Blatter under investigation

[Mr Angry]

I fully accept that Football is THE World sport, and it is right and proper that the word is spread across the Globe.

However, it is also true that the most valuable aspect of the football "product" is in Europe; all the money coming into FIFA's coffers do so because of Europe. Not just the Premier League, but Spain, Germany, Italy, even Auld Firm games. It is THIS that the masses want to watch across the World; frankly, apart from fans of the clubs involved, who else would give a toss about a club match where a team from China are playing a team from Saudi Arabia? Yet how many people across the World watched the Champions League Final??

Therefore what would be totally plausible is if the major European FA's basically stuck 2 fingers up at FIFA, and if neccesary, UEFA, and formed a breakaway European Football Union. This would have the effect of starving FIFA of vast amounts of capital as sponsors review their positions, and TV companies decide that actually, a World Cup without the major European contries wasn't worth jack.

In turn, that wake up call may persuade FIFA to chuck out all the old corrupt duffers who have their noses in the trough and properly reform the organisation.

Radical, but the only way things will change.

[ZacNaloen]

Have to completely agree with this Mr Angry.


Without Europe FIFA is nothing.

[Uke]

Except none of the Europeans back the FA did they?

We are perceived as "arrogant" by the other countries, whether this is true is debatable. But we have to deal with that somehow, or learn to work around it

[ZacNaloen]

No one likes us, we don't care?

[Uke]

No one likes us, we don't care?

Could be perceived as arrogant?

[ZacNaloen]

Please please please let me get what I want?

[Tails]

Does anyone have a break down of the recent vote?

[ZacNaloen]

Blatter won by a landslide

[Tails]

Thanks for that Zac, do we know who were the dissenters along with the FA and SFA?

[Tails]

Meanwhile, it has emerged that at least one of the countries who voted in favour of the FA's proposal to postpone the election did so by mistake.

Vietnam voted 'yes' to postpone the election believing they were actually voting to proceed with the election and Blatter as the only candidate.

Evidence that the fringes of football need a little more vetting before being given such power.

[Royal Lady]

The vote against the FAs request to delay the vote for president was something like 117 against and 20 something for. Then the Italians had a dig at us apparently.

I think we should make a stand and pull out of the next two world cups - of course, we won't do it, but if we did - it would send a clear message and seeing as it's mostly PL football which is watched around the world by the most people, it might teach Blatter a lesson. Or something. It really makes me cross that they can be so bloody underhand and LOL @ blatter saying the vote for the next World cup venue would be "transparent" - it's bloody years away for a start.

[Svlad Cjelli]

But it's the PL that makes most of the other countries hate us. The sheer sums of money involved, together with the way that clubs run up massive debt despite having all the money, and the way that local national leagues in lots of countries don't stand a chance against the PL's marketing hype.

[Tails]

I was just curious as to who joined us in voicing concern over this 'election'.

I think we should avoid cutting our nose off through refusal to participate. It would make the further vilification of the FA even easier. I would like to see in-house reform as a consequence of this episode.

To make England successful on the pitch would be the best way to stick two fingers up to the rest of the footballing community who love to see us fail.

[Uke]

To make England successful on the pitch would be the best way to stick two fingers up to the rest of the footballing community who love to see us fail.

Your cunning plan may have a slight problem...

(ironically due to the success of the PL!)

[ZacNaloen]

Apparently our under 17's are proppa skillz though

[Svlad Cjelli]

To make England successful on the pitch would be the best way to stick two fingers up to the rest of the footballing community who love to see us fail.

Your cunning plan may have a slight problem...

(ironically due to the success of the PL!)

That's the rub. You can have the PL or you can have a successful England team - but they way things are structured and regulated at present you won't get both.

[ZacNaloen]

Is that really true though?

We weren't exactly doing any better before the premier league.

[Svlad Cjelli]

We got to the semi-final of the last WC before the PL was founded.

And the number of English-qualified players in the top league has never, ever been lower - and falling all the time. Plus the rads and prestige of the PL are more important to players than internationals now - it used to be the other way round.

And let's not even discuss the number of matches played each season - never forget that one of the argument *for" the PL was to reduce this by having an 18-team league!

[ZacNaloen]

Our recent performances at the world cup are pretty much as good as we've ever done with an obvious exception. The fact is our players haven't been good enough. And that is the reason there arent more in the premier league now scouting networks can afford to go global.

[Ian Royal]

Our recent performances at the world cup are pretty much as good as we've ever done with an obvious exception. The fact is our players haven't been good enough. And that is the reason there arent more in the premier league now scouting networks can afford to go global.

Don't think that's the case. It's far easier to buy in talent from elsewhere, than to establish and develop our own. Young players take a while to really come good and they don't get the chance here often. Combined with the fact that our youth system is too heavily emphasised on pace and physique over genuine footballing skill and thought means we don't develop the quality of youngsters with potential into actual stars.