It's official. It's all my fault.

The Sydney Morning Herald had a somewhat jokey front-page column today explaining the defeat of the English soccer team at the hands of Brazil. The first time I read it, I didn't notice this, my mother had to phone and point it out to me. Emphasis mine.

Mind you, it would be nice to blame England's exit on someone or something. The French blamed their own arrogance. The Saudis blamed the ball.

And, of course, the Italians blamed everyone.

If I blame anybody, it is Charles Miller, an expatriate railway worker who introduced the game to Brazil after returning to Sao Paulo from a holiday in England in 1894 with two soccer balls in his baggage.