Kind of like Gianni Infantino, if only for his cheesy jokes anytime I see him in the CL/Uc draws.........
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Kind of like Gianni Infantino, if only for his cheesy jokes anytime I see him in the CL/Uc draws.........
Meanwhile, Blatter has revealed he was "close to death" after collapsing earlier this month.
The 79-year-old, currently suspended from his post as FIFA president, fainted while visiting his parents' grave with family members.
Blatter spent time in hospital and has since been released, but said the health scare was very serious.
He told Swiss TV channel RTS: "The pressure on me was enormous. It came to the point where my body said: 'Stop! Enough is enough.
"I was close to death. I sat between angels singing and the fire of the devil."
Good on two counts. First, he wouldn't have had far to go to be buried and secondly, I bet he was feeling the heat more than the angels singing in his ears.
Ethics committee are pushing for lifetime bans for Platini.
I know one should not laugh at another's misfortune... but...
Surely Qatar has to be revisited. (I know it won't) but SURELY!
sure why not just let everyone qualify and be done with it...
http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/socc...2026-1.2452970
My love affair with soccer wanes evermore.Quote:
Originally Posted by jbyrne
Sure have 100 places. Who gives a crap anymore.
There's a lot of good teams that miss out on the World Cup each year.
Most of them are in UEFA though - so saying that UEFA gets too many places and the other continents need to be appeased is nonsense.
How will that even work? 10 groups of four presumably, winners and best six runners up go forward? Or winners plus 2 second placed team into last 16, and remaining 8 runners up play-off? Or eight groups of 5? Whatever it is it'll be a mess.
And UEFA has more teams at the WC because UEFA has more top-class nations than any other continent. Getting in an extra Caribbean whipping boy or Oceanic also-ran won't improve the competition.
Well this is it. If anything UEFA deserve further places. But alas.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
It'll be 8 of 5 realistically I would say unless they want to expand to an extra round. It'll go on as long as the RWC!Quote:
Originally Posted by NeverFeltBetter
8 of 5 is out unless you want to go back to 1982 and teams finishing their groups at different times and knowing what result they need.
UEFA ditched it for the UEFA Cup groups as well; was just silly.
Oh yeah, forgot about that issue.Quote:
Originally Posted by pineapple stu
Seems that Infantino proposed this earlier in November.
http://www.theguardian.com/football/...d-cup-40-teams
According to the BBC, what Platini's most indignant about is
"Whatever happens, my reputation has been sullied, I've been kicked in the teeth: I've been put in the same bag as Blatter."
Good article.
Echoes what I think. Unlike many (not least Ardee Bhoy!), I think he was a good administrator, keeping clubs in check to the degree possible while maintaining interest in and the status of international football. He made some pretty bold changes, not least FFP (even if it was too late). I don’t know that much about David Gill but I think he is probably to be respected and his views on Platini’s tenure are probably right.
But, there is no doubt he became too much of a privileged insider who crossed over to the dark side of FIFA self-enrichment. That can’t be allowed and the CAS ruling is probably right. If there is a criminal case, so be it too.
I saw a comment online during the week saying that generally his tenure was successful but at the same time lacked the class and dignity of his predecessor, Lennart Johannson.
I've just finished reading a book called "FOUL! The secret world of FIFA" by a chap called Jennings. There was a whiff of tabloidism from it, but plenty of good digging around, and mother-of-god you'd despair for football by the end of it.
But the interesting thing about it, is that very few, if any, of those involved with running the sport at a high level come out of it with any credibility. And quite a few were candidates at the last election.
This Jennings chap?Quote:
Originally Posted by Kingdom
http://worldsoccertalk.com/wp-conten...ocumentary.jpg
You will enjoy the Panorama documentary where honest purposeful man meets fulfillment, justice and vindication.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-509FNrACiQ