In Brisbane's Newspaper The Sunday Mail (September 22), an article looked at Frank Lowy and how he had apparently jeopardised Australia's chances of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The article went in to great detail about how his so called failed attempt, cost him (and Australian taxpayers) $43 Million in total. While some will argue Lowy's Ill conceived plan is what harmed Australia's chances, one must look at the bigger picture of why this (The 2022 World Cup Hosting rights) was always destined to fail, and the reason for this failure comes down to one man.......Sepp Blatter.
Blatter is no stranger when it comes to courting controversy; even his appointment to the role as FIFA President back in 1998 caused controversy as it was alleged he'd bribed an official for his vote. Farro Ado, then Vice-President of the Confederation of African Football, claimed Blatter had offered him $100,000 for his vote during the 1998 FIFA Presidency election. From that moment onwards there have been a myriad of controversies surrounding Blatter, from the 2006 World Cup comments about FIFA Referee Valentin Ivanov, to the Bribery scandal in 2011, which gifted Qatar the hosting rights for the 2022 World Cup. These, and many other things, have proven time and time again why Blatter is a Cancer to Professional Football. To say he should have been out of a FIFA job years ago would be putting it mildly. And the fact he still has a Job at FIFA, after his handling of the 2022 World Cup Bribing incident, is a complete disgrace. Football (Or Soccer as it is known in some parts of the World) already has a tough time trying to uphold its reputation as a legitimate Sport in the Football codes, no thanks to the constant diving and play acting, but to have this buffoon (Blatter) as FIFA President, only makes it harder for us fans to defend this great game of Football. So today, rather than go on and on about the failings of the 77 year old FIFA President, Inside the Box will instead opt to look at the Top 5 Decisions (made by Sepp Blatter) which made any true Football fan hang there head in shame:
THE LUIS SUAREZ/JOHN TERRY INCIDENT:
Following two incidences of Racism between the months of October/November (2011), Sepp Blatter had the chance to front up to this ugly and unwanted part of our game, Racism. Instead, Blatter opted to smooth things over (or at least tried to) by saying any disagreement between players can be resolved by a handshake, even if it's an act of racism. Well done Sepp, someone should remind Blatter that a handshake is also made when two people make a grubby deal.
WIDENING THE GOAL POSTS:
Back when Sepp Blatter's legitimacy and reputation was still intact, The Fifa President had toyed with the idea of widening the Posts on the goal frame (as if it wasn't already hard enough for Goalkeepers to protect there goals). Thankfully the idea never progressed further than being a toy and the Goal posts measurements, which have served the game well for the last 145 years, remain the same.
VALENTIN'S DAY:
During the 1998 World Cup Sepp Blatter laid down the law to all participating World Cup referees after a string of incidences went unpunished. These referees were publicly ridiculed throughout the tournament, after they were forced (by Blatter) to wear more dressing gown style Referee tops. A warning from Blatter not to disobey his orders and a firm reminder to take every foul in the game seriously. So 8 years later Russian referee Valentin Ivanov did just that and dismissed 4 players in a single match during the 2006 World Cup match between Portugal and Holland. What followed was a backlash by Blatter who publicly riducled Ivanov by saying "He (Ivanov) should have given himself a Yellow Card for his poor performance during the match". Blatter later regretted these words and promised to formally apologise to Ivanov. 7 years on and the apology still hasn't happened.
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL:
While championing the future of Women's Football back in 1995 by saying "The future of Football is Feminine", it seemed like all systems were go for Women's Football when Blatter became FIFA President 3 years later. Though In 2004 (In true Blatter fashion) he made a gaffe when he suggested Female Footballers should "Wear Tighter Shorts and Low Cut Shirts to create a more Female Aesthetic". This caused some Minor controversy with Female Footballers but drew Major Laughs from the Media.
THE QATAR INCIDENT:
I'm not one to look in to the Crystal Ball and tell you the future, but I had a really good feeling about the Year 2022. Don't ask me why, but when I heard Australia would bid for the hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, I knew this was our time. Having hosted 2 Olympic Games (1956, 2000) and 5 Commonwealth Games (1938, 1962, 1982, 2006, 2018), It was surely Australia's time to step up and claim FIFA World Cup 2022 as our World Cup. However all of the bidding efforts proved futile as Qatar came up trumps with the Votes. In would later be revealed Sepp Blatter had been bribed by Qatari officials for his vote, along with other FIFA delegates. And as the saying goes, you reap what you sow. In the 2 years since this crazy announcement (Qatar hosting the World Cup) all of these bizarre decisions have come out of the Woodwork. It has now been revealed that the Air Conditioned stadiums (which were initially promised) can no longer be put in to the Stadiums and, on top of that, Blatter has made it know the World Cup may very well have to be played in December/January as opposed to the traditional June/July. And any person who is fond of the occasional Beer will find it especially difficult seeing as Qatari venues (being a Muslim nation) will most likely NOT be selling Alcohol.
Australian fans need not be so hard on Frank Lowy for Australia's failed attempt at securing the 2022 FIFA World Cup, for you see, the writing was on the wall from the beginning (in the form of a Greedy 77 year old Swiss Fraud). And in closing I say this, Sepp Blatter was never a Footballer himself, never once did he lace up the Boots or trod out on to the Park as a Junior/Senior Footballer. Never once did he share locker room banter with Mates or Kick a Ball around from Dusk til Dawn. As a person who never really grew up with an appreciation and love for the game (Blatter), how could he ever run a game that he himself has never been familiar with. It is now time FIFA appoints someone to run Football out of love for the game, not as a Second hand unreliable Business. There's an old saying which goes "To know it, is to love it". Sepp Blatter never knew the game of Football as a young man, so in turn he could never truly love it for what it really is; The Greatest Game on Earth.
Written by Alex Stilianos.
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