Leaving a legacy is a desire for all of us. We all want to make our mark in the world, just to have something to show we were here and we made a difference.
Sepp Blatter is no different in this regard. Though ostensibly the one real difference he should make is video replays and leave football to those that love it. It should be no surprise that the self-serving git would cajole and press the Fifa Exec committee into choosing Russia. I would suggest Panorama check out his own Federation, those of his committee members and look into all the mystery donations their football associations might get to fund new pitches and academies.
Lets not be naive, we all know football has evolved from a sport and into a business. If you look at the World Cup without our rose-tinted glasses its a massive multi-billion dollar event, where subsidies, kick-backs and sponsorships are ten-a-penny and where wheels are often greased to facilitate these things.
I'm not happy with the timing of the Panorama program, but I don't really think it made a difference. On paper England ticked all the boxes for the World Cup but Fifa ignored it because they wanted to make a difference, create a legacy. The Russians had it right, there might be Russian Billionaires all over the place tickling each others armpits and owning football teams, but they've sensibly not invested in their football grounds because they knew Fifa would plump for them and give them money to do it. After all, the Russian game needs development - though perhaps they should stop buying Brazilians and start nurturing home talent first?
This all sounds awfully bitter, but in truth I never expected us to get the World Cup, so disappointment isn't so tangible as much as its a welcome cushion that I can sink into and ignore the press furore about it all.
WG
No comments:
Post a Comment