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[youtube=yanRkw_kkUA]
Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
Wow 80 thats some post there!
Still struggling with embedding are ya, or just firing blanks?
Still struggling with embedding are ya, or just firing blanks?
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Embedding isn't working.
Greavswasthegreatest
Vital Football Legend
tis
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Wasn't. CP will back me up on that one.
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I find it amusing that when England are disallowed a goal then technology is not necessary. However, when England benefit from a disallowed goal Blatter is all over goal line technology. He really has it in for England.
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Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, defends Fifa
V Anand, TNN | Oct 3, 2012, 06.41PM IST
Fifa president Sepp Blatter admitted last week that the ruling body was far from perfect, but said it was not the shadowy mafia-type organisation so often portrayed by the international media.
Blatter, whose reign has often been clouded by corruption allegations, said he was happy with reforms being made inside Fifa to make it more transparent.
"It's my reform and things are going well," Blatter said following an Executive Committee meeting last week.
"They aren't bad, our statutes. There isn't a big thing to change in our statutes otherwise we wouldn't be the institution that we're in the world today.
"We aren't perfect, but we aren't the mafia, we aren't a corrupt organisation. We're the organisation which protects football in a troubled world, a world we can bring emotion and hope to," he said.
Still, Blatter struggled to find words as he attempted to describe the fate of Simone Farina, an Italian player widely praised last season after turning his back on a fixing scam.
Farina, who was playing for second-tier Gubbio when he refused a 200,000 offer to fix an Italian Cup match, has been made a Fifa ambassador, but has been unable to find a new club after being released at the end of last season.
"This is something absolutely incredible. It's something that could only happen in a game. It shouldn't," said Blatter, struggling to choose his words after being asked to comment on the situation by an Italian journalist.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Fifa-president-Sepp-Blatter-defends-Fifa/articleshow/16656363.cms
V Anand, TNN | Oct 3, 2012, 06.41PM IST
Fifa president Sepp Blatter admitted last week that the ruling body was far from perfect, but said it was not the shadowy mafia-type organisation so often portrayed by the international media.
Blatter, whose reign has often been clouded by corruption allegations, said he was happy with reforms being made inside Fifa to make it more transparent.
"It's my reform and things are going well," Blatter said following an Executive Committee meeting last week.
"They aren't bad, our statutes. There isn't a big thing to change in our statutes otherwise we wouldn't be the institution that we're in the world today.
"We aren't perfect, but we aren't the mafia, we aren't a corrupt organisation. We're the organisation which protects football in a troubled world, a world we can bring emotion and hope to," he said.
Still, Blatter struggled to find words as he attempted to describe the fate of Simone Farina, an Italian player widely praised last season after turning his back on a fixing scam.
Farina, who was playing for second-tier Gubbio when he refused a 200,000 offer to fix an Italian Cup match, has been made a Fifa ambassador, but has been unable to find a new club after being released at the end of last season.
"This is something absolutely incredible. It's something that could only happen in a game. It shouldn't," said Blatter, struggling to choose his words after being asked to comment on the situation by an Italian journalist.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/football/top-stories/Fifa-president-Sepp-Blatter-defends-Fifa/articleshow/16656363.cms
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Bin Hammam calls for Blatter investigation
October 16, 2012
By ESPN staff
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and other FIFA officials should face full investigations into allegations against them, Mohamed Bin Hammam has told ethics investigator Michael J Garcia.
Bin Hammam, 63, returned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week to continue his attempts to overturn his provisional suspension as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president and a member of FIFA's executive.
The punishment was imposed because he was the subject of a financial investigation by the AFC, but Bin Hammam has claimed it is politically motivated because he challenged Blatter for the FIFA presidency last year.
The Qatari is under provisional suspension by FIFA pending an investigation by Garcia. Earlier this year, he had his life ban, imposed because of bribery charges, overturned by the court on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
He had been accused of attempting to buy votes ahead of the FIFA presidential election, and the court said the overturning of the ban was not an "affirmative finding of innocence".
Now Bin Hammam has written to Garcia to complain about the fact that Blatter and other FIFA officials have not been suspended despite allegations having been made against them.
In the letter, seen by the Press Association, he writes: "Complaints have been made, both against Mr Blatter and some of his colleagues, which would seem to justify a full investigation.
"Whilst I am still suspended, my rival in the 2011 presidential election remains in power and office. He is not under any investigation or suspension. This is so difficult for me to understand."
Bin Hammam said Blatter was using his power against him, writing: "In truth, my previous opponent still holds all the cards.
"He has therefore been able to apply the full power and weight of the FIFA judicial machinery against me. I have had no relief from this onslaught for the last 16 months. Why should others not be suspended pending investigations in the same way that I have been?"
He said his family had been forced to "endure the nightmare of one set of allegations after the other being made against me".
Bin Hammam has accused Blatter of double standards after he promised a $1 million gift to the CONCACAF federation during his presidential campaign, and of using FIFA money his campaign travel and expenses.
He questioned how there could ever be a fair election battle against an incumbent FIFA president, saying there were "no rules and therefore no level playing field", and urged someone to stand for the presidency on a platform of an agenda for change.
FIFA said it could not comment on active cases.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1191006/mohamed-bin-hammam-calls-for-sepp-blatter-investigation?cc=5901
October 16, 2012
By ESPN staff
FIFA president Sepp Blatter and other FIFA officials should face full investigations into allegations against them, Mohamed Bin Hammam has told ethics investigator Michael J Garcia.
Bin Hammam, 63, returned to the Court of Arbitration for Sport this week to continue his attempts to overturn his provisional suspension as the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president and a member of FIFA's executive.
The punishment was imposed because he was the subject of a financial investigation by the AFC, but Bin Hammam has claimed it is politically motivated because he challenged Blatter for the FIFA presidency last year.
The Qatari is under provisional suspension by FIFA pending an investigation by Garcia. Earlier this year, he had his life ban, imposed because of bribery charges, overturned by the court on the grounds of insufficient evidence.
He had been accused of attempting to buy votes ahead of the FIFA presidential election, and the court said the overturning of the ban was not an "affirmative finding of innocence".
Now Bin Hammam has written to Garcia to complain about the fact that Blatter and other FIFA officials have not been suspended despite allegations having been made against them.
In the letter, seen by the Press Association, he writes: "Complaints have been made, both against Mr Blatter and some of his colleagues, which would seem to justify a full investigation.
"Whilst I am still suspended, my rival in the 2011 presidential election remains in power and office. He is not under any investigation or suspension. This is so difficult for me to understand."
Bin Hammam said Blatter was using his power against him, writing: "In truth, my previous opponent still holds all the cards.
"He has therefore been able to apply the full power and weight of the FIFA judicial machinery against me. I have had no relief from this onslaught for the last 16 months. Why should others not be suspended pending investigations in the same way that I have been?"
He said his family had been forced to "endure the nightmare of one set of allegations after the other being made against me".
Bin Hammam has accused Blatter of double standards after he promised a $1 million gift to the CONCACAF federation during his presidential campaign, and of using FIFA money his campaign travel and expenses.
He questioned how there could ever be a fair election battle against an incumbent FIFA president, saying there were "no rules and therefore no level playing field", and urged someone to stand for the presidency on a platform of an agenda for change.
FIFA said it could not comment on active cases.
http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1191006/mohamed-bin-hammam-calls-for-sepp-blatter-investigation?cc=5901
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Sepp Blatter said English football was 'run by idiots', claims Seb Coe
Wednesday 31 October 2012 16.00 GMT
Sepp Blatter thought English football being "run by idiots" was a key reason for England's failure to win the right to stage the 2018 World Cup finals, according to a new book by Sebastian Coe.
Coe became involved in England's bid after leading London's successful bid in 2005 to hosts the 2012 Olympics. He was later appointed by Blatter to chair Fifa's Ethics Committee, but stepped down from that role to work unpaid to help bring the World Cup back to England for the first time since 1966.
But, he says, almost from the start of his involvement he felt the bid was doomed to fail. "It's got the smell of death about it," he told his fellow executive Keith Mills, the chief executive of the London Olympic bid, after the two attended their first England 2018 meeting together.
"I had been truly shocked by the vituperative nature of the meeting I had just witnessed. There was thinly disguised contempt around the table."
After the bid failed, with only two Fifa votes, one of which was from England's own delegate Geoff Thompson, Coe said much of the blame was laid at the door of the British media who had heavily criticised Fifa in the run-up to the vote in Zurich on 2 December 2010.
"I am less willing to lay the blame at the media's door," Coe says. "Ultimately the fault, I believe, lies with the awful dysfunctionality of the English game, its personalities and politics.
"First you have the FA, which is the regulatory body. Then you have the Premier League… then you have the big clubs and the moguls including Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and the Glazers at Manchester United, not forgetting the big beast managers such as Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger.
"This has always been a very uncomfortable set of relationships, at best strained. The fact they didn't trust each other and didn't much like each other was a problem.
"The FA distrusted the Premiership, the Premiership distrusted the FA and Brian Mawhinney, as chairman of the Football League, wasn't comfortable with any of them."
Against this background, says Coe, his "instincts" were that Blatter always wanted to take the World Cup to Russia, which is what transpired. However, he said, people who believed Blatter wanted that outcome because he hated England were wrong.
"He doesn't. He's Swiss and like a lot of Swiss, he's rather fond of England. He likes the political stability, he likes the pomp and tradition. What he always has a problem with is the English game. And from his perspective, its not hard to understand.
"As president of the international federation he sees the unwillingness of English clubs to release players for international duty. He sees the purchasing power of the English game – big-name clubs buying up players from all over the world.
"And he sees a national federation, that, at the time of the bid, had no chairman and no chief executive.
"Blatter once said to me: 'Your game is run by idiots, it's not run by bright people'… I was obviously disappointed, very disappointed."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/31/sepp-blatter-english-idiots-seb-coe
Wednesday 31 October 2012 16.00 GMT
Sepp Blatter thought English football being "run by idiots" was a key reason for England's failure to win the right to stage the 2018 World Cup finals, according to a new book by Sebastian Coe.
Coe became involved in England's bid after leading London's successful bid in 2005 to hosts the 2012 Olympics. He was later appointed by Blatter to chair Fifa's Ethics Committee, but stepped down from that role to work unpaid to help bring the World Cup back to England for the first time since 1966.
But, he says, almost from the start of his involvement he felt the bid was doomed to fail. "It's got the smell of death about it," he told his fellow executive Keith Mills, the chief executive of the London Olympic bid, after the two attended their first England 2018 meeting together.
"I had been truly shocked by the vituperative nature of the meeting I had just witnessed. There was thinly disguised contempt around the table."
After the bid failed, with only two Fifa votes, one of which was from England's own delegate Geoff Thompson, Coe said much of the blame was laid at the door of the British media who had heavily criticised Fifa in the run-up to the vote in Zurich on 2 December 2010.
"I am less willing to lay the blame at the media's door," Coe says. "Ultimately the fault, I believe, lies with the awful dysfunctionality of the English game, its personalities and politics.
"First you have the FA, which is the regulatory body. Then you have the Premier League… then you have the big clubs and the moguls including Roman Abramovich at Chelsea and the Glazers at Manchester United, not forgetting the big beast managers such as Alex Ferguson and Arsène Wenger.
"This has always been a very uncomfortable set of relationships, at best strained. The fact they didn't trust each other and didn't much like each other was a problem.
"The FA distrusted the Premiership, the Premiership distrusted the FA and Brian Mawhinney, as chairman of the Football League, wasn't comfortable with any of them."
Against this background, says Coe, his "instincts" were that Blatter always wanted to take the World Cup to Russia, which is what transpired. However, he said, people who believed Blatter wanted that outcome because he hated England were wrong.
"He doesn't. He's Swiss and like a lot of Swiss, he's rather fond of England. He likes the political stability, he likes the pomp and tradition. What he always has a problem with is the English game. And from his perspective, its not hard to understand.
"As president of the international federation he sees the unwillingness of English clubs to release players for international duty. He sees the purchasing power of the English game – big-name clubs buying up players from all over the world.
"And he sees a national federation, that, at the time of the bid, had no chairman and no chief executive.
"Blatter once said to me: 'Your game is run by idiots, it's not run by bright people'… I was obviously disappointed, very disappointed."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/oct/31/sepp-blatter-english-idiots-seb-coe
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Moi aussi. I thought it was rather funny,
Spursex
Alert Team
Fifa to investigate new allegations over Qatar 2022 World Cup bid
• Newspaper highlights talks over $1m gala dinner sponsorship
• Michael Garcia, new ethics committee chief, to investigate
Owen Gibson
The Guardian, Sunday 18 November 2012 16.53 GMT
Fifa president Sepp Blatter applauds as Qatar are awarded the hosting of the 2022 World Cup finals. Photograph: PATRICK B. KRAEMER/EPA
Fifa has confirmed that the recently appointed chief investigator of its ethics committee will look into new corruption allegations surrounding Qatar's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup.
Qatar, which hugely outspent its rivals on its campaign to win the right to host the 2022 tournament in December 2010, had discussions about a $1m sponsorship deal for a gala dinner organised by the son of a Fifa executive committee member later banned from football for three years.
The Sunday Times, which conducted the undercover investigation that led to the Nigerian Amos Adamu and other Fifa officials being banned in the runup to the vote on the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, revealed that Qatar's bidding committee entered talks to sponsor a gala dinner arranged by his son, Samson, on the eve of the South Africa World Cup in 2010.
The newspaper claims Qatar made arrangements to sponsor the dinner but did not go through with the deal after taking into account Fifa's rules on payments to executive committee members. The gala dinner, featuring 20 African footballing legends and senior football officials in Johannesburg for the World Cup, eventually cost around a fifth of the seven-figure sum originally discussed. It remains unclear how it was ultimately funded.
Fifa said that it was contacted with the allegations on Friday and the Sunday Times immediately provided all evidence relating to them. "After receiving these documents, Fifa has immediately forwarded them to Michael J Garcia, independent ethics committee chairman of the investigatory branch," a spokesman said. "It will be for Michael Garcia to analyse the documents and decide on any potential next steps."
The Qatar 2022 organising committee accused the Sunday Times of being "malicious and reckless" in its presentation of the discussions but admitted that they took place. "The truth is that our bid committee, after careful consideration, opted not to sign any agreement with the individual concerned and had no part whatsoever in the African Legends Dinner event, financially or otherwise," it claimed.
"It is correct that such a project was the subject of discussions, that preliminary communications were exchanged and that a draft agreement came into existence. However, upon due consideration being given to all the circumstances of this particular case – and especially to the relevant Fifa rules relating to the obligations of bid committees – a decision was taken by the Qatar 2022 bid committee not to pursue any involvement in the African Legends Dinner."
Qatar won the race to host the 2022 World Cup despite its small size and high summer temperatures following a lavishly funded campaign that included a string of deals with big-name ambassadors and contracts such as that to sponsor the 2010 Confederation of African Football congress.
The Qatar 2022 organising committee insisted on Sunday it "operated to the highest standards of integrity during the bidding process for the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cups, strictly adhering to all Fifa rules and regulations for bidding nations" and said it was making "good progress" with preparations for the tournament.
A succession of senior figures, led by the Uefa president Michel Platini, have lobbied for the tournament to be moved to winter despite the fact the bid was won on the basis of a summer World Cup.
Garcia, an American lawyer who was appointed to run the investigatory arm of Fifa's ethics committee as part of an overhaul instigated by Mark Pieth, chairman of Fifa's independent governance committee, has an overflowing intray.
Pieth's appointment was part of an attempt by Fifa president Sepp Blatter to respond to an avalanche of corruption allegations engulfing the organisation in the wake of the World Cup vote and a subsequent presidential election overwhelmed by claims of bribery.
Garcia has said he will look into the opaque and controversial bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, won by Russia and Qatar respectively, and the issues raised by the longstanding ISL case.
Swiss court documents, recently published by Fifa, confirmed the now defunct marketing agency paid millions of dollars in bribes to the former president Joao Havelange and former Fifa executive committee member Ricardo Teixeira.
At the same time as Garcia's appointment, the German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert was selected to chair the adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee. In September, Eckert said that Blatter should play his part in cleaning up Fifa or resign – prompting an angry response from the Fifa president.
• Newspaper highlights talks over $1m gala dinner sponsorship
• Michael Garcia, new ethics committee chief, to investigate
Owen Gibson
The Guardian, Sunday 18 November 2012 16.53 GMT
Fifa president Sepp Blatter applauds as Qatar are awarded the hosting of the 2022 World Cup finals. Photograph: PATRICK B. KRAEMER/EPA
Fifa has confirmed that the recently appointed chief investigator of its ethics committee will look into new corruption allegations surrounding Qatar's successful bid for the 2022 World Cup.
Qatar, which hugely outspent its rivals on its campaign to win the right to host the 2022 tournament in December 2010, had discussions about a $1m sponsorship deal for a gala dinner organised by the son of a Fifa executive committee member later banned from football for three years.
The Sunday Times, which conducted the undercover investigation that led to the Nigerian Amos Adamu and other Fifa officials being banned in the runup to the vote on the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, revealed that Qatar's bidding committee entered talks to sponsor a gala dinner arranged by his son, Samson, on the eve of the South Africa World Cup in 2010.
The newspaper claims Qatar made arrangements to sponsor the dinner but did not go through with the deal after taking into account Fifa's rules on payments to executive committee members. The gala dinner, featuring 20 African footballing legends and senior football officials in Johannesburg for the World Cup, eventually cost around a fifth of the seven-figure sum originally discussed. It remains unclear how it was ultimately funded.
Fifa said that it was contacted with the allegations on Friday and the Sunday Times immediately provided all evidence relating to them. "After receiving these documents, Fifa has immediately forwarded them to Michael J Garcia, independent ethics committee chairman of the investigatory branch," a spokesman said. "It will be for Michael Garcia to analyse the documents and decide on any potential next steps."
The Qatar 2022 organising committee accused the Sunday Times of being "malicious and reckless" in its presentation of the discussions but admitted that they took place. "The truth is that our bid committee, after careful consideration, opted not to sign any agreement with the individual concerned and had no part whatsoever in the African Legends Dinner event, financially or otherwise," it claimed.
"It is correct that such a project was the subject of discussions, that preliminary communications were exchanged and that a draft agreement came into existence. However, upon due consideration being given to all the circumstances of this particular case – and especially to the relevant Fifa rules relating to the obligations of bid committees – a decision was taken by the Qatar 2022 bid committee not to pursue any involvement in the African Legends Dinner."
Qatar won the race to host the 2022 World Cup despite its small size and high summer temperatures following a lavishly funded campaign that included a string of deals with big-name ambassadors and contracts such as that to sponsor the 2010 Confederation of African Football congress.
The Qatar 2022 organising committee insisted on Sunday it "operated to the highest standards of integrity during the bidding process for the 2018/2022 Fifa World Cups, strictly adhering to all Fifa rules and regulations for bidding nations" and said it was making "good progress" with preparations for the tournament.
A succession of senior figures, led by the Uefa president Michel Platini, have lobbied for the tournament to be moved to winter despite the fact the bid was won on the basis of a summer World Cup.
Garcia, an American lawyer who was appointed to run the investigatory arm of Fifa's ethics committee as part of an overhaul instigated by Mark Pieth, chairman of Fifa's independent governance committee, has an overflowing intray.
Pieth's appointment was part of an attempt by Fifa president Sepp Blatter to respond to an avalanche of corruption allegations engulfing the organisation in the wake of the World Cup vote and a subsequent presidential election overwhelmed by claims of bribery.
Garcia has said he will look into the opaque and controversial bidding processes for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, won by Russia and Qatar respectively, and the issues raised by the longstanding ISL case.
Swiss court documents, recently published by Fifa, confirmed the now defunct marketing agency paid millions of dollars in bribes to the former president Joao Havelange and former Fifa executive committee member Ricardo Teixeira.
At the same time as Garcia's appointment, the German judge Hans-Joachim Eckert was selected to chair the adjudicatory chamber of the ethics committee. In September, Eckert said that Blatter should play his part in cleaning up Fifa or resign – prompting an angry response from the Fifa president.
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Departed
Guest
Not much that is funnier than an indignant Sepp Blatter spitting his response to any claim against his character.
Spursex
Alert Team
Sepp Blatter exclusive: No, racism cannot be stopped with a handshake ... sport must help educate
FIFA president explains change in his views and why other areas of society also need to look at the issue
20 November 2012
Exactly a year ago, Sepp Blatter was fighting calls for him to resign. It was not the first time FIFA’s president had been under pressure to stand down and certainly not the first time he had talked himself into trouble.
But while some of his previous thoughts were dismissed as bizarre ramblings — such as suggesting women play in tighter shorts — his comments on racism sparked outrage.
Specifically, it was his idea that racism in football could be settled with a handshake and the timing could not have been worse with the Football Association investigating allegations John Terry and Luis Suarez had racially abused opponents.
A host of managers, players and politicians urged Blatter to go while Rio Ferdinand, whose brother Anton was the target of Terry’s abuse, accused the 76-year-old of “ignorance”.
Within 48 hours of the incendiary interview with CNN, Blatter apologised for his “unfortunate words”, which he “deeply regretted”.
A year on, Blatter has had a rethink on how to tackle racism.
“What you can do by a handshake is try and make peace,” he tells me. “You cannot eradicate racism by a handshake. To eradicate this devil is an educational problem. The problem is, if the school is not educating, if the family is not any longer educating, sport must educate. But sport cannot do everything.”
Suarez and Terry were both found guilty by the FA but while the Liverpool striker served an eight-game ban at the start of the year, the latter has only just completed his four-game penalty.
The FA delayed their hearing until the outcome of a court case at which the Chelsea captain was cleared. Blatter believes they should have acted faster, a point the governing body, with hindsight, now accept.
“The John Terry affair should have been handled much quicker,” he says. “Such matters should be dealt with as soon as possible, especially when players are concerned. Our sports’ authorities should deal with these matters directly. If, afterwards, the political authorities also intervene because they think it is a very important case, that is for them. But, to wait until the political authorities intervene and then take a decision on the sporting side, this is not the right procedure.”
Two more high-profile racism cases are in the spotlight this week. On Thursday, UEFA will assess allegations that Serbia fans racially abused England Under-21 players last month.
Also, referee Mark Clattenburg should discover whether he will be charged by the FA over claims he racially abused Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel. Clattenburg denies the allegations but the case has raised issues about the relationship between players and officials.
While Blatter does not know the details of the allegations, unlike many in football, he does not rule out the idea of a referee racially abusing a player. “Nothing is impossible. That’s the first thing I have to say. Discrimination and racism in the world is terrible and it is affecting the world of sport.”
The malaise surrounding football is in stark contrast to the feel-good factor of the Olympics here in London.
In the wake of the summer Games, much was made of how football should adopt the Olympic ethos but the tribalism of the world’s biggest sport means it takes a huge leap of faith to expect rival football fans to sit side by side.
However, Blatter is willing to dream. He says: “Players and the public can learn from the Olympics because of the wonderful ambiance in the stadium. There is never any question of fans fighting because they have this specific Olympic spirit. But, when it comes to the day-to-day league competition, then the fans are in two zones. One is the visiting team, the other the home team. It would be nice to bring this Olympic spirit in all the stadia.”
As a member of the International Olympic Committee, Blatter was one of the people responsible in 2005 for awarding London the Games.
While he was delighted with the success of the event as a whole, he was particularly pleased with the way the football tournament was received.
The Swiss says: “I voted for London. It was so great to see how the Games went without problems. The response to the football was so high but I was surprised. I thought the British public was pampered by the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. But to see the number of spectators at the Olympic men’s and women’s football was fascinating. When I speak about that I still feel the emotion of 2012.”
So with London having staged a wonderful Games, how long will it be before the World Cup returns to these shores. Will it be in our lifetimes?
Blatter (above, second picture) is rarely lost for words but, for a moment, seems to have lost his tongue. Then, pressing his palms together, he looks up at the ceiling as if in prayer and says: “One of the gods up there, the god of football perhaps, knows. I will ask Joseph Ratzinger. You know who Joseph Ratzinger is?”
As I indicate I know he is the Pope, Blatter continues: “I will ask him. Every morning he is speaking with the Lord, so he will tell me.”
The idea of England requiring a Papal edict to stage its first World Cup since 1966 has a ring to it and this is the sort of wisecrack you might expect from the eternal showman who runs world football. As a child, Blatter loved the pantomime.
As Fifa general secretary, he looked forward to taking part in the World Cup draw in front of a live worldwide television audience. Then, early in his career, he became president of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders whose mission statement was that it regretted “women replacing suspenders with pantyhose”.
However, Blatter is soon making a more serious point: that failure to host the 2018 World Cup was not an act of god, more a reflection of England’s campaign. After Blatter’s executive had given the prize to Russia, the English group alleged some of his fellow committee members had lied about their voting intentions.
But Blatter says: “In our game, you have also to accept defeat. England has given us, not only this beautiful game of football, but also the term fair play. And fair play means accepting defeat.
“England should accept they got only two votes [one of them from the Englishman on the executive, Geoff Thompson]. If they had 11 [out of the 24] votes, they could be disappointed. They could say who did it? It was not one person, it was the general movement that did not want England. So who is responsible for the defeat?”
Many in this country feel he played a part in orchestrating England’s huge defeat, a feeling worsened by the fact the great and good of this country spent hours courting Blatter. There is evidence of that courtship in the room where we are meeting in Fifa headquarters. One of the books on display is Courage: Eight Portraits by Gordon Brown with a personal handwritten message of good wishes to “dear Sepp” by the former Prime Minister.
Such courtship is normal for the man, who has led football since 1998, and he insists: “I’m not anti-English. I like England. I like the Premier League. When I was a student in London, I’d often go to Stamford Bridge and see Peter Osgood and Peter Bonetti playing.”
UEFA president Michel Platini is also accused of being against the English but it is wrong to assume two of the most powerful men in world football have the same train of thought.
Blatter is fully behind goal-line technology, Platini is a fierce opponent. And while the Frenchman voted for Qatar to stage the 2022 World Cup and then said it should be in the winter, Blatter refused to reveal who he backed (the assumption is he wanted the USA) but said the finals had to be in the summer.
Platini is widely tipped to succeed Blatter, whose term ends in 2015. “I will not stand again,” he says. “I have to finish. I have to put it into my mind that you cannot be eternal.”
But then Blatter adds tantalisingly: “There may be circumstances that I’m still there and nobody will take on Fifa. I don’t know.”
He does not specify what those circumstances might be. But it is hard to avoid the thought that, should he think that Platini as his successor would push for a winter World Cup, then Blatter may decide he is eternal after all.
BLATTER-BALLS - Sepp's less than cerebral take on . . .
The beautiful game - ‘Come on, let’s get women to play in different and more feminine garb than the men. In tighter shorts, for example.’
Qatar’s homosexuality laws - ‘I would say they [gay fans going to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup] should refrain from sexual activities!’
Terry’s alleged affair -‘If this had happened in let’s say Latin countries then I think he [John Terry] would have been applauded.’
Cristiano Ronaldo ‘the slave’ - ‘There’s too much modern slavery in transferring or buying players and putting them somewhere.’
FIFA president explains change in his views and why other areas of society also need to look at the issue
20 November 2012
Exactly a year ago, Sepp Blatter was fighting calls for him to resign. It was not the first time FIFA’s president had been under pressure to stand down and certainly not the first time he had talked himself into trouble.
But while some of his previous thoughts were dismissed as bizarre ramblings — such as suggesting women play in tighter shorts — his comments on racism sparked outrage.
Specifically, it was his idea that racism in football could be settled with a handshake and the timing could not have been worse with the Football Association investigating allegations John Terry and Luis Suarez had racially abused opponents.
A host of managers, players and politicians urged Blatter to go while Rio Ferdinand, whose brother Anton was the target of Terry’s abuse, accused the 76-year-old of “ignorance”.
Within 48 hours of the incendiary interview with CNN, Blatter apologised for his “unfortunate words”, which he “deeply regretted”.
A year on, Blatter has had a rethink on how to tackle racism.
“What you can do by a handshake is try and make peace,” he tells me. “You cannot eradicate racism by a handshake. To eradicate this devil is an educational problem. The problem is, if the school is not educating, if the family is not any longer educating, sport must educate. But sport cannot do everything.”
Suarez and Terry were both found guilty by the FA but while the Liverpool striker served an eight-game ban at the start of the year, the latter has only just completed his four-game penalty.
The FA delayed their hearing until the outcome of a court case at which the Chelsea captain was cleared. Blatter believes they should have acted faster, a point the governing body, with hindsight, now accept.
“The John Terry affair should have been handled much quicker,” he says. “Such matters should be dealt with as soon as possible, especially when players are concerned. Our sports’ authorities should deal with these matters directly. If, afterwards, the political authorities also intervene because they think it is a very important case, that is for them. But, to wait until the political authorities intervene and then take a decision on the sporting side, this is not the right procedure.”
Two more high-profile racism cases are in the spotlight this week. On Thursday, UEFA will assess allegations that Serbia fans racially abused England Under-21 players last month.
Also, referee Mark Clattenburg should discover whether he will be charged by the FA over claims he racially abused Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel. Clattenburg denies the allegations but the case has raised issues about the relationship between players and officials.
While Blatter does not know the details of the allegations, unlike many in football, he does not rule out the idea of a referee racially abusing a player. “Nothing is impossible. That’s the first thing I have to say. Discrimination and racism in the world is terrible and it is affecting the world of sport.”
The malaise surrounding football is in stark contrast to the feel-good factor of the Olympics here in London.
In the wake of the summer Games, much was made of how football should adopt the Olympic ethos but the tribalism of the world’s biggest sport means it takes a huge leap of faith to expect rival football fans to sit side by side.
However, Blatter is willing to dream. He says: “Players and the public can learn from the Olympics because of the wonderful ambiance in the stadium. There is never any question of fans fighting because they have this specific Olympic spirit. But, when it comes to the day-to-day league competition, then the fans are in two zones. One is the visiting team, the other the home team. It would be nice to bring this Olympic spirit in all the stadia.”
As a member of the International Olympic Committee, Blatter was one of the people responsible in 2005 for awarding London the Games.
While he was delighted with the success of the event as a whole, he was particularly pleased with the way the football tournament was received.
The Swiss says: “I voted for London. It was so great to see how the Games went without problems. The response to the football was so high but I was surprised. I thought the British public was pampered by the Premier League, the Champions League, the FA Cup and the Scottish Cup. But to see the number of spectators at the Olympic men’s and women’s football was fascinating. When I speak about that I still feel the emotion of 2012.”
So with London having staged a wonderful Games, how long will it be before the World Cup returns to these shores. Will it be in our lifetimes?
Blatter (above, second picture) is rarely lost for words but, for a moment, seems to have lost his tongue. Then, pressing his palms together, he looks up at the ceiling as if in prayer and says: “One of the gods up there, the god of football perhaps, knows. I will ask Joseph Ratzinger. You know who Joseph Ratzinger is?”
As I indicate I know he is the Pope, Blatter continues: “I will ask him. Every morning he is speaking with the Lord, so he will tell me.”
The idea of England requiring a Papal edict to stage its first World Cup since 1966 has a ring to it and this is the sort of wisecrack you might expect from the eternal showman who runs world football. As a child, Blatter loved the pantomime.
As Fifa general secretary, he looked forward to taking part in the World Cup draw in front of a live worldwide television audience. Then, early in his career, he became president of the World Society of Friends of Suspenders whose mission statement was that it regretted “women replacing suspenders with pantyhose”.
However, Blatter is soon making a more serious point: that failure to host the 2018 World Cup was not an act of god, more a reflection of England’s campaign. After Blatter’s executive had given the prize to Russia, the English group alleged some of his fellow committee members had lied about their voting intentions.
But Blatter says: “In our game, you have also to accept defeat. England has given us, not only this beautiful game of football, but also the term fair play. And fair play means accepting defeat.
“England should accept they got only two votes [one of them from the Englishman on the executive, Geoff Thompson]. If they had 11 [out of the 24] votes, they could be disappointed. They could say who did it? It was not one person, it was the general movement that did not want England. So who is responsible for the defeat?”
Many in this country feel he played a part in orchestrating England’s huge defeat, a feeling worsened by the fact the great and good of this country spent hours courting Blatter. There is evidence of that courtship in the room where we are meeting in Fifa headquarters. One of the books on display is Courage: Eight Portraits by Gordon Brown with a personal handwritten message of good wishes to “dear Sepp” by the former Prime Minister.
Such courtship is normal for the man, who has led football since 1998, and he insists: “I’m not anti-English. I like England. I like the Premier League. When I was a student in London, I’d often go to Stamford Bridge and see Peter Osgood and Peter Bonetti playing.”
UEFA president Michel Platini is also accused of being against the English but it is wrong to assume two of the most powerful men in world football have the same train of thought.
Blatter is fully behind goal-line technology, Platini is a fierce opponent. And while the Frenchman voted for Qatar to stage the 2022 World Cup and then said it should be in the winter, Blatter refused to reveal who he backed (the assumption is he wanted the USA) but said the finals had to be in the summer.
Platini is widely tipped to succeed Blatter, whose term ends in 2015. “I will not stand again,” he says. “I have to finish. I have to put it into my mind that you cannot be eternal.”
But then Blatter adds tantalisingly: “There may be circumstances that I’m still there and nobody will take on Fifa. I don’t know.”
He does not specify what those circumstances might be. But it is hard to avoid the thought that, should he think that Platini as his successor would push for a winter World Cup, then Blatter may decide he is eternal after all.
BLATTER-BALLS - Sepp's less than cerebral take on . . .
The beautiful game - ‘Come on, let’s get women to play in different and more feminine garb than the men. In tighter shorts, for example.’
Qatar’s homosexuality laws - ‘I would say they [gay fans going to Qatar for the 2022 World Cup] should refrain from sexual activities!’
Terry’s alleged affair -‘If this had happened in let’s say Latin countries then I think he [John Terry] would have been applauded.’
Cristiano Ronaldo ‘the slave’ - ‘There’s too much modern slavery in transferring or buying players and putting them somewhere.’
D
Departed
Guest
Some times he makes sense. He must have some sort of new medication.
