Football has very much been in the front and back pages in the last week. Barcelona produced a masterful performance and defeated Manchester United at Wembley Stadium 3-1 last Saturday, Swansea City defeating Reading two days later to become the first Welsh team to feature in the Premiership. But one headline, one organisation has overshadowed these headlines.
Sepp Blatter has been re-elected as Fifa President, therefore will be leading the world's football governing body for another four years. The Swiss born business graduate has been President since June 1998 just days before the World Cup 1998 started.
Since then, under Blatter's leadership have seen three extraordinary World Cups offering the globe exceptional football, culture and deserved winners. These World Cups were watched by over a billion across the world as the countries who hosted the competition amazed us all, and I'm sure Brazil in 2014 will show the world some more of the same quality of football.
He has also had his say on policy making. He introduced the "silver goal" rule to replace the golden goal in play-off matches such as the 3rd place matches at the World Cup tournaments, meaning that the team who scores in the first half of extra time and keeps hold of their lead, would win the match. This rule didn't prove popular and this policy was abolished. Teams will play the whole 30 minutes of extra football if tied in any knockout round.
Since 2002 World Cup, no winners of the competition can automatically qualify to the next competition making it even harder for teams such as Italy (winners of 2006) and Spain (winners of 2010). Yellow cards will be given to players who take their shirts off thanks to Blatter as well as matches forbidden to be played 2,500 metres above sea level.
Despite these decisions, he has emphasised he will not be implementing goal line technology which the press and football fans have really given him stick for, despite Fifa trying to test technology on several occasions. Uefa have extra referees as an alternative to technology but Blatter still keeps to his word. There was an official vote during an Annual General Meeting in March 2011
, nothing has happened since so we all know what the outcome of this was.
According to the BBC, between 2007 and 2010 Fifa have gained revenue of over £4billion [see left] so finance cannot be the reason for no goal line technology.
English FA have asked for it, especially since Lampard's goal-which-should-have-been against Germany in 2010 World Cup. It was an obvious goal, everyone has seen it time again and the referee should have given it but that didn't need goal line technology. It could be useful but could it discredit the role of the referee? That is all I'm going to say on that matter before I go off in a tangent.
These decision making by Mr. Blatter has created widespread debate, some show approval, some show criticism to his policy making. Nonetheless, football still is a sport forced to be reckoned with, and to some, a number one hobby.
Despite the ever-growing popularity, and the profits the sport has gained over the years, Sepp Blatter has caused controversy. With bribery claims and the corruption allegations appearing to spread like a disease, the President seems calm despite the current situations.
Mohamed Bin Hammam was supposed to be Blatter's only threat to become the President as he decided to run against him, only to have resign as a candidate due to the on-going corruption scandal. Blatter therefore, was unopposed and associations worldwide only had him to choose. It was said that 17 votes were not counted but that would not have made a difference to the outcome. Blatter would still be President.
This election in particular has been a controversial one, let alone the other one's he has faced. He has always been accused of bribery and corruption but he has never been convicted. He's never been convicted of such thing. If he was, surely he would get in deeper trouble as he appears to be today? He may have the power of the governing body, but he can still get caught - like Bill Clinton when he had the affair with Monica Lewinsky.
As far as I'm concerned, he's clean. Yes, his employees (if we can call them that) have been accused of bribery during the 2018/2022 World Cup vote and among other incidents. Jack Warner who was one at the centre of corruption, has been suspended by the ethics committee and no doubt, there will be more people being punished in the near future.
But in my opinion, Blatter has done a decent job. We're all of a sudden hating him when at first we thought he was alright. He will always have people who are against him. Everyone has people against them!
But he's an excellent public speaker. Listening to his speech saying football is "not in a crisis" is pure genius. He knows what he's doing and wants to stay involved at Fifa which does indicate his passion for the sport.
Sepp Blatter though, has a lot of work to do in the next four years. He needs to get his career back on track, his reputation back on track and needs people to keep their faith in football and get people appreciating Fifa again. Regardless of the situation, I will back Fifa, I will back football as they are my passion.
Besides, if people disliked him, why didn't anyone else want to run against him for President? I thought David Bernstein, FA Chairman would have been a candidate if he really thought Blatter was the wrong man for the job. There are so many other questions and plenty more revelations will be revealed in weeks, and years to come.
Sepp Blatter has been re-elected as Fifa President, therefore will be leading the world's football governing body for another four years. The Swiss born business graduate has been President since June 1998 just days before the World Cup 1998 started.
Since then, under Blatter's leadership have seen three extraordinary World Cups offering the globe exceptional football, culture and deserved winners. These World Cups were watched by over a billion across the world as the countries who hosted the competition amazed us all, and I'm sure Brazil in 2014 will show the world some more of the same quality of football.
He has also had his say on policy making. He introduced the "silver goal" rule to replace the golden goal in play-off matches such as the 3rd place matches at the World Cup tournaments, meaning that the team who scores in the first half of extra time and keeps hold of their lead, would win the match. This rule didn't prove popular and this policy was abolished. Teams will play the whole 30 minutes of extra football if tied in any knockout round.
Since 2002 World Cup, no winners of the competition can automatically qualify to the next competition making it even harder for teams such as Italy (winners of 2006) and Spain (winners of 2010). Yellow cards will be given to players who take their shirts off thanks to Blatter as well as matches forbidden to be played 2,500 metres above sea level.
Despite these decisions, he has emphasised he will not be implementing goal line technology which the press and football fans have really given him stick for, despite Fifa trying to test technology on several occasions. Uefa have extra referees as an alternative to technology but Blatter still keeps to his word. There was an official vote during an Annual General Meeting in March 2011
, nothing has happened since so we all know what the outcome of this was.According to the BBC, between 2007 and 2010 Fifa have gained revenue of over £4billion [see left] so finance cannot be the reason for no goal line technology.
English FA have asked for it, especially since Lampard's goal-which-should-have-been against Germany in 2010 World Cup. It was an obvious goal, everyone has seen it time again and the referee should have given it but that didn't need goal line technology. It could be useful but could it discredit the role of the referee? That is all I'm going to say on that matter before I go off in a tangent.
These decision making by Mr. Blatter has created widespread debate, some show approval, some show criticism to his policy making. Nonetheless, football still is a sport forced to be reckoned with, and to some, a number one hobby.
Despite the ever-growing popularity, and the profits the sport has gained over the years, Sepp Blatter has caused controversy. With bribery claims and the corruption allegations appearing to spread like a disease, the President seems calm despite the current situations.
Mohamed Bin Hammam was supposed to be Blatter's only threat to become the President as he decided to run against him, only to have resign as a candidate due to the on-going corruption scandal. Blatter therefore, was unopposed and associations worldwide only had him to choose. It was said that 17 votes were not counted but that would not have made a difference to the outcome. Blatter would still be President.
This election in particular has been a controversial one, let alone the other one's he has faced. He has always been accused of bribery and corruption but he has never been convicted. He's never been convicted of such thing. If he was, surely he would get in deeper trouble as he appears to be today? He may have the power of the governing body, but he can still get caught - like Bill Clinton when he had the affair with Monica Lewinsky.
As far as I'm concerned, he's clean. Yes, his employees (if we can call them that) have been accused of bribery during the 2018/2022 World Cup vote and among other incidents. Jack Warner who was one at the centre of corruption, has been suspended by the ethics committee and no doubt, there will be more people being punished in the near future.
But in my opinion, Blatter has done a decent job. We're all of a sudden hating him when at first we thought he was alright. He will always have people who are against him. Everyone has people against them!
But he's an excellent public speaker. Listening to his speech saying football is "not in a crisis" is pure genius. He knows what he's doing and wants to stay involved at Fifa which does indicate his passion for the sport.
Sepp Blatter though, has a lot of work to do in the next four years. He needs to get his career back on track, his reputation back on track and needs people to keep their faith in football and get people appreciating Fifa again. Regardless of the situation, I will back Fifa, I will back football as they are my passion.
Besides, if people disliked him, why didn't anyone else want to run against him for President? I thought David Bernstein, FA Chairman would have been a candidate if he really thought Blatter was the wrong man for the job. There are so many other questions and plenty more revelations will be revealed in weeks, and years to come.
Hitler was an 'excellent public speaker'. You seem extremely naive. 'If people disliked him, why didn't anyone else want to run against him for President?'. Er...Bin Hammam did! And of course, the bribery scandal hit the headlines just days before the election. I wonder who was behind that?
ReplyDelete'He wants to stay involved at Fifa which does indicate his passion for the sport' Does it bollocks. It shows that he is more interested in the power and wealth that comes with it, rather than fixing the turmoil that it's in.
'under Blatter's leadership have seen three extraordinary World Cups offering the globe exceptional football, culture and deserved winners. These World Cups were watched by over a billion across the world as the countries who hosted the competition amazed us all' What exactly does this have to do with Sepp Blatter being in charge..? You could have been in charge of Fifa and millions of people would have tuned in to the World Cup.
'Yellow cards will be given to players who take their shirts off thanks to Blatter' Ridiculous rule. Only pleasing to homophobic, armchair supporters.
'As far as I'm concerned, he's clean. Yes, his employees (if we can call them that) have been accused of bribery during the 2018/2022 World Cup vote and among other incidents'. They're HIS employees. You're pretty naive in thinking that he has absolutely nothing to do with it whatsoever.
Sorry to piss on your parade, but this was painful reading.
You are not ruining my parade at all, I know people tend to disagree with my statement as indeed, Sepp Blatter is an unpopular man but just because we can say that Fifa is corrupt, does not mean he has done a bad job.
ReplyDeleteAll these criticisms he is getting every day on Twitter, from the press is only going to make him stronger and he knows it's all coming from the British, and although he said he won't take revenge on the FA, we know he will!