Blatter breaks his silence

I was just flicking though Sky Sports' text service and saw the headline "FIFA chief breaks his silence".

The story went like this: Blatter rang Thierry Henry to offer his support. He said it was all the ref's fault. He said he cheated himself in a junior match and didn't own up to the ref so why should Henry?


I couldn't believe what I was reading.

FAI should call on Blatter publicly to explain his remarks and to ask where FIFA's "Fair Play" principles are adhered to in this case. It's an insult to our players, fans and the FAI. Did Blatter think of offering his support for the devastated Shay Given or Richard Dunne? Like **** he did.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/s...ow/5281683.cms

In fact also criticises ref for 'not taking his time'........

Links to the story here (sorry Junior, was also searching for the link while you were posting it up)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...-incident.html

OK, so Henry was trying to call him. "Sepp, Sepp, I'm really sad. I cheated in a high profile game and now there's been a big reaction."

So it seems like the moral of the story is that the closer you are to the head of FIFA the less likely it is you'll be criticised or sanctioned for cheating. Not once does Blatter suggest that Henry should expect to be accountable for his actions even if he does have sympathy for the extent of the backlash. He seems to suggest that cheating is OK as long as you admit it afterwards.

I really hope Delaney tries to make capital out of this. There's no love lost - Delaney / FAI supported another candidate in the last FIFA "election" - so we've nothing to lose.

Time to face it lads and lasses: we're from the wrong country and that's pretty much the rub of it.

Can you imagine any Irish player trying to 'call' Blatter?

Its laughable, Ireland and France are miles and miles apart in the eyes of FIFA.

Email address for the head of PR for the office of the President of FIFA:

daniela.leeb@fifa.org

Anybody who feels like telling me to get over it, or that we should just accept the way we are treated can feck off. I don't think we should let FIFA, FFF, Henry off the hook just because we're a little country and sport is full of cheating. Our players fought their hearts out, we should stand up for them and fairness in sport.

Look I am over the Irish/French match:cool:

But is Blatter saying that cheating is okay so long as you get away with it.

Now that might be an unofficial rule in a lot of sports but you do not expect the top person in any sport to come out and declare this publically.:eek:

My disgust at Blatter's remarks is not the reaction of sore football fan who can't see the woods for the trees.

Any right minded person in any sport should be appalled at Blatter's comments.

Could you imagine if the head of the IRB came out and said he supported Shalk Burger because Burger was upset at being cited for gouging and being villified around the rugby world? No, you couldn't.

The head of the IRB would keep his head down and do his damn job and not let personal preference or financial benefit get in the way of the correct decision and reaction.

As Junior very correctly pointed out - can you imagine any Irish player calling Blatter?

A concerted PR attempt by Blatter's enemies (I'm sure he has many) could easily make big capital out of this. Seanfhear is bang on: Blatter is endorsing cheating as long as you're not caught.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

OK, so Henry was trying to call him. "Sepp, Sepp, I'm really sad. I cheated in a high profile game and now there's been a big reaction."

So it seems like the moral of the story is that the closer you are to the head of FIFA the less likely it is you'll be criticised or sanctioned for cheating. Not once does Blatter suggest that Henry should expect to be accountable for his actions even if he does have sympathy for the extent of the backlash. He seems to suggest that cheating is OK as long as you admit it afterwards.

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As mim says we shouldn't let the **** off the hook. And well done to all for highlighting.

It makes a mockery of FIFA's 'Fair Play' Code, or efforts to address, the lack of...

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Originally Posted by musicinmouth

Email address for the head of PR for the office of the President of FIFA:

daniela.leeb@fifa.org

Anybody who feels like telling me to get over it, or that we should just accept the way we are treated can feck off. I don't think we should let FIFA, FFF, Henry off the hook just because we're a little country and sport is full of cheating. Our players fought their hearts out, we should stand up for them and fairness in sport.

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Cheers I had intended writing a letter to FIFA re the seeding of the playoffs and the whole Henry debacle, good to have a name to put to it.

Note to Sepp:

Pulling a shirt is an advantage, handling a ball is breaking the rules.

Deliberate handball in open play in this sport is illegal, always was, and always will be. Whether you get caught or not, it's still illegal.

I think we should refuse to fly the so-called ''Fair Play'' flag at all home matches from now on because it seems that fair play has gone out the window :(

Incredible comments from Blatter. The head of one of the biggest sporting orgainisations in the world condoning cheating and cheats. I bet there are lawyers all over the place looking into what he is quoted as saying. And then he sneakily tries to lay all of the blame on the ref. What a knut.

Even as someone firmly in the 'get over it' camp, I have to agree that Blatter is once again living up to his reputation as an idiot. I might even send an email myself.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programme...ma/5076282.stm

Full transcript of a BBC panorama report into corruption within FIFA.

Read it! It will make you wonder why any of us bother with football.

Well Henry is a star of football in europe and irish players are nobodies on that level so it makes sense for henry to be in speaking terms with the head of fifa/uefa whatveer he is.

but that also is why this is bad. henry is meant to be a diplomat of football.

nothing shocks me about him anymore.

what on earth does he mean by this? the ref either saw it or he didnt. exactly what kind of "reflection" was there to be done?? :confused:

Blatter added: "In the specific case of the Henry handball, the referee (Martin Hansson) should have taken the time to reflect rather than immediately awarding the goal."

in this case time is definately not a great healer. the more i think of what happened and the post match reaction (or lack of) by henry, domenech and FIFA the more angry i get. to go out of the WC in the way we did after a difficult 12 match campaign is very hard to take

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Originally Posted by Hibernian

nothing shocks me about him anymore.

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Same as that now. Blatter has always been on another planet and it's worse he's getting. He was silent for long enough and now with these comments he's only adding fuel to the fire!

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Originally Posted by Junior

Can you imagine any Irish player trying to 'call' Blatter?

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I think David Healy (or his agent) may have lobbied for that goalscorer prize after Euro 2008 ;)

Good luck with the campagin lads, sooner the corrupt old fraud walks the better.

Not surprising that FIFA's meeting on the 2nd of December will be held in a former prison - the crooks should feel at home.

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Originally Posted by jbyrne

in this case time is definately not a great healer.

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Tom Humpreys would beg to differ. His latest anti-football rant got my goat this morning. (actually just noticed the online article was dated 23/11 - I'm late!).

Instead of having the decency to admit his "We're Not Going to South Africa and Nobody Cares" article was premature (albeit unltimately accurate) he rubs salt in the wound with an utterly trite piece of crap, mocking anyone who is actually upset.

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Originally Posted by Gather round

I think David Healy (or his agent) may have lobbied for that goalscorer prize after Euro 2008 ;)

Good luck with the campagin lads, sooner the corrupt old fraud walks the better.

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thanks GR. What's your feeling on the whole thing overall?

I don't agree with replaying the game(well I know there won't be one), and I thought the politicians getting involved was crass.However, I do think Henry and the refereeing team should suffer.

With the latest statement from Blatter, Delaney needs to make a huge fuss over it. It may damage him personally if he ever wants a to progress with FIFA, but if he can damage Blatter in any way with this he has to.

I really wish somebody prominent from the footballing world stepped forward and made a big statement about these remarks, someone who wasn't Irish and just wanted to call Blatter on this...maybe a legend in the game with no connections to Ireland whatsoever.

I know Pele made some passing remarks on the game itself, but something really needs to be said by somebody, because really it's disgusting stuff that just pours salt all over the wounds, creates new wounds and throws salt on that as well, it's a bunch of ****.

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Originally Posted by Den Perry

thanks GR. What's your feeling on the whole thing overall?

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You were unlucky to lose a dody goal, but should still have scored the two goals needed to win on the night anyway.

If qualifying competitions are to be seeded at every stage (and I see the logic and precedent in this), this should be specified in the competition rules before it starts. Seeded teams should not automatically get home advantage in the second leg.

Reaction from Irish politicians (and English tabloids) was predictable; I'm surprised the story has had so much other coverage, worldwide.

Hansson and his linesmen will be 'punished' (downgraded or relegated would be more accurate) for their errors. Hopefully better refs will be promoted in their turn.

At the very least it's a PR ****-up for Blatter and FIFA. But as I said there are more serious corrupt practices and he should resign/ retire anyway because of them.

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Originally Posted by Gather round

If qualifying competitions are to be seeded at every stage (and I see the logic and precedent in this), this should be specified in the competition rules before it starts. Seeded teams should not automatically get home advantage in the second leg.

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They don't - there was a separate draw to determine who was at home in which leg.

http://breakingnews.ie/sport/blatter...th-436363.html

blatter seems to be saying two different things depending on who he is tlaking to. Does he not realise that media sources share data...:rolleyes:

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Originally Posted by gaiscíoch

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programme...ma/5076282.stm

Full transcript of a BBC panorama report into corruption within FIFA.

Read it! It will make you wonder why any of us bother with football.

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Basically For 6 WC tournaments "FIFA handed ISL the exclusive contract to sell the football World Cup"
One of the bribes that ISL paid, a SFR1m sweetner, by mistake went to the wrong account, a FIFA account! Panic stations.
After ISL went bankrupt, the liquidator found that large sums (SFR 250k- 1m) had been paid to FIFA officials. He wanted the money/bribes paid back.
A Swiss court allowed the bribe repayments to be made in secret.
It was later revealed that the money for the bribe repayments came from FIFA's account.

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Originally Posted by paul_oshea

http://breakingnews.ie/sport/blatter...th-436363.html

blatter seems to be saying two different things depending on who he is tlaking to. Does he not realise that media sources share data...:rolleyes:

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“How can it happen that all over the world, through tv cameras, we have seen through a cheating handball that a pass was given for a goal?” said Blatter.

“Everyone is asking what is and what isn’t fair play. The highest crime in football is touching the ball with the hands.”

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Originally Posted by harpskid

They don't - there was a separate draw to determine who was at home in which leg.

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Perhaps he was on about the EURO2012 Qualifiers in which it has already be decided that the play off draw will be seeded and the seeded team will be at home in the 2nd game.

They are actually amazing comments coming from the man who purports to run world football. Unfortunately he runs it like his own personal fiefdom mafia style.

The man has form. The Observer's Said and Done column has regular pearls of Sepp wisdom and examples of FIFA corruption. One of their more recent examples:

"Sepp says there was "no alternative" but to ban Diego Maradona for his "obscenity" during World Cup qualifying because he breached Fifa Article 57 relating to "offensive gestures or language". Not breaching Article 57, though, vice-president Julio Grondona in 2003: "I do not believe a Jew can ever be a referee. Jews don't like hard work." (Sepp: "We are friends for ever!")"

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

“How can it happen that all over the world, through tv cameras, we have seen through a cheating handball that a pass was given for a goal?” said Blatter.

“Everyone is asking what is and what isn’t fair play. The highest crime in football is touching the ball with the hands.”

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Well hand out your sentence to fit the crime then, Sepp!

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Originally Posted by harpskid

They don't - there was a separate draw to determine who was at home in which leg

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I meant for Euro 2012's qualifiers, as mentioned in the Examiner story on another thread and Junior on this one. Apologies for the confusion.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

Tom Humpreys would beg to differ. His latest anti-football rant got my goat this morning. (actually just noticed the online article was dated 23/11 - I'm late!).

Instead of having the decency to admit his "We're Not Going to South Africa and Nobody Cares" article was premature (albeit unltimately accurate) he rubs salt in the wound with an utterly trite piece of crap, mocking anyone who is actually upset.

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How is it anti-football?
As for the "nobody cares" bit, I think he was referring to the rest of the football world.
And he's right.

I can't find the article from 23rd Nov online at moment so will respond in relation to that article another time (I have to actually do some work right now).

As for the article after the first leg, it was so defeatist in tone it made my blood boil with rage. What a quitter. 1-0 down at half time and he and the sports editor saw fit to write an article saying we're out and trying to think it's no big deal because the socio-political implications of 88 and 90 won't be seen again. Well, I'm sorry, but I don't need any broader reasons to be disappointed at not qualifying, I'm disappointed because I really wanted them to qualify. I could add that the money and interest it'd generate for football and the FAI would bode well for the future of the game here but that wouldn't concern him, GAA man that he is.

I think there are probably 20 or more countries going to the WC who won't bring anything special to the party, so why single Ireland out? And as for his Georgia comparisons, what a total tool.

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Originally Posted by Stuttgart88

I can't find the article from 23rd Nov online at moment so will respond in relation to that article another time (I have to actually do some work right now).

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I had a look after your initial post. Is it the article that was basically a list of words with spoof meanings/digs related to the Irish supporters / FAI's attempts at justice after the playoff?

If so, yep it was dated 23rd November which threw me a bit and appears to have been taken down from the Sport and Soccer pages of the site.

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Originally Posted by gaiscíoch

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programme...ma/5076282.stm

Full transcript of a BBC panorama report into corruption within FIFA.

Read it! It will make you wonder why any of us bother with football.

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do u know when this will be aired? or has it been already?

Blatter would have more credibility if he broke wind instead of breaking silence.