R.I.P. FIFA

At long last someone has actually done something about the appalling corruption in FIFA, the ruling body for worldwide football.

That the 'someone' has been the authorities in the United States might seem a bit strange, but apparently it's all about bribes which involved amounts in US dollars, making the corruption actionable under US law. The arrests of 7 senior FIFA officials and indictment of 14 in total demonstrates just how widespread the corruption has been, certainly in recent years and probably for decades. Investigations into the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 world cup competitions are also continuing, suggesting the possibility that either or both of these tournaments may be moved from their current hosts, Qatar and Russia.

Somehow, Sepp Blatter, the long time President of FIFA, has avoided, so far at least, being either arrested or indicted. However, that he has been in charge of this rotten organisation for 17 years suggests that he either knew about the corrupt practices of his colleagues but did nothing, or that, if he didn't know, he is incompetent. Either way he must now resign rather than insist on carrying on in his attempt to win a fifth term as President in an election to be held on Friday 29th May. Numerous voices are being raised against him and sponsors are voicing their concerns, and FIFA, itself, is now tottering on the brink of the abyss.

The awarding of the 2018 world cup to Russia and the 2022 tournament to Qatar must be reviewed, though by whom is another matter, and it is time for UEFA to stop shilly-shallying. Whatever Blatter does, FIFA is, surely, now a dead duck. It is so discredited that its position at the head of world football must end.

GERMANY WIN; BRAZIL, SPAIN AND ENGLAND REGROUP.

The humiliation of Brazil at the FIFA World Cup in their own country was hardly unexpected after their first match or two. At no point did they appear to be the dominant force of previous years and their only outstanding player was the brilliant Neymar; too many of the rest were clearly make-weights, with the likes of Fred and Joe completely out of their depths.

Inevitably, the winners were a well organised team, not without some fine players but with none of the hype attaching to the few superstars on show. Ronaldo had departed at the group stage and, although Messi made it to the final, his few flashes of genius could not make up for the general paucity of greatness in his Argentinian side. In the end, Germany, with a well drilled squad and 2 or 3 high class players, won the day, and deservedly so. That said, the tournament was generally of a low standard and few will remember much about it in a year or two, except for the drubbings handed out to the hosts by Germany and Holland.

Where all this leaves Brazil, Spain and England is a good question. As the reigning champions, Spain came to the competition with high hopes that were smashed to pieces in their first match. Thereafter, they did nothing to repair a shattered reputation and now have to rebuild. Brazil, as hosts and the world's top footballing nation, expected to win but were, instead, humiliated. England, ............... what can one say ? Expectations were deliberately played down but, even so, their performances were pretty lamentable and their much vaunted stars were shown to be men of clay.

No doubt, after much huffing and puffing, there'll be plans put in place but nothing is likely to change. Teams such as the Manchesters, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and a few others will continue to ignore home-grown players in favour of foreign superstars and the national team will continue to have a dearth of real talent. Major club competitions and money will continue to dominate and England's quest for international glory will continue with little chance of success.

Plus ca change, plus c'est la meme chose !

NEMAR INJURY SHOWS FOOTBALL AT ITS WORST.

Some call football 'The Beautiful Game. After the appalling physical assaults carried out in yesterday's match between Brazil and Colombia, it's hard to see it as anything but organised warfare.

Throughout the match, I can't call it a game because there was little sport in it, both sides did their best to cripple their opposition. For the Brazilians, their principal target was the excellent new Colombian star, James Rodriguez, while the Colombians aimed their worst atrocities at Brazil's true superstar, Neymar. The referee and his assistants, by and large, stood by and let the increasingly vicious assaults go unchallenged barring the award of a few free kicks, the first yellow card only being shown well into the second half for a stupid but harmless lunge by the Brazilian captain, Thiago Silva. Meanwhile, the rest of the warriors kicked lumps out of each other, culminating in Colombian Zuniga leaping at Neymar from behind and quite deliberately sticking his knee into the base of the Brazilian's spine. While Neymar lay on the ground in genuine pain, the offender walked away scot free. Neymar received a broken vertebra and a long time on the sidelines - this is an injury which may well see him out of action for the rest of the year, or even longer.

If Zuniga's offence had been committed on a British street, he'd have been arrested, charged with assault and causing grievous bodily harm; quite probably, he'd have received a prison sentence. Similar action could easily have come the way of some of the Brazilians for their attacks on Rodriguez. However, the match officials did almost nothing and the response from the commentary team and 'experts' in the studio was muted to say the least. None of them saw anything other than normal footballing activity, which must say a lot for their warped view of normality.

If this is sport, I'm a Dutchman. FIFA are presiding over one of the poorest displays of sporting activity I've witnessed in a long time, while subjecting viewers to some shocking scenes of violence. One 5 year old I spoke to yesterday even believed that the purpose of football was to kick your opponents on their knees; now, where did he get that idea from ? Television programmes which include similar scenes of violence are prohibited from our screens until after 9pm; films carry warning notices and the impressionable young are refused entry to cinemas. Football, with all of its associated mayhem is immune to these strictures because of its position as our 'national sport'. Phooey. Played like this, it's no more a sport than was medieval jousting, in which the objective was to beat your opponent into submission by any means available.

Luis Suarez has quite rightly been banned for his animalistic behaviour and yet the thugs who took part in yesterday evening's match go free. Neymar is in hospital and who knows what injuries were suffered by the rest of the players. Suarez can rightly feel aggrieved that he's been singled out in an unfair way, notwithstanding that his actions were inexcusable; they were no more inexcusable than was the violence seen on a football field in Brazil last night.

FIFA has the power to review on-field incidents after matches and yet it rarely does. In Rugby Union, officials take such matters seriously and frequently review players' actions after games, often handing out significant bans for incidents which were missed by the match referee and his assistants. Why does not football do this ? So far, this World Cup has been more about warfare than about sport. There's been little great play and much overly-aggressive interaction between participants; there's been a lot of very poor refereeing and very little discipline has been imposed on matches. If FIFA doesn't do something soon, their 'Beautiful Game' will become no more than legalised thuggery and someone may well be really hurt or even killed.

SUAREZ SPONSORS GNASH THEIR TEETH.

So FIFA has deliberated and decided that Luis Suarez should be free to bite again from the end of October. Does this make sense ?

If he'd committed his offence on the street, a third offence, mind you, he'd be facing a probable prison sentence and psychiatric treatment. Instead, FIFA, in it's wisdom, thinks that a 4 month ban will suffice and will, presumably, bring this animal to heel. Of course, they've been constrained by the various factional interests that they serve, but it seems likely that a far more telling blow may be dealt by the sponsors and advertisers who are now considering whether Suarez is a suitable person with whom to be associated.

The evil of football is that major figures can, and do, get away with almost anything because of the money that is involved in their employment. It's only when the flow of money is threatened that anyone takes action. With luck, pressure from a few major sponsors may do what FIFA has signally failed to do - impose a real sanction on this man.

LUIS SUAREZ : A HUNGRY MAN ?

Has Suarez done it again ? That is the question now haunting football.

Way back in the mists of time, actually just over a year ago, Luis Suarez was seen to bite an opponent. After an inquiry, the FA decided on a 10 match ban for the Uruguayan, their decision no doubt influenced to some degree by the fact that he had been banned for 7 matches by the Dutch football authorities after a similar incident in November 2010. Now, he's being accused of biting an Italian player, Giorgio Chiellini, in yesterday's final game in World Cup group D and FIFA are investigating.

What the outcome of FIFA's enquiries will be is anyone's guess; they may try to brush it all under the carpet to avoid tarnishing the tournament too badly, or they may land on Suarez like the proverbial 'tonne of bricks' in order to demonstrate how tough they are. Whatever their approach, if Suarez is found to have bitten a third player surely his career should be brought to an end. One such incident may be considered the result of hot-headedness, a second put down to treatable mental instability, but 3 surely indicates a man completely devoid of normal human decency and morality.

If, and I emphasise *IF*, he's found guilty of a third offence, his continued presence in the Premier League with Liverpool, notwithstanding his brilliance as a player, must surely be an impossibility, while which other great clubs would wish to spend the suggested £70m on buying a player with such cannibalistic tendencies ?