FIFA Corruption Earns Ban

So let me get this straight. Asking for money in exchange for your vote in awarding the most prestigious tournament to your country is only worth 1 & 4 year bans? A tournament that, if run correctly, could be a windfall in the billions for the host country’s association/whoever gets their grubby fingers on it?

According to the BBC website:

“Fifa executive committee members Amos Adamu and Reynald Temarii have been banned from voting in the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosting ballot. Adamu was banned from football activity for three years and Temarii for one year over claims they asked for money in exchange for World Cup votes. The 2018 Spain-Portugal and 2022 Qatar bids were cleared of collusion. The ballot will proceed on 2 December with 22 voters – instead of 24 – and nine candidates across the two votes. Following an investigation by Fifa’s ethics committee, Adamu – who has pleaded his innocence throughout – was fined 10,000 Swiss francs ($10,200; £6,300) and Temarii 5,000 francs, while four other Fifa officials, all former executive committee members, were suspended. Ismael Bhamjee of Botswana was handed a four-year ban, Amadou Diakite of Mali and Ahongalu Fusimalohi of Tonga three-year punishments and Tunisia’s Slim Aloulou a two-year suspension. All four were fined 10,000 Swiss francs.”

It seems like these culprits got off light when you consider the damage they have done to FIFA and its Fair Play campaign. Not that anyone who has watched the governing body for the world’s biggest sport could truly be surprised at the allegations. But shouldn’t FIFA have banned these committee members for life? They breeched the trust placed in them by the associations and football fans around the world with their greed.

My feeling is that those who passed judgment didn’t want to be too harsh lest they have their own shadowy dealings come to light. The scapegoats would have taken the short bans and nominal fines as long as there was something in it for them, you can count on it.

England 2018 bid chief executive Andy Anson has labeled the BBC unpatriotic for going ahead with their broadcast of a documentary of the investigation of committee corruption. Yes Mr. Anson, let’s look past the blatant ethics violations by “honorable” members of the committee. That’s not important at all. And while we’re at it, let’s ignore what the banks and hedge funds are doing, too. It’s not like the economy is going to collapse or anything.

England 1-2 France

Don’t blame the “fresh faces” for this one. It wasn’t Henderson that was out of position at right back. Carroll wasn’t the one who couldn’t bring the ball up from the back. Bothroyd wasn’t the one whose passes went directly to French players time and time again. The new boys played their part. It was the “veteran” players that let the side down in London.

Karim Benzema drove the first dagger in after just 16 minutes. Now he is a world class striker so maybe keeping a closer eye on him might be in order.

With all of the possession the French enjoyed in the first half England were lucky to go into the dressing room down 1-0. However, it only took 10 minutes for Bacary Sagna to beat Kieran Gibbs and send in a perfect cross for Mathieu Valbuena to turn into the net.

The English squad were on their back foot throughout most of the match, pumping the ball forward for Andy Carroll to go it alone. The lad is strong and talented, but so are the French defenders. The addition of Adam Johnson for Gareth Barry gave them a fighting chance as THAT City midfielder actually understands ATTACKING from the position.

Peter Crouch saved the day for the Three Lions with an 86th minute strike to pull one back. But, England never stood a chance from the first whistle, and I lay that completely at the feet of Fabio Capello. Why are we playing without any tactics or confidence? This has been a growing problem.

The FA needs to take control of the situation and look into why we have become so negative. If they need to sack the manager then do it. England have become a laughing stock on the world stage and I for one am sick of it!

A Not So English 2018 World Cup

According to “sources” inside FIFA, England’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup has all but failed due to the English media’s investigation of corruption within the bidding and voting committee. I know it shocks everyone that anyone at FIFA would ever be accused of corruption. I was absolutely stunned myself. But, the Sunday Times brought allegations of a “buy the votes” scheme by members of the committee that will be selecting the host nations for the 2018 and 2022 competitions. The BBC is also planning to cover the issue in an upcoming Panorama programme.

Apparently the race has narrowed down to Spain-Portugal and Russia if you can believe the “inside sources”. Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron will try to rescue the England ’18 bid by flying to Zurich and giving a final presentation to FIFA. David Beckham is supposed to join them to add his considerable magnanimity to the high level grovelling. If you see anyone getting on that private jet with a large attaché case…the bid may just work out fine.

But should England be the hosts for the world’s most prestigious tournament? Recent results on the world’s stage seemed to show that the powers that be at the Football Association can’t organize their national squad to look like they want to be there, let alone handle logistics for 32 national sides that actually do. The FA has lost the plot where the national side is concerned. They have insisted on using the Premier League’s superstars to represent the Three Lions and we all saw how well that worked out in South Africa.

The FA needs to focus on our national team. First and foremost. Hosting the World Cup is definitely prestigious, but if Association mismanagement makes our country a laughingstock is it going to be worth it? Why do we spend government funding to pamper our overpaid stars with chartered planes, fine hotels, and world class training facilities just to have them bottle it when the opening whistle blows? And why are we spending millions of pounds for a manager that can’t make tactical decisions at the most crucial time in his tenure? You could pay me a quarter of what Fabio Capello is making and I will get you the same result. ANYONE can lose badly in the World Cup, but why should they get paid millions to do it?

I’ve said it before. I think that England has a very viable candidate for the top job already. I think Stuart Pearce has taken some talented kids and put together a very game Under-21 side. He’s been to the World Cup as a player and now a coach which already puts him well ahead of managers like Harry Redknapp or Sam Allardyce. Nothing against these two, but I just don’t see either of them holding the trophy aloft in Brazil or wherever the 2018 tournament ends up going to.

It may sound like treason, but I hope the committee doesn’t award the tournament to England. Maybe the humiliation in front of the world will be enough for the FA to pull its collective head out and get serious about being a threat to win it all. If they don’t there won’t be any reason to samba in São Paulo four years from now.

Gazza!

When he played he was one of the best that England has ever produced. I was lucky to see him play numerous times throughout his career (mostly for England) and he was phenomenal when he had the ball at his feet. Gazza has always been the “Clown Prince” of football, famous for pranks he pulled on friend and foe alike, but that never detracted from his great talent. His flick over Colin Hendry in the EURO 96 match against Scotland was just one of many great moments in his career. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzPjlnQEkps

The news broke Thursday that Paul Gascoigne was sectioned under the Mental Health Act for behavior detrimental to himself and others. This is another sad step for the great man. Ian Wright said it best on his radio show – it is time for the FA to step forward and help this man. I agree and this is why: Gascoigne came up at the time when everything changed in football. Salaries skyrocketed and pressure mounted on players on and off the pitch. Media exposure became rabid. No one knew how to handle all of these new difficulties. Paul was a young lad without someone to guide him. So he handled the spotlight the way he had always handled things, by going out and having a good time. And the world of English football shunned him as a buffoon. All players of that era faced the same problems and not everyone went down the same path, but some did and all of them deserve to get help.

Give something back to a man that has given so much to England. He lives and breaths football. This isn’t a cliche, it’s fact. I’ve heard many accounts of his love for the game and how he lives in the world of football 24/7. He is a good man who needs to be brought back into the fold. He needs to pass along his knowledge of the sport to those young lads who need to know.

GET WELL SOON GAZZA!