‘Team England’: We Wish!

Several commentators have come out this week and said how much the England football team can learn from the Team GB’s Olympic successes. Perhaps we can, but the real lesson is that success in sport at the very top level requires a genuine desire from the people in charge, the funds to do it and the implementation of a long-term plan (remember the Olympic revolution in GB started over 15 years ago when we only won one gold medal in Atlanta, 1996).

The funds are definitely there, England being the richest football nation in the world, but too much of them will end up in the wrong hands. Not just agents and players’ salaries but also in the hands of the three archaic organisations that run English football that are still packed full of failed businessmen and fuddy-duddies. To be able to implement any lessons learned from the Olympics, English football needs to first reform the way its run from top to bottom – something RTG feels is right to campaign on.

UEFA Financial Fair Play Update

We’ve already made reference to Ed Thomson’s article on FFP in which he shows quite clearly how far both City and Chelsea are from meeting the current criteria. Chelsea may have netted £50M + from winning the Champions League, but they have reportedly already spent £64M this summer. Either Roman Abramovich has a scheme up his sleeve to address the already huge losses that he continues to bankroll on Chelsea’s behalf or he feels confident that, using the smoke and mirrors of accounting rules, he can circumvent UEFA’s new rules. Let’s face it, every single bank and international corporation have been thumbing their noses at fiscal regulations throughout the world for years. What hope do UEFA have?

Name That Ball

Try to keep calm if at all possible but excitement is brewing as Adidas announce the shortlist of names for the actual ball that is to be used at the 2014 World Cup and voted for by fans. So far Carnavalesca, Bossa Nova and Brazuca are in the running. As discussed in Andrew Jennings’ excellent book ‘Foul’, Adidas, through its founders and sister company, ISL, played the significant role in the now publicly acknowledged bribery of FIFA’s top brass including Brazilians Joao Havelange and Ricardo Teixeira.

Given also that the 2014 stadium construction has been hampered with numerous corruption enquiries can RTG suggest a more appropriate name for the ball - The Backhanderao?

Big Up to Brazilian Football Supporters

On top of the now customary corruption and bribery involved in construction contracts for major football tournaments, the Brazilians have also had labour disputes which has caused consternation to FIFA’s monitoring officials. However, a less reported delay was not so widely publicised. At the Maracana, fans protesting at the introduction of luxury corporate boxes caused further disruption to the construction.

Poder para o povo!