
Mr Kaczur says the move from Highfield Road has "torn the heart out of the city".
"The trouble was, we only moved to the Ricoh Arena. We didn't own the ground," he says.
The failure of the club's current owners, Sisu, to secure ownership of a new site has seen a succession of legal battles between them and the ground's former owners, Arena Coventry Limited.
During the 2013/14 season, Coventry played their matches at Northampton Town's Sixfields Stadium.
"There was a big drop in support," said Mr Kaczur. "We used to get 30,000 fans - suddenly, it was down to 1,000.
"I didn't bother going - not even to sit on the hill outside as a protest.
"The passion and excitement has gone."
Today, the site where Highfield Road stood has been developed as housing.
"What surprised me was how quickly it was developed," said Mr Kaczur, who has kept part of Highfield Road's brickwork "as a memory".
"In the part of town where you used to see the Spion Kop all those years, now all you can see is a housing estate.
"It's just weird."


League Two side Yeovil have re-signed Swansea and Wales Under-21 right-back Liam Shephard on a one-month loan deal.

Shephard, who made his Swansea debut in the FA Cup third round defeat by Oxford in January, made 20 appearances for the Glovers in a loan spell last season.
The 21-year-old has won two caps for Wales at under-21 level.
He will not be available for Friday's game against Carlisle, as international clearance has not been received in time.
"Both The FA and FAW are assisting the club in trying to contact FIFA offices, who are now closed due to the holiday season in Switzerland," the club said in a statement.
"With today being the final day of the loan window, the club are very disappointed that the offices at FIFA closed early, causing problems for clubs ahead of a busy weekend of football."
Yeovil are 20th in the League Two table, 11 points above the relegation zone with nine games to play.
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East Midlands Ambulance Service (EMAS) has overspent by almost £12m - with staff reported to be under pressure and unable to take scheduled breaks.

EMAS has an £11.9m deficit - over 23 times the overspend prediction at the start of the financial year.
It was also revealed EMAS had to borrow an additional loan to help with running costs.
EMAS said calls had "significantly" increased and handover delays at hospitals had incurred extra costs.
Regional organiser for the GMB union, Colin Todd, is concerned at the possible impact of the deficit on staff and patients.
EMAS said it received 900,000 "life-threatening" calls last year - which equates to a 999 call every 35 seconds.
"The pressure is around how the calls come in," Mr Todd said. "Staff can only respond to the call they get.
"They then want to treat the patient and get them to where they need to be and get back on the road, but there's so many issues with the handover to the hospital which can regularly take more than an hour.
"That means they're hanging round, which creates a pressure on the other crews that are out there trying to get to the calls in the timescales they are given."
Mr Todd said staff often "completely miss" their window for breaks in a shift.
He added the 111 service had added to the pressure, saying call handlers unnecessarily sent ambulances as a precaution.
EMAS said it had achieved its savings target of £6.4m this year and recruited 300 more frontline staff.
Richard Wheeler, director of finance at EMAS, said £9m had also been spent on new vehicles.
"Nationally, the NHS has got to save £22bn over the next few years and we recognise the challenges we've got to face," Mr Wheeler said.


A man has been jailed for life after admitting stabbing a woman to death at a house in Staffordshire.

The body of Fay Daniels, 30, was discovered at a property in Victoria Street, Chesterton, on 24 April, Stafford Crown Court was told.
Phillip Barlow, 36, pleaded guilty to killing Ms Daniel's at his home. He had known her for several years.
He was sentenced to life with a minimum of 12 years and six months in jail.
More updates on this story and others in Staffordshire
Ms Daniels was discovered in the back garden of Barlow's home after a neighbour alerted police, the court heard.
Barlow was found inside the property in blood-stained clothing and was charged with her murder the following day, police said.
A post-mortem examination found Ms Daniels' death was caused by multiple stab wounds to her face and neck.
A statement from her family said: "We have received justice but no amount of sentence was ever going to be enough as we are the ones facing the true life sentence, which is without Fay.
"We are heartbroken. She was loved by many and will be dearly missed."


Long delays in answering Freedom of Information requests by Bristol City Council "are bad for democracy", a campaign group has said.

The BBC found the authority has taken more than a year to answer five requests, which should have been dealt with in 20 working days.
Alex Runswick, from Unlock Democracy, said long delays gave the perception the authority had "something to hide".
The council said it was working to improve the situation.
Bristol City Council added its responses were "not at acceptable levels".
Ms Runswick said releasing information was "fundamental" and helped "hold government, at all levels, to account".
She said the situation was "bad for our democracy".
"Freedom of Information should be a positive way for councils to engage with people they serve, not something they try to hide from."
During 2014 Bristol City Council responded to fewer than 50% of its 1,955 applications within 20 working days.
In 2013, the figure was 60% of its 1,501 requests.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) states an authority will be scrutinised if "it appears that less than 85% of requests are receiving a response within the appropriate timescales [20 working days]" or when numbers "have gone significantly over this time limit".
An ICO spokesman said the delays "clearly raise questions" about the council's performance and would examine the figures before deciding whether the authority needed to be placed on formal monitoring.
Governmental departments are required to publish figures relating to their FOI performance but there is no such requirement for councils to publish the information.
At present, the ICO is monitoring the "timeliness" of Cumbria County Council, Nottingham City Council, Salford City Council, and the Department of Finance and Personnel (Northern Ireland).


The second public inquiry into Lincoln's £92m bypass has heard restricted access by some villages would be balanced by its benefits.

The final day of the two-week inquiry heard from Lincolnshire County Council which said the Eastern Bypass would reduce congestion and promote growth.
Residents objected to the scheme which would close a route into the city from three villages.
The inquiry concluded on Friday with a decision expected in the coming months.
The multimillion-pound project has been delayed by protests from villagers in Cherry Willingham, Reepham and Fiskerton because the proposed route would close Hawthorne Road.
They claim they would be forced to use a longer and more dangerous route, and want a road bridge installed.
But Simon Randle, representing the council, told the hearing the bridge would be too expensive.
He said that whilst there would be losers from the scheme, this had to be balanced against the wider objectives of reducing congestion and promoting growth and investment in Lincoln.
Councillor Richard Davies, speaking after the inquiry, said: "What we've seen is a culmination of two weeks really useful work.
"Everybody has had an opportunity to make their views heard we've debated some of the issues and we've had the opportunity in open discourse to really discuss in particular some of the objections."
The council's previous plans to link the A158 Wragby Road with the A15 Sleaford Road were rejected by the government in 2014 because of safety concerns over a bridge.
It has since been redesigned but still does not take traffic.


The father of a soldier killed in Iraq has criticised proposals by the Ministry of Defence to scrap the legal duty of care it owes to service personnel in the course of combat.

Under the proposed scheme, personnel would no longer be able to sue the MoD for negligence.
Compensation would instead be awarded by an MoD-appointed assessor.
The MoD said the proposals, which are being consulted on until next week, would lead to "better compensation".
But Colin Redpath, whose son was killed in Iraq, told the BBC the proposal was "wrong".
In 2007, Lance Corporal Kirk Redpath, a keen drummer in the Irish guards, died when a roadside bomb exploded next to his lightly-armoured Snatch Land Rover in Iraq.
He was one of some 37 servicemen and women killed in Snatch Land Rovers in Afghanistan and Iraq.
After a five-year struggle, his father Colin won a Supreme Court ruling allowing him the right to sue the MoD.
That claim he brought is only now close to a conclusion.
He said: "At the end of the day, they are an employer.
"The fire brigade, the police, the ambulance service, they all have to go out with equipment that works. And the right equipment. That should be the same for a soldier.
"If not, then what the MoD are saying is that we could send our boys and girls out with broomsticks.  It wouldn't matter. There's no comeback."
The MoD's proposals cover battle and the preparations for it, and include:
There is already a concept of "combat immunity" which means decisions taken in "the heat of battle" cannot be second-guessed by the courts.
Claims in negligence cannot be brought in relation to battlefield acts or omissions.
The MoD is proposing to widen the concept of combat immunity to include all deaths and injuries in combat, including where the failings occurred far from the battlefield, for instance in failing to provide adequate equipment.
Conservative MP and former army soldier Iain Duncan Smith said he supported the proposals after growing concerned about the use of courts to assess combat issues.
He added: "It doesn't seem to me like the courts are the right place to be.
"Issues surrounding combat are often very difficult to judge against a standard common law process.  I think dragging things through the courts satisfies only lawyers."
In July 2016, Sir John Chilcot's Iraq Inquiry Report identified numerous MoD failings in preparing for the Iraq War which were described as "wholly inadequate".
They included being slow to respond to the threat from improvised explosive devices and delay in replacing the poorly-armoured Snatch Land Rovers.
Chilcot identified a failing to have in place a system for identifying gaps in capability.
Lawyers say that without the duty of care owed to service personnel there is a real danger that the lessons of Chilcot will not be learned.
Some solicitors who have represented service personnel in actions against the MoD make the point that the duty of care owed to soldiers puts their safety at the centre of the defence agenda.
The Law Society of England and Wales says that without it, MoD officials making decisions on equipment and procurement know that cases will not be heard by an independent judge.
It argues that facts will not be independently investigated, responsibility will not be established and a state institution, if liable, would not be held to account.
The society's president, Robert Bourns, also fears the compensation system being taken in-house.
He said: "You've suffered injury, you think that the employer, the MoD, is at fault - and yet you are expected to rely on the MoD to assess the compensation that it should pay you for the damage that it has caused you.
"That's not right."
Labour MP Madeleine Moon, who sits on the Defence Select Committee, said she was concerned about the quality of equipment provided by the MoD after budget cuts.
She added: "Now they're going to give themselves immunity from failing to provide the quality of equipment and the quality of training that they should provide before people go into combat."
The MoD stresses that assessors will be independent, experienced and legally qualified, and that awards will be "equal to what a court would have awarded if it had found the government to have been negligent".
A spokesman said: "This is about better compensation and, regardless of legal action, we already prioritise learning lessons from any incidents involving the safety of our personnel.
"Where there have been serious injuries or fatalities, we have robust systems and processes in place that allow us to record and investigate these accordingly, and in the unfortunate case of a death, the requirement for an independent inquest to determine the cause will of course remain."
Jocelyn Cockburn, a solicitor from the firm Hodge, Jones and Allen, who has represented the families of some of the service personnel killed in Snatch Land Rovers, is worried the proposals deny injured soldiers and families of those killed paid legal representation in the process of assessing compensation for injuries.
"Cases may be very complex with the need for multiple experts to help assess the extent of the injuries and losses.
"Servicemen and women are likely to be very vulnerable and traumatised, some will have catastrophic injuries and some may have poor literacy levels.
"They cannot be expected to navigate the process without legal representation."


Dance act Faithless have scored the third number one of their career, with the remix album Faithless 2.0.

It features new versions of the band's most famous tracks, including God is a DJ and Insomnia, reworked by producers like Avicii and Tiesto.
In the singles chart, Justin Bieber achieves a fifth week at number one with his hit song Where Are You Now?
There are also new entries for Olly Murs and The 1975, while The Weeknd and Jamie Lawson climbed into the top 10.
Formed 20 years ago, Faithless are pioneers of stadium dance music, racking up 17 UK Top 40 singles and seven Top 40 albums over the course of their career.
They disbanded in 2011, but reunited earlier this year to play festivals around Europe.
Although their latest chart-topper is a retrospective, founding member Sister Bliss said the group were currently discussing the possibility of new material.
"We're doing a lot of collaborations at the moment," she told the Official Chart Company, "so I'm very excited that perhaps they could form the basis for a new album."
Directly below Faithless in the album chart is Ed Sheeran's X, which spends its 69th week in the top 10.
There are new entries for US rapper The Game, whose The Documentary 2 is a sequel to his five-million-selling debut, released in 2005; and singer-songwriter John Grant, who lands at number ive with Grey Tickles Black Pressure.
Selena Gomez, Tom Jones, Reverend and the Makers and Hurts also score top 20 debuts for their new albums.
Meanwhile Gabrielle Aplin's Light Up The Dark zooms up 66 places following her appearance on Graham Norton last week, landing at number 40.
Next week's chart will be shaken up by the arrival of new singles from One Direction and X Factor winner Ben Haenow. There are also albums due from pop star Demi Lovato, Ed Sheeran protege Jamie Lawson, and Jamaican-American singer OMI, who scored a global hit this summer with Cheerleader.


Virgin Atlantic has said it will stop running Little Red, its UK flight network launched in 2013, next year.

The flights between London Heathrow and Manchester will stop in March, while those between Heathrow and Edinburgh and Aberdeen will end in September.
The service was  designed to challenge British Airways.
The aim was to help long-haul Virgin customers connect with other parts of the UK, but Virgin said most passengers were using it as a stand alone service.
At its launch, the company pledged the airline would deliver "Virgin Atlantic's rock-and-roll spirit as well as real value for money".
Virgin said that bookings "grew steadily" in the early part of this year, but few of these were passengers connecting with long-haul Virgin flights.
"Little Red has unfortunately not been able to make a positive contribution to Virgin Atlantic's network," the company said.
It added that a scarcity of available slots and the speed with which the new service was launched had hampered its success.
Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Atlantic's president, said: "When the competition authorities allowed British Airways to take over British Midland and all of its slots, we feared there was little we could do to challenge BA's huge domestic and European network built through decades of dominance.
"To remedy this, we were offered a meagre package of slots with a number of constraints on how to use them and we decided to lease a few planes on a short-term basis to give it our best shot.
"The odds were stacked against us and sadly we just couldn't attract enough corporate business on these routes."


Macclesfield Town have signed winger Andy Haworth following his release by National League rivals Barrow.

The 26-year-old has agreed a deal to the end of the season with the Silkmen.
Haworth joined Barrow in the summer of 2015 following a loan spell and made 16 appearances this season, including the 1-1 draw with Macclesfield in October.
The deal was not completed in time for Saturday's FA Trophy tie against Forest Green, but he could make his debut at Torquay United on 11 February.


A final decision on plans to reorganise schools in Powys has been made by the council.

Llandrindod and Builth high schools will close and reopen as one school from September 2018.
Llanbister and Llanfihangel Rhydithon primaries will remain open, due to an increase expected in pupil numbers.
A proposal to merge Gwernyfed and Brecon high schools and establish one new school has been abandoned, with a new 11-18 campus planned in Brecon.
The Gwernyfed campus will also be improved.
The authority will re-consult on proposals to close the Welsh stream at Brecon high, and deliver it instead at the Builth Wells campus of the new two-site high school.
The decisions follow a wide-ranging consultation earlier this year.


The wife of Lance Armstrong's former team-mate, Frankie Andreu, said she was furious after Armstrong's TV interview where he admitted doping.

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Betsy Andreu says she heard Armstrong, 41, admit doping to doctors in 1996, but he refused to discuss the claims.
"I'm really disappointed," Andreu told CNN. "He owed it to me. You owed it to me, Lance, and you dropped the ball.
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"After what you've done to me and my family and you couldn't own up to it. And now we're supposed to believe you?"
In an emotional interview, Andreu added: "You had one chance of the truth, this is it. If he's not going to tell the truth, if he can't say 'yes, the hospital room happened' then how are we to believe everything else he is saying?"
Sunday Times journalist David Walsh, who has investigated Armstrong and played a significant part in his downfall, said the interview with Oprah Winfrey did not cover enough ground.
And he also said that Armstrong owed Andreu an apology.
"My feeling is the interview was fine in as far as it went, but it didn't go nearly far enough," Walsh told the BBC.
"I was particularly disappointed he didn't admit what might be called the hospital room admission from 1996 because there is a woman out there, Betsy Andreu, who constantly said she heard him admit using banned performance-enhancing drugs.
"She's been called a liar for more than 10 years and needed Armstrong to say she wasn't lying but he couldn't bring himself to say that.
"He has to name names, that's the kind of detail that will help us move forward in a way that helps cycling."
Walsh's newspaper, the Sunday Times, was sued by Lance Armstrong after accusing him of doping and the Irish journalist said it would seek compensation from the Texan cyclist.
But he said: "On a personal level, I don't want an apology from Lance Armstrong or any explanation, because I was a journalist being paid to do what I did. It was my job and I'm not looking for any thanks from anybody. Any concern I have is for the sources that told the truth and were vilified for it."
One of those was Armstrong's former masseuse, Emma O'Reilly, who was also sued by the American after she publicly denounced his use of performance-enhancing drugs,
But, although he said sorry to her in the course of the interview and admitted bullying her for speaking out about his cheating, she rejected his apology.
O'Reilly, who worked with Armstrong's US Postal Service team from 1996 to 2000, said sorry was "not at all" enough after what he put her through, but that she would not be suing him back because she did not want to employ his tactics.
She said: "I had only ever spoken about it because I hated seeing what some of the riders were going through, because not all the riders were comfortable with cheating as Lance was.
"You could see when they went over to the dark side their personalities change, and I always felt it was an awful shame - these were young lads in the prime of their life having to make this awful decision, kind of living the dream, yet the dream is a nightmare.
"That was always why I had spoken out - it wasn't about Lance, it was about drugs and cycling."
"Lance Armstrong was living in his own horrible world. He's got no morals and he's a disgusting human being."
Walsh's fellow Sunday Times journalist Paul Kimmage, a former professional cyclist, said Armstrong had no remorse for the damage and hurt he had caused.
"What is blatantly obvious here is that he regrets one thing: that he was caught, nothing else," Kimmage told BBC Radio 5 live. "Betsy Andreu could be impoverished now, her husband could have committed suicide, David Walsh could have lost his job, I could have lost my job. Lance Armstrong would not give a damn had any of that happened.
"I have absolutely no sympathy whatsoever for him, in fact I have more contempt. I didn't think it was possible for me to feel more contempt for this man than I did before I sat down to watch that programme.
"During the first minute I thought Oprah did terrifically well when she restricted the answers to 'yes' and 'no', but after that it was downhill and by the end of it I was extremely frustrated and disappointed.
"Unless there is a definite decision for someone to say: 'How did this happen?' then this is going to happen again and again."


Glasgow School of Art (GSA) has formally launched a new campus.

Called The Highlands and Islands Creative Campus, it has been created at Blair Steading on the Altyre Estate near Forres in Moray.
GSA describes it as a research and postgraduate teaching centre for "international excellence in creativity and innovation".
Highlands and Islands Enterprise has been supporting the creation of the campus.
The site is a base for GSA's Institute of Design Innovation.


A man wielding a knife has attacked three soldiers patrolling outside a Jewish community centre in Nice, in the south of France.

The soldiers were wounded and police said the assailant was captured.
Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi told French TV that a second man had been arrested in connection with the stabbing.
The attacker was expelled from Turkey last week and questioned upon his return, French media reported.
France has been on high alert since last month's terror attacks in Paris by three Islamist gunmen, in which 17 people were killed.
After the attacks, 10,500 soldiers were deployed outside sensitive sites including Jewish and Muslim centres as well as media buildings.
The soldiers attacked in Nice were guarding a building in the city's Massena square which houses the Jewish community centre and a Jewish radio station.
The attacker had been travelling on the tram without a ticket, but left the tram when ticket collectors approached him and he then targeted the soldiers.
He slashed one soldier in the cheek, injured another in the leg and a third on the chin, reports said.
He tried to escape but was caught by a shop owner, tram workers and police patrolling nearby.
He has been named by the mayor as Moussa Coulibaly, aged 30 and of Malian origin, but there appears to be no link with the Paris gunman Amedy Coulibaly, who killed four people in a Jewish supermarket in January.
The suspect had been expelled from Turkey last week, having flown there from the Corsican city of Ajaccio on 28 January, a security source told AFP news agency.
He had raised suspicions among border officials when he bought a single fare to Turkey, and French intelligence asked the Turkish authorities to send him back, the source said.
Although he had been questioned, no judicial action had yet been taken.


Global food prices will remain high and volatile throughout this year and into next despite record food production.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) twice yearly  Food Outlook analysis says rising demand will absorb most of the higher output.
It says its index of food prices in May was at 232, only five points below February's record high of 237.
The FAO says higher food prices could mean poor countries will see food import costs rise by up to 30%.
That would mean them spending 18% of their total import bills on food this year, compared with the world average of 7%.
The organisation says the next few months will be critical in determining how major crops will fare this year.
The FAO's May index - which measures price changes in a range of essential foodstuffs, including cereals, oilseeds, dairy, meat and sugar - was 37% higher than a year ago.
David Hallam, director of the FAO's markets and trade division, said: "The general situation for agricultural crops and commodities is tight, with world prices at stubbornly high levels, posing a threat to many low-income food deficit countries."
The FAO says although prospects are encouraging in some countries, such as Russia and Ukraine, weather conditions - either too much or too little rain - could hamper wheat and maize production in Europe and North America.
In 2010, drought led Russia to ban exports of cereals and Ukraine to limit overseas sales. Better weather there this year means exports should return to normal and globally cereal production is expected to rise to a record.
Record production is also expected this year for other staples, including rice and fish.
The FAO report says that earlier in the year there was a good chance that supplies and prices would return to a more comfortable situation.
However, there then followed what the FAO called "a remarkable turn of events", including unfavourable weather and a host of unpredictable factors including the catastrophe in Japan and an unprecedented wave of political unrest in North Africa and the Middle East.
The big increase in the oil price has also had an impact. Soaring oil prices push food prices higher as they increase the cost of food production and transportation.
The role of commodities traders is increasingly coming under the spotlight with some blaming the speculative element of their activities for pushing prices artificially high.
The report looks into the subject, and concludes that "much has been done to improve market transparency but more is needed".


A couple whose personal details were revealed in a data breach by holiday company Thomson have cancelled their Caribbean trip over fears they could be burgled while away.

Mandy and Pete Garland, from Weston-super-Mare, said their home address, phone numbers and flight dates were shared by Thomson in an email.
Thomson apologised for the error.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it had investigated and was taking no further action.
Mr and Mrs Garland were among 458 customers whose booking details were shared on 15 August.
The couple booked a two-week trip to the Dominican Republic in January but later received a balance reminder email with a spreadsheet attached which included details of almost 500 customers from "Scotland to Cornwall", Mr Garland said.
"My biggest worry was how many people on that list are going to be prepared to show those details?
"Anybody with a little bit of brains would be able to look at the list and go 'there's a pretty good chance that house is going to be empty for at least a week'.
"So my biggest concern was the security of the house."
A Thomson spokesman said the email was "identified very quickly and recalled".
The couple said they had received "no apology and no money back". They said rescheduling their holiday "was not an option" as their jobs did not give them that flexibility.