World football’s governing body does not seem to have got any cleaner, it’s just that everything else has got significantly dirtierI’m so glad that sporticidal Fifa president Gianni Infantino got to enjoy his second-term victory speech two weeks ago entirely free of spoilers. “Nobody talks about crisis at Fifa any more or rebuilding it from scratch,” he announced from the stage. “Nobody talks about scandals or corruption – we talk about football. We can say that we’ve turned the situation around. This organisation has gone from being toxic, almost criminal, to being what it should be – an organisation that develops football and is now synonymous with transparency, integrity.”Mmm. Following the detention of former Uefa boss Michel Platini on Tuesday,...
From Mr Inferior Product to Mr I Prefer Parks, the tournament has caused a cosmic imbalance that we must redressOnce again I am hugely grateful to the community that will not allow us to forget the great under-reported story of this Women’s World Cup: men. Most specifically, the men who are not watching it. We hear so much about the tournament itself. Too much, it is argued – and at the expense of one of the four great civil rights questions of our era: 1) When are we getting a White History Month? 2) When is International Men’s Day? 3) Isn’t it time we had Straight Pride? and 4) Can you imagine how sexist people would say it was if...
Organiser’s reaction when it emerged some tickets booked together are not next to one another left a lot to be desiredFollowing the still simmering fury over Uefa’s choice of Baku for the Europa League final and its corporate-heavy ticket policy for both its showpiece men’s competitions, Fifa has given us an outstanding proverbial ‘hold my beer’ moment.Just 18 days before hosts France open the Women’s World Cup against South Korea at Parc des Princes a number of fans have found that tickets purchased at the same time are not next to one another. Families and friends heading to the tournament face being split up. Related: Women’s World Cup: tickets bought together may not be next to each other Continue reading...
Fifa got the Luka Modric decision right at the Best awards but naming Marta as the women’s best sends the wrong signalsFifa’s annual Best awards were held in London on Monday and it is fair to say they have created much debate. I can see why and no more so, in my opinion, than in regards to the women’s prize. Marta is one of my favourite players, and one of the best players I’ve had the privilege of coming up against, so I say this with the greatest respect: there are other players who were in a much stronger position to be named the best female player of 2018. Related: Luka Modric and Marta win Fifa player of the year...
The Wait List – and the frantic ticket-seeking scrum surrounding it – is a window into the Fifa machine and its ability to wring every last drop from a global passionAnd what did you see my blue eyed son? And what did you see my darling young ones? I saw a Peruvian TV anchor with a sweat-soaked pastel blazer. I saw a Thai radio crew in a state of mild hysteria. I saw the man from the Deccan Herald being elbowed by Spaniards. I saw 200 tired, flustered people with digestive problems carrying Sochi 2016 rucksacks and pleading in 17 languages for an overflow desk.It is generally assumed Bob Dylan’s haunting, visceral lyrics to the song A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna...