World’s Football Supporters Hung, Drawn and Qatared

Ten days ago, FIFA announced that Russia was to host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar was to host the 2022 tournament. FIFA President, Sepp Blatter wanted Russia as 2018 hosts and, what Blatter wants, Blatter gets. The strange choice of Qatar is more easily understood when one considers the facts that journalist, Andrew Jennings, has unearthed about the machinations of the FIFA gravy train. Qatari FA President, Mohammed Bin Hammam, has been a long time Blatter supporter, dubiously funding Blatter’s re-election to the FIFA Presidency, as well as providing material support in the form of private jets for his election campaigning, against FIFA’s own rules.

Both of the winning bids were widely thought to be the weakest technical bids and both will require the most amounts of stadia and infrastructure building projects. Whilst the choice of Russia could easily be explained away, in typical FIFA smokescreen bull manure speak, by the old ‘spreading the game throughout the world’ adage, the choice of Qatar is just an affront to the world’s football supporters, and even more importantly, an affront to the world’s environment. Outdoor air conditioned stadia, with outdoor temperatures at 40-50 degrees centigrade, powered by solar energy – all to be dismantled after the hoopla and re-located elsewhere. Carbon footprint? Who cares? Legacy - to a population of native Qataris, who number in six figures? Ridiculous. And once again, Blatter has got away with his subterfuge.

It seems that every move by the current FIFA President is designed as yet another ruse to not only get his way, but also to provide scope for the powerful members of FIFA’s ExCo to do more deals. This time around it was the double bid process which gave more deal mileage to be claimed. It has reached the stage where RTG views FIFA so cynically, that maybe even footballing decisions, such as FIFA’s reluctance to consider technology is motivated by their own desire to have referee control of matches – and referees can be lent on.

It can’t be a coincidence that the two big oil and gas rich states amidst the bidding countries, won their bids. Equally so, bigger game politics – especially France’s courting of Qatar’s resources - played a huge part. How much, we’ll probably never know. But yet more allegations of bribery have subsequently been made, which if true, makes RTG wonder why England and others bothered in the first place. After all, England had its Prime Minister, next but one King and… wait for it… a moderately good footballer who is the darling of OK magazine, as our “three lions”. Actually, maybe our bid wasn’t so good after all.

Irrespective of the technical bid, its praised presentation and the quality of the people who represented England in schmoozing with the FIFA crooks, England were never going to win their bid. Andy Anson, Chief Executive of the England bid, admitted as much afterwards. However, the process that the bid went through legitimised FIFA and its corrupt methods by allowing us to believe that England had a chance of winning, thereby forcing our bid members to kiss the proverbial FIFA arse and criticise our own nasty free press for pointing out what a bunch of crooks they are!

It’s clear that FIFA needs to be completely done away with in its current form. FIFA was set up in the days when football was trying to fend off commercial interests and remain true to a more idealistic amateur spirit. That all changed in 1974, with the election of Joao Havelenge and his subsequent handover to his heir alter ego, Sepp Blatter. Since then, it’s been run like a mafia, involving ever increasing amounts of money and dubious goings on, protected by Swiss financial laws and with no-one daring enough to take on the corruption from within or outside of the game – with notable noble media exceptions.

It is highly unlikely that we will see a World Cup in England in the next two to three decades. England gave the world football. It might be time for England to think again how best it could lead the world in football again. As RTG has long argued before, the organisation of football in this country needs to be totally revamped to deliver a winning football team and a contribution to the nation’s health. The game in this country needs to be in a better place and yes, free from the corrupting influence of commercialism, before it could counter FIFA’s hegemony.

If we can do this, then maybe England will be in a position to challenge finally FIFA’s strangle on the game, get rid of the Blatters and Warners and deliver to the world a game which truly transcends political, secret Swiss bank accounts and commercial interests, for the whole world to enjoy.

Let us know what you think and sign up to Reclaim The Game!

The Keeper

...Riyals or Roubles anyone?

The Keeper, of course, had to focus on the disappointing result to England’s 2018 World Cup bid. England, sadly, only got two votes, one of which was our own (although we’re not even sure about that). But not to worry we can leave Zurich with our heads held high. The England bid centred on football as a sport that crosses boundaries of culture and class. A sport for all. That’s why, for the pivotal part of the presentation, we sent out the future King of England, our Old Etonian Prime Minister and a multi-million pound footballer. Three chaps who can really speak for the common man.

But, to be fair, the lads really pulled out all the stops, working into the long hours to try and rally support for Team England’s challenge. They apologised for the BBC Panorama allegations and refused to accept that it could possibly have damaged our chances, or that FIFA would take any notice of anything other than the quality of the bid on offer. They were dubbed in the press “The Three Lions”. Perhaps “Three Monkeys” might have been more appropriate. See No Evil. Hear No Evil. Speak No Evil!

But sadly England came up short. FIFA assessed each bid on merit (not oil reserves and available cash), what they could do for developing the game of football throughout the world (definitely not oil reserves and available cash) the suitability of the facilities on offer (absolutely not oil reserves and available cash), the summer temperatures (most certainly not oil reserves and available cash) and the transport infrastructure in place (without doubt not oil reserves and available cash).

The end result of course was that Russia won the bid to host 2018 and Qatar, a desert state the size of East Anglia with one stadium holding over 50,000, and summer temperatures of 50°C plus, won the bid to host 2022. The Keeper would like to pose a question of his own at this point. How much money might it take for the 2018 Winter Olympics to be held at the Milton Keynes Snow Dome, Alaska to hold the 2015 Cricket World Cup and China to host the next Tour De France?

Enjoy your sporting memories everyone.

There's Only One David Beckham, Thank God..

Well the main part of the American Major League Soccer (MLS) season is over and the play-offs, that absolute must of all American sports, are about to begin. Absent from the the end of season chase for honours is LA Galaxy. This despite recruiting the world's highest profile footballer in David Beckham. It seems that if you pay $250 million for a super duper galactico player, it certainly doesn't buy you any guarantees of success. You can hardly blame Beckham for he has only been able to make two starts for the Galaxy in that time.

However, there must be people within LA Galaxy and MLS management wondering what they have got for the first $50 million instalment of the five year £250 million deal that they will be paying him. At least superficially, Galaxy and MLS have said that they are pleased with their investment. Indeed, apparently additional millions have been taken in extra shirt sales and season tickets. We at RTG take these with a pinch of salt - after all who would admit to making a multi-million dollar gaffe? The Home Depot Center, LA Galaxy's home venue has mostly been full - of the capacity 27,000 - since Beckham's arrival, but is some ways short of the 30,000 that they averaged in their inaugural season of 1996. And that is the real point about the current David Beckham. He's not in the US to win things for his team. He's there to spearhead a marketing drive for MLS. Notwithstanding, the ever more cringing attempts by his stick insect wife to remain in the public eye.

In the mean time, Beckham's England career, having re-surfaced due to popular demand - well, popular with the media scribes and "I've only read the Sun's headlines" pundits, not so much with people who understand football - looks effectively over, given that England look likely to miss out on this summer's Euro 2008 tournament. It is reported that Beckham is looking to train with an English club for the intervening period before his call up for the next MLS season in February 2008. This begs the question of what would have happened if a fit Beckham was available for England if we had qualified?

Beckham has set a much publicised target of winning 100 caps for England. He is three short currently. This pressure exerted by Beckham's PR machine has got under RTG's skin. Indeed, it got us thinking about how the whole PR bullshit had initially promoted and then effectively destroyed the playing career of a fine footballer.

David Beckham was once a key player in the best midfield that the premiership has seen, and arguably the best ever in English football - that of Keane, Scholes, Giggs and Beckham. A few weeks after completing a unique 'Treble' of honours with Manchester United, he married Posh Spice in what was at that time one of the most kitsch and over the top celebrity events witnessed. The usual A to E celebrity guests were in attendance, along with the the money spinning photo shoots. Indeed the glorious couple had to make dozens of costume changes to satisfy their wedding photo contract. Unfortunately, this was the point that the footballer in Beckham stopped and he was taken over and subsumed into the publicity crazy ambition of his wife. Failing to revive a short, but financially successful pop career, the Beckham brand was born out of the frustration of Posh's failure as a singer. Trouble was it was affecting his performances on the field.

Whilst that United side went on to win two more successive championships, all was not well at the club regarding Beckham's playing career. His performance levels dipped - albeit in line with the rest of the team, as the champions limped into third place in 2002. By the time the World Cup of 2002 came around, Beckham's flagging United career was compensated by his captaincy of the England team - foolishly given to him by fill-in England manager Peter Taylor. The next England manager, Sven Goran Eriksson, sensing the media wind, as he always did, carried on the foolishness. All of a sudden the England Captain's armband was, and is now, seen as a money making opportunity. No wonder the seeming bitterness from other players detected at the award of the captaincy to John Terry. But like the MLS/Galaxy situation, all of a sudden, England had their eye on the financial implications of Beckham's captaincy and place in the England team. A plainly unfit Beckham was taken to the 2002 World Cup less for his ability and suitability, but more for the fact that there were an enormous number of Japanese teeny boppers willing to buy Beckham 7 shirts. Even prior to that tournament, the Beckhams hosted a party at "Beckingham", where Posh announced to the press that her husband would be taking penalties if England were awarded any. Thankfully, the England team didn't pay a price for Posh's tactical expertise - though the one penalty awarded was very badly taken and was the fore-runner of a number of subsequent fatal spot kick misses by Beckham for England. The less said about World Cup 2006 and the role of WAGS, the better.

Unfortunately for Real Madrid fans, after losing his place in the United first team in 2003, Beckham got the call from the so called galacticos. They then had their least successfull four years since the Spanish civil war days. They did win the Primera in his last season - but it was a season in which he only made the starting line up a dozen or so times. Again, the feedback from Real Madrid management, was that they were very happy with the supposed financial benefits that Beckham brought. Again, we think these should be taken with a pinch of salt. There was even one claim that Beckham's transfer had brought in £250 million in extra revenue - astonishing, especially since this was considerably more that Real's entire annual revenue at that time!

So will this be the last of David Beckham that English football supporters will see of him? Or are there more twists in the story to achieve his personal goal. The trouble is the answer to this question is in posing another question: is there any milk left in the cash cow that is David Beckham?

Reclaim the Game - The Week's Events

• Most eyes turned to europe this week, as the next round of matches got under way and as the media pundits tried to bury english disappointments over the weekend. Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea all recorded fine wins - especially Arsenal in a 7 nil thrashing of Slavia Prague. Only some comedy defending by Liverpool spoiled the media's "we've got our pride back" english theme. However, disturbingly for those looking to the english pride bit, there were only 10 englishmen in the combined starting line ups of the Big Four. That's less than 23%.
  
• If ever there was a more clear cut example of what RTG is fighting against, check out the Global Sport Conference being attended by such luminaries as the Kenyons, Glazers and Hicks et al