FIFA In Meltdown
Hopefully! But accusations are coming thick and fast. Not even the president is immune, if this BBC report is right.
To me, Sepp Blatter lost all credibility, when he failed to back goal-line technology, which in a similar fashion works so well in rugby and tennis. Read his Wikipedia entry and make your own conclusions.
I particularly like this bit.
In the 2006 FIFA World Cup after a controversial second-round match between Portugal and the Netherlands, which saw referee Valentin Ivanov issuing a record 16 yellow cards and four red cards, Blatter was said to have lambasted the officiating referee, and said that Ivanov should have given himself a yellow card for his poor performance as a referee. However he later regretted his words and promised to officially apologise to Ivanov. This apology was never given, and the referee was removed from further officiating. Also during the 2006 FIFA World Cup final in Germany, Blatter’s absence during the prize-podium event was noted and criticized in international media. It was claimed that the reason Blatter did not attend was because he was upset that Italy won instead of France. Blatter later apologised and said the reason he had shunned the presentation ceremony was because he was afraid of being whistled.
Let’s hope that FIFA sort out all of the accusations to every real football fan’s satisfaction.
Food At Wembley Tonight
Breakfast on BBC Radio 5 Live was talking about the overpriced snacks at the stadium. Here’s a letter I sent in.
It’s not only over-priced, but as a coeliac, there’s nothing there that is gluten-free. So the last time I went I starved. Scunthorpe is much better!
I suppose UEFA have got to raise the money to fund their lifestyle someway. So they’re not as much a disgrace as FIFA, but give them time, to either sort themselves out or learn.
Manchester United Set A Good Example
There are pictures and a long report in the Daily Mail about how Manchester United took the train to London for Saturday’s Champions League Final.
I can remember when football teams regularly took the train. In fact on one trip down on a Saturday evening from Darlington, I shared a carriage with the Millwall team that has just beaten Newcastle United in the FA Cup.
QPR Put Up the Prices
It was inevitable, that a higher league would mean higher prices at QPR. The fans are not amused.
Here’s hoping that some of the money raised will be used to remove some of the dereliction and danger at the Away End.
Those That Hide Will Eventually Be Found
There must be a joke going round about Ronnie Biggs, Saddam Husein, Osama Bin Laden and Ryan Giggs, as all of them have tried to hide from their misdemeanors and have eventually been found. Or in the footballers case, found out, as it was usually obvious where Ryan was, at least once or twice a week.
Truth be told, Ryan should have stuck to the day job!
The lawyers will be sad though, as they don’t like losing a client with more money than sense. On the other hand, they will have the divorce to look forward to!
Radio 4 Names Footballer Involved in Superinjunction
Perhaps it was an accident, but it just shows how when everybody knows, it is difficult to keep a secret. There’s more here.
The sooner this farce is ended the better!
The only people who will be upset when it ends will be the lawyers.
The Hornets React
I said in this post, that the hornets would react and they have according to this piece on the BBC.
Hundreds of Twitter users have reacted to a footballer’s bid to find out who is putting information about him on the website by posting new messages online.
I’ve just looked and the BBC is right and they’re even easier to find, even if you don’t know the name of the footballer.
I think that this story has run its course, so if Imogen would like a nice meal one evening next week, all she has to do is post a message here and I’ll see what I can do. As the lady is Welsh some nice Welsh lamb in marmalade might be a suggestion. It would be more appropriate if we can find some Welsh marmalade.
But on second thoughts, why would she want supper with me, a broken down widower?
Wot! No Football!
Today is a Saturday without football. The Scottish and Womens Cup finals don’t count.
So I suppose I’ll have to do some more tidying up. Although, I might watch the rugby.
The Anonymous Widower 