Is Football Rotten to the Core? The Aftermath of Qatar ...

[toshes mate]

A look at what happened to a security guard post World Cup and how FIFA, the UN, The Trade Unions and most everyone else just keeps silent. Warning - Deeply depressing at so many levels if you care.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jun/18/world-cup-security-staff-suffer-in-the-silence-of-qatars-broken-promises

A job for the "Rashford's of football" to sort out their own perhaps.

[Snibbo]

Shocking and unsurprising at the same time

FIFA walk away with millions,  and the oil nation sportswashing gathers pace. Most supporters don't care where the huge transfer fee money comes from,  or how much blood was spilled in making it

[Woolly Mammoth]

No surprises there, FIFA and the rest of their heinous colleagues and associates will not spare a thought as they are too busy counting their profits.

You only need to check the nations that are complicit along with FIFA to know where the cesspits of corruption lie.
Money talks and it can talk very loud.
The likes of the odious hypocrites Lineker and Neville and their ilk must be very proud of themselves.

Sepp Joseph Blatter and his entourage were replaced like for like with an identical entourage of creatures who worship greed, and greed is the one snake you can never charm.
 The beautiful game has turned very ugly.

[Lighthouse]

Yeah I find nothing either shocking or in any way not highly predictable. I am afraid that our game is run by people who are not very good at anything but making sure they make a profit. Going to that Country in the first place was, let's face it, nothing but a money grab. Personally I refused to engage with it. At the time I mentioned that players kneeling at the start of matches for BLM was a nonsense because they were on their way to a Country who have what amounted to slaves building the stadiums.

 But we can't just accept none of the responsibility. Ignorance isn't a good excuse. Look at the way we all accept what is going on around us. Allowing the World Cup to happen was a disgrace. Being shocked about the aftermath is just blinkered.

[Thailand Mick]

unfortunately its no surprise to me, this is why at the age of sixty I chose for the first time in my life not to watch any of the world cup.

[Andy S]

It is no longer about sport primarily.  It is completely about money. The World Cup Went to the country that paid the most. the league won't let there be a breakaway as it would cost too much. We have already known this and it's always been the same

[McBrideOfFrankenstein]

Yes none of it is surprising given current trends. State ownership of City and Newcastle, let alone smaller clubs like West Brom, is the worst facet of the new reality imo.

Not sure what blaming Rashford has to do with anything though. Seems like a decent bloke and at least he's saying something, unlike most.

[RaySmith]

It is no longer about sport primarily.  It is completely about money. The World Cup Went to the country that paid the most. the league won't let there be a breakaway as it would cost too much. We have already known this and it's always been the same

These powerful wealthy, undemocratic and oppressive,  regimes have unlimited  money, and are trying to buy up western sport, for sport-washing and  influence - they now seem to have golf, and a foothold in other sports, like cycling-
  as well as football with their ownership of Prem clubs, besides hosting the WC, and these clubs, like City, are already changing  the English game, when they can afford the very best players and manager from all over the world.

Thus the Prem championship is a forgone  decision  before a ball is kicked, and the smaller clubs, that is most of the  division, and Fulham are one one the smallest, know they will never win anything nowadays;
 unlike in the past when smaller, unfashionable clubs had a chance - like  Blackburn, Derby, Leeds, Ipswich, etc., though Leicester was an aberration in the scheme of things, but it's hard to see a  Leicester  winning the title again.

Our game is now a bit of a mockery as a competition, with the  contest into who will get relegated usually being far more intense and absorbing than who will win the title, with relegation having huge financial consequences for those concerned.

Games against the top few teams, especially those  backed by the unlimited resources of oil autocracies, are generally hardly competitive - the playing field is unequal.

[perry geyton]

Let's also take into account that the article was in THE GUARDIAN

[Somerset Fulham]

As opposed to what? The Mail? 

[Twig]

Let's also take into account that the article was in THE GUARDIAN

That's correct, which paper would you find more persausive?

[Colton F.C.]

Couldn't find anything in the Mail.  But this was an earlier article in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jan/19/fifa-president-gianni-infantino-to-discuss-qatar-labour-excellence-hub-davos

Infantino, who I believe still lives in Qatar after moving there in 2020, in earnest discussions with the International Labour Organisation (funded by the Qataris) about the World Cup legacy and something called the 'labour excellence hub'.  It will be interesting to see how this unfolds and how the legacy fund is 'distributed'.

For what its worth the Daily Mail like all newspapers in a free democratic country run many good exposure stories.  Like all the other papers they sometimes get it horribly wrong (this includes the Guardian).

[Lighthouse]

What has been going on in Qatar and Fifa is hardly a conspiracy made up The Guardian. For goodness sake read and watch news from more than one source. But don't blame newspapers for what is common knowledge.

[FFC1987]

As opposed to what? The Mail? 

The Guardians journalistic standards have fallen well short over the years. Yes, sure, it's not quite the Mail which, isn't truly considered Journalism anymore. But the Guardian is but a short margin away from going for that mantle particularly on their opinion pieces.

I tend to try and stay away from the lefty righty papers trope as in my opinion, there's very little to be had from trusting either. But the smugness I often see from people who defend say, the Guardian and the independent leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

[Snibbo]

As opposed to what? The Mail? 

The Guardians journalistic standards have fallen well short over the years. Yes, sure, it's not quite the Mail which, isn't truly considered Journalism anymore. But the Guardian is but a short margin away from going for that mantle particularly on their opinion pieces.

I tend to try and stay away from the lefty righty papers trope as in my opinion, there's very little to be had from trusting either. But the smugness I often see from people who defend say, the Guardian and the independent leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Not sure why being in the Guardian is an issue for you.  Seems like a mostly factual piece.

Unless you are suggesting that the Guardian tends to have articles critical of the rich and privileged. Which should be a key role of the press surely?

[blingo]

What a sad world this has become. If it were only limited to football that would be bad enough, unfortunately there are many injustices that are far worse and never see the light of day.

[Terry Towling]

As for the Independent, that used to be my paper of choice for a long time as it had really good journalists and commentators yet now seems caught up with on one hand being super puritanical "progressive" with its "male toxicity" etc but on the other hand a cheerleader for Love Island which appears to me to be a programme like big brother but with the expectation that those "hunks" will get off with the ladies - I am guessing as I have never watched anything apart from the adverts.

As to FIFA - they are like a corrupt version of the Mafia - with no "honour" code.

[FFC1987]

As opposed to what? The Mail? 

The Guardians journalistic standards have fallen well short over the years. Yes, sure, it's not quite the Mail which, isn't truly considered Journalism anymore. But the Guardian is but a short margin away from going for that mantle particularly on their opinion pieces.

I tend to try and stay away from the lefty righty papers trope as in my opinion, there's very little to be had from trusting either. But the smugness I often see from people who defend say, the Guardian and the independent leaves a bitter taste in my mouth.

Not sure why being in the Guardian is an issue for you.  Seems like a mostly factual piece.

Unless you are suggesting that the Guardian tends to have articles critical of the rich and privileged. Which should be a key role of the press surely?

I don't have any issue with the Guardian posting it. As mentioned, just don't particularly like the tropey lefty vs righty paper chat. It seems benign to me. But I do hold exception to statements like 'seems like a mostly factual place'. I used to sub to the Guardian. I also used to be an avid reader of the independent but over the past decade, you could see a massive skewing in not only its journalistic integrity but also, I don't think it's a coincidence that it's click baity and more 'activist' language used in their better articles coincided with its financial demise. I've a friend who works at the Guardian and he's routinely telling me the projections are, it's falling is imminent, as the trust fund riches are dwindling. Would be a great shame but it's also a shame the paper is in the gutter with some appalling opinion pieces over the years. But if that's bankrolling the good things they do produce (which is there is) then I guess so be it. I'd of much rather they took the higher ground and not skew things as much as they're clearly trying to, then loading you with 'like the Guardian? We're deeply in the red and need your help. Please sub'

But anyway, footballs rotten, media's rotten, and I've no issue with papers belittling and ridiculing hierarchical structures particularly on wealth or other protected classes. But I'll call a spade, a spade in this instance.

[andrew G]

In answer to the headline question. Football is rotten to the core.

You have to have your head very deep in the sand not to see that. I think that since the original FIFA scandal when England, the obvious choice for the world cup was defeated by Russia and then QATAR was also awarded the tournament after, I think things have largely got worse.

we see man city are almost certainly guilty of finacial misconduct but due to the imense wealth of the owner will probably get away with it. like Toney, this could be settled very quickly but the authorities are dragging their heals, one has to assume to give man city time to cover their tracks.

[toshes mate]

Couldn't find anything in the Mail.  But this was an earlier article in the Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/football/2023/jan/19/fifa-president-gianni-infantino-to-discuss-qatar-labour-excellence-hub-davos

Infantino, who I believe still lives in Qatar after moving there in 2020, in earnest discussions with the International Labour Organisation (funded by the Qataris) about the World Cup legacy and something called the 'labour excellence hub'.  It will be interesting to see how this unfolds and how the legacy fund is 'distributed'.

For what its worth the Daily Mail like all newspapers in a free democratic country run many good exposure stories.  Like all the other papers they sometimes get it horribly wrong (this includes the Guardian).

I grant you that most anything you read anywhere has to be researched elsewhere but searches reveal that nobody but nobody wants to know about Qatar 2022 now the money has been split and the competition deemed a success not just in terms of football but also in terms of regime change.  The only regime changes the west experiences these days seem to be making matters worse for us not better.

Qatar is not an exception it is just more of the corruption which big money has always brought with it. We don't live in a golden age anymore - we live in a world full of avarice where easy money is spewed around those who don't care where it came from or who died making it possible. Even the Chinese have fields full of electric cars that are never going to be sold.  This investment scheme is a follow up to what the Chinese did with bicycles where billions of bikes never took anyone for a ride except the public officials who invested in these crap schemes. And we think we can get to Net Zero this way!!!