So the slippery head of world football has once again survived yet another fiasco. At an age where all but the upper echelons of the judiciary have been put out to grass the gaff -prone President of FIFA manages to cling on to power with a limpet-like grasp. This time the septuagenarian supremo has proclaimed that any racist exchanges between players during the heat of the moment should be resolved by a handshake after the game. Perhaps Zinedin Zidane was trying to shake Marco Matarazzi's hand when he was sent off during the 2006 World Cup final. (I guess Mr. Blatter would have adopted the 'Wenger' stance on such issues and claimed he never saw the incident).
In many respects the beautiful game is flourishing – the standard has improved, the appeal has broadened and the interest been exported around the world. In other aspects the game is still living in the dark ages and an overhaul is long overdue.
Historically football has always been considered a working man's game a fact that for decades was exploited by wealthy entrepreneurs who recognised the opportunities to cash in on large crowds and the talents of players who were by and large abused and underpaid.
The top players now may be able to command huge payments for their activities both on and off the field, which is very different from being told when and where to play, fit or not, and with little consideration of any future beyond the game. When you consider that a premier league player can earn more for switching on the Christmas lights than one of the 1966 squad received for winning the World Cup it shows just how far the game has come.
I was 8 when we won the World Cup and grew up in awe of talents such as Best, Charlton, Pele, Moore, Beckenbauer, Platini and Cruyff. Maybe I have a simplistic view of life but playground conversations focused on the footballing skills of the aforementioned individuals not what they were getting up to off the pitch. Teams had 2 strips, the second only being worn if there was a colour clash with the opposition. Nowadays it would seem that the club changes it strip every other week. How long is it before we have one set of colours for when the sun shines and one for when it is raining? I don't recall the ruthless exploitation of the supporters that there is these days – ticket prices, travel costs, programmes, refreshments and merchandising of everything from calendars to toilet roll holders.
TV rights have fueled the growth of the sport and made it available to a much wider audience but you really have to wonder how the bedrock of the game, the ardent supporter ever manages to fund their passion.
What I find so hard to accept about the modern game is the cavalier way that it is being administered. The game may have come a long way but the authorities that run it still treat it as a gentleman's club for the extremely wealthy.
When you consider the revenue that the game generates is greater than the gross national output of many countries is it right that the controlling committee consists of a group of old men who can hardly claim to be democratically elected?
The Football Association in England doesn't fare any better with a large contingent whose credibility as business leaders would not pass muster in any other industry. In the 2009/10 season the premier league clubs tabled a net loss of over 0.5 billion pounds and last week Manchester City announced annual losses of just under 200 million pounds. Which other organisation could exist in such circumstances.
In this era of political awareness and accountability FIFA, UEFA and the FA stand proud, like festering sores, refusing all requests for greater transparency.
When allegations of bribery and corruption were levelled against some committee members in relation to the awarding of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar last year, several of those implicated were allowed to walk away, their reputations intact, exempting themselves from any investigation.
Cometh the time for the election of the FIFA president, the only realistic alternative for the post, Mohamed bin Hammam, was forced to withdraw due to his involvement in the Qatar bribery allegations, leaving Sepp Blatter to be re-elected unopposed. In any other walk of life allegations of serious financial irregularities would be rigorously pursued and matters would not simply be brushed under the carpet to save the blushes of the organisation.
Last month several of the footballing unions made representation to FIFA requesting that the national teams be allowed to have poppies embroidered on their shirts for the international games scheduled in and around Armistice day. FIFA refused this request on grounds that this simple act of remembrance was considered to be a political endorsement. Eventually they did concede to allowing players to wear black armbands with a poppy motif, but only after the intervention of political and religious leaders from several of the countries involved.
It is a close run race between the Swiss supremo and fun-loving Italian gaffe-maester, Silvio Berlusconi, to see who can utter the most outrageous quote. In a world dominated by sound-bites these 2 pensioners can usually be relied on for a cringeworthy comment. History will record Sepp Blatter's views on slavery (a reference to Cristiano Ronaldo's transfer from Manchester United), fidelity (suggesting John Terry's infidelity would have been applauded if it had happened in any other country than the UK) and homosexuality (a comment about Qatar – where it is illegal and also that gay players should not fear 'coming out'). In January 2004 he, the former president of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders – a campaign against women swapping their suspender belts for pantyhose – famously quipped that the female game would be greatly improved if the players wore tighter shorts.
The only organisation that I can think of that wields so much power over so wide an area with such secrecy and so much disdain for public scrutiny is the Mafia and I would not recommend that as a business model.
The European Championship in Poland and Ukraine next year has the potential for problems with racism on the rise in Poland and accommodation and transport issues in the Ukraine. The World Cup then follows in Brazil (2014) and Russia (2018); these were brave choices aimed at spreading the influence of the game in those regions though each presents their own difficulties that need to be addressed. The situation will require a lot of help and guidance from the top and it does not fill me with any confidence that the people at the top in football are behaving in such a shoddy manner.
There are too many factions working on their own agendas, Africa, America, Europe the Far East all looking to further their cause. How long has it taken for FIFA to recognise the issue of goal-line technology? Years. And are they any closer to resolving that issue? No. Has anything been done to ease fixture congestion? No. Presiding over such a powerful organisation requires a strong individual with their finger firmly on the pulse, it is not a job for 75 year-old man. Thanks for your effort, Sepp, now go polish your cuckoo clock, step aside and let a younger man implement the reforms needed to give the game back its credibility.
No comments:
Post a Comment