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Sorry mateQuote:
Originally Posted by geysir
But there is nothing emotional about it at all
IMO its nothing more than a back hander from FIFA
Morals do come into it - but thats just my opinion - each to their own i guess
I had some laugh at JD announcing publicly that he used expletives towards sepp in the office - slightly ironic that he only announces this 5 years after the event and 2 days after sepp resigns
The whole thing stinks! If Delaney was that adamant that we should get a replay or become the 33rd team at the World Cup he should had stuck to his guns! FIFA more or less gave the FAI hush money to shut us up and to keep us sweet. Anyway you look at it, it's wrong and immoral. It was more or less a bribe. FIFA didn't have to give us a cent. Ok, it was a clear handball but this happens in football. How much did England get for Lampard's disallowed goal against Germany?
Crooks accepting bribes ! Crooks giving bribes ! Quelle surprise !
Delaney is going to have some explaining to do. Was this money on the company accounts ! ? ! ?
This is nonsense. We were due nothing from FIFA - bad refereeing decisions happen; they're unfortunate; you have to get over it.Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
Remember we weren't even qualifying for the World Cup - the game was going to penalties as it stood. Before and after Gallas' goal, we still needed to score one more to qualify over 120 minutes.
So to get E5m where Delaney should have been told to shut his whinging trap is amazing.
Makes me wonder what other elements to the deal there were. And what financial state the FAI would be in now without it.
Aparently that wasn't the basis for the legal case, but a case against Blatter's unprofessional handling of the situation i.e. taking the p!ss out of us.Quote:
Originally Posted by GypsyBlackCat
It says it was in the FAI statement, that it went towards the Aviva Stadium and was audited independently. Obviously they should have to produce the statements to prove this.Quote:
Originally Posted by seanfhear
Interesting article about the blood money. While a little on the emotional side, I think it reflects many supporters point of view.
http://www.independent.ie/opinion/co...-31279637.html
Personally I think it was a great coup. Who here was suggesting that the FAI should sue FIFA ? No one because we didn't have a case. However, the FAI to their credit put pressure on FIFA and were obviously going to cause them great embarrassment and managed to get $5 million out of them as a loan to assist the perilous financial position in which the Association found itself. To call it "blood money" is a joke. As one who was in Paris it eases the pain ever so slightly that at least football here got $5 million and FIFA's failure to move with the times and use technology cost them dearly.Quote:
Originally Posted by gastric
As ever with many people as regards the FAI: "damned if you do, damned if you don't". As in many legal settlements, there is a confidentially clause and FIFA obviously didn't want the whole world to know that they had come to a settlement with the FAI as that would have opened a can of worms. It is my understanding that the loan appeared in the FAI accounts unlike the backhanders the corrupt officials were receiving.
Well done to Delaney as far as I can see.
So the FAI got €5m because Blatter hurt their feelings? Delaney and the FAI deserved to have the p!ss taken out of them for the whole crying over the handball. It was bad enough that we asked for a replay and then asked to be the 33rd team. FIFA didn't owe us a penny. They should have told us to shut up and move on and if the FAI felt that FIFA were taken the p!ss they shouldn't have taken the money.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
100% spot onQuote:
Originally Posted by OwlsFan
I think he's being a bit over the top about Henry. I never particularly liked Henry but I can honestly say that the incident didn't make me like him any less, as sickened as I was with the situation overall. I did think he looked liked a clown sitting on the pitch next to Dunne though, trying to save his inevitably damaged reputation a little. The handballs, both of them, were fairly instinctive, it wasn't as if he blatantly dived to win a penalty, which would have been far more common but also far more repulsive. He could have come clean there and then, of course, but it really is a tiny minority that would do that, especially in a situation of that importance. Jesus, the stuff about Dunne and co having to play in a stadium part funded by their heartache is cringing, they were going to have the heartache either way.Quote:
Originally Posted by gastric
The FAI were probably damned if they did, damned if they didn't. I'd like to know what the reaction would be if it was established now that they refused a €5m offer from FIFA. I'm sure many would see it as remiss if they didn't accept the funds for an organisation desperately in need of them. The moral side of it is debatable I think, it could be simply looked at as compensation for getting screwed out of the chance the qualify for the WC. Two wrongs making a right kind of thing, financially at least. I'm not sure there's a whole lot wrong with lashing the lot straight into the biggest project they had going on at the time either, assuming that is the case, even if it would have received more good will by dividing it amongst the clubs or something along those lines. The nature of the funding would have made this difficult anyway. Overall I think the shame is with FIFA for this one, not the FAI.
Edit- only saw OF's post afterwards, no deliberate plagiarism!
I actually don't think they were damned if they didn't.Quote:
Originally Posted by DeLorean
Game over, handball missed, football world has sympathy for a while....then you just get over it. That's what happens with every crucial bade decision that costs teams.
Then the FAI propose the 33rd team idea, which was laughable, but FIFA's mistake was to publicly laugh at it. Blatter's apology shows he knew it was wrong. And, to the best of everybody's knowledge, it came to an end there. Time to get on with things. I don't think the FAI would have been damned for doing no more at that point.
Except somehow, FIFA decided (for reasons I really can't imagine*) to give the FAI 5 million to go away and be quiet.....FAI and Delaney would be crazy not to take it. Henry Winter in that Indo article says their acceptance of 5 million to be quiet was worse than Henry's 'pollution of the game...contempt and fury' - but I am not sure what it is they could actually make legitimate noise about.
*And I really can't imagine the reasons. What could the legal case have been? I can't think of anything that would have had any merit. Was it bad publicity? I'd say that most neutrals had run out of sympathy for the FAI at that stage - calls for a rematch are grand (but that wasn't going to happen), but the 33rd team idea probably made a lot of people think it was time for the FAI to get over it.
I'm shocked that FIFA offered any money at all, really.
I can't believe nobody has blamed Roy Keane yet for this episode. If we get two bad results we'll be blaming this as a distraction for the players next.....
If FIFA handed out 5m willy nilly for this what else did they give out over the years?
It's shut up money. If the FAI had their house in order they wouldn't need to take 5m to help build a stadium.
Its not about money. This is about sporting integrity. He quickly changed his tune.
To be fair, they apparently had their funding in order for the stadium until the bust came just as they were trying to flog off the corporate boxes etc in the new stadium. They were far from the only ones to be caught with their pants down.Quote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker1982
Yeah, that's what I can't get my head around either.Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
If it came out that Delaney was offered E5m and refused it, he'd be vilified too.
Can't really blame him for taking money that was offered to him/the FAI. Just wonder did he have other dirt on Blatter?
If Delanay had said no and then told the world FIFA tried to buy em off he'd have gone up in my estimation.
What's even more pathetic is him making out he was the big man storming into Blatter's office and expletives were used. ******.
Once you take the money you've got no leg to stand on. FIFA will expect your support.
Those kind of things can be hard to prove though. You're leaving yourself open to a libel case.
Yeah, the rest of his comments are nonsense obviously.
This is just Delaney acting the big man, kicking Blatter when he's down.
'buy em off'...but what exactly is it that FIFA were buying? I mean what would Delaney have told the world? 'FIFA offered us 5 million to stop mentioning the play-off, but we refuse to stop?'Quote:
Originally Posted by shakermaker1982
It goes to show the kind of money that was sloshing around Fifa when they can drop 5 million euro to the FAI at the drop of a hat.
It is real Mafia stuff.
"The Irish were disrespected "….."Drop them 5 million to respect their disrespect"
As the "Corleonis" would say…"Its business"…..Maybe Don Delaney is lucky that he is not sleeping with the Fishes.
There would have been minutes of the meeting I'm presuming and a proper agreement in place just before this crazy deal was signed. This would have caused a massive **** storm at the time if it was leaked. You don't wire 5m across and no questions are asked from a governance perspective.
If a contractor/organisation starts offering me cash and I did have the morals of a politician/Mafia crime boss I'm presuming there would be a tacit admission that I wouldn't rock the boat here on in. You've gotta tow the party line - there won't be anything written down on paper (I'm guessing -though Delaney and FIFA are so fking stupid it wouldn't surprise me) but you don't take £5m and then act the spoilt and jilted lover.
We probably only know 1% of what has gone on (worldwide). I imagine this is is the tip of the iceberg.....
Votes? It's the FIFA way. FAI were outraged by the handball and no doubt would have voted against Blatter and his crew in the next elections. It's real mafia stuff. Keep the little guy happy. Just look how they manage to keep the African and Asian nations happy.Quote:
Originally Posted by osarusan
It's like something in a mobster movie. The little guy is acting up, so pay the little guy some money to keep quiet. Let's show we're nice guys. Basically, FIFA 'Delaneyed' the FAI.