Sepp Twatter
My hope for this blog is that I find things to write which are slightly against the accepted thinking of things, that pick up on lazy journalism, that use factual analysis to expose sporting myths. However, at the moment I find myself generally in keeping with the mood of the nation and the press in my response to the merry goings on in Zurich in the last week and round the world over the last two years. For the first time in my life I have felt strong stirrings of English patriotism (which would no doubt appal both my parents and my past self), so disgusted am I by the global football family led by The Dark Lord Sepp. In all seriousness (well, semi-seriousness) I today suggested that it was time for the real FA to seize back control of the game from the johnny-foreigner-come-lately upstarts who are desecrating what this great nation created ... God help me.
At this stage, I'm all for the wounded pride, the indignation and shock, the sense of being cheated, the sense of fuck you, we're better than you, how dare you treat us like this. The only response to this outrage is to be, for once, a little Englander (or indeed a small-minded American or true-blue Aussie, who have been almost as shabbily treated in this sick charade).
There are, at least, a few things that have been said/written I take issue with 1. I don't believe the bid team emerge with discredit for trying to pursue the bid as best as they could, even if it looks undignified in retrospect. I think, if you're in it, you do have to do everything fairly in your power to win 2. I don't even blame them for disassociating themselves from the BBC Panorama programme (as opposed to the idea of a free press, which they never did, of course), as it's timing was malignant and it's content dull and out-of-date. What were the BBC doing? Really ... 3. Likewise, it's wrong to attribute any blame to Lord Triesman - his sting was another pathetic press enterprise which scuppered a man who really did nothing wrong, who was clearly right in his allegations of corruption (but were delivered in such a context that they were easy for FIFA to dismiss, while alerting them in advance to the intentions of the British media) 4. England are not humiliated now, the FIFA snakes fucked up. Humiliation would have been a dull, middle-ranking, 5 or 6 votes, o yeah, you were ok but not up to scratch defeat. They've fucked up. The foul play is obvious and unquestionable. They're going down. 5. I've seen more than one journalist use the phrase "the prince, the politician and the prima donna" to describe William, Cameron and Beckham. Any excuse to take a sly dig at Beckham. Pathetic.
But, you know, that's it. Apart from that, I think there's been some really strong press coverage which does give you pride in the way things go on here, I think England would have done a great World Cup, I think it's time to let loose the full dogs of war on Sepp and Jack Warner. They can't have covered themselves that carefully, can they? There's got to be accounts leading to accounts, time for them to pay.
At this stage, I'm all for the wounded pride, the indignation and shock, the sense of being cheated, the sense of fuck you, we're better than you, how dare you treat us like this. The only response to this outrage is to be, for once, a little Englander (or indeed a small-minded American or true-blue Aussie, who have been almost as shabbily treated in this sick charade).
There are, at least, a few things that have been said/written I take issue with 1. I don't believe the bid team emerge with discredit for trying to pursue the bid as best as they could, even if it looks undignified in retrospect. I think, if you're in it, you do have to do everything fairly in your power to win 2. I don't even blame them for disassociating themselves from the BBC Panorama programme (as opposed to the idea of a free press, which they never did, of course), as it's timing was malignant and it's content dull and out-of-date. What were the BBC doing? Really ... 3. Likewise, it's wrong to attribute any blame to Lord Triesman - his sting was another pathetic press enterprise which scuppered a man who really did nothing wrong, who was clearly right in his allegations of corruption (but were delivered in such a context that they were easy for FIFA to dismiss, while alerting them in advance to the intentions of the British media) 4. England are not humiliated now, the FIFA snakes fucked up. Humiliation would have been a dull, middle-ranking, 5 or 6 votes, o yeah, you were ok but not up to scratch defeat. They've fucked up. The foul play is obvious and unquestionable. They're going down. 5. I've seen more than one journalist use the phrase "the prince, the politician and the prima donna" to describe William, Cameron and Beckham. Any excuse to take a sly dig at Beckham. Pathetic.
But, you know, that's it. Apart from that, I think there's been some really strong press coverage which does give you pride in the way things go on here, I think England would have done a great World Cup, I think it's time to let loose the full dogs of war on Sepp and Jack Warner. They can't have covered themselves that carefully, can they? There's got to be accounts leading to accounts, time for them to pay.
Comments
Post a Comment