I feel sorry for Chris Powell in all this. I just saw an interview with Chris Hughton, so no doubt even if we smash Brentford 35-0 on Saturday all the interview questions aimed at Powell will still be about the fact he happens to be black rather than the incredible job he's doing as a manager this season. He was getting annoyed about constantly being asked to answer questions in light of being black rather than successful during the Terry row. It's quite depressing that journalists mock Blatter for his views on race and then condescend to Powell themselves.
The problem is (and it is a non British thing) – It has generally been accepted that players can cheat in football matches to unsettle players – despite all the rubbish FIFA spouts about fair play. This means that you can spit, say what you like to get a reaction that might favour your team. Ok, they don’t sanction it but they don’t really see it as a problem. Us British have more of a sense of fair play and we find spitting at opponents or saying inappropriate things abhorrent. You only have to see how shocked our players were a few years back by the way they were treated in the Anglo- Italian Cup.
Of course lots of foreign players now play in this country and this has boosted the diving, win at any cost culture but these players are still warned that they have to tone certain things down when they come here. I think this is what Blatter meant though – it isn’t necessarily because a player is racist that he makes a racist comment in his eyes- he is merely seeking to gain an advantage. I think you have to have standards but again the organisation that promotes fair play have never sought to address the gamesmanship that is prevelant. By not addressing the issue over a number of years thay have effectively promoted racist comments and I would argue that if you make them, you are a racist as a line always has to be drawn. Blatter is basically saying there isn’t one on the football pitch but there is one afterwards!!!
First player I can recall spitting at an opponent was a charlton player.
A player was applauded after following his international managers advice and diving in the penalty area for a penalty against Argentina, but then he was only following in the footsteps of another England cleaner than clean footballer who dived twice for penalties against cameroon so that England squeezed through to the next round of the world cup finals. Owen and Lineker were two of English footballs clean cut boys, lets not bring in Razor Ruddock or Vinjie Jones into the nasty foreigners ruining our game discussion
As for Blatter he'sajerk, but unfortunately he has majestic power and he will stay for the remiander of his term
Blatter should go , but will not go as too much power. What a twat. Genuine will to win and genuine mistakes in that aim are what get forgiven at the end of the game over a few beers. Racist comments and out and out violence do not, nor should they.
Was trying to explain a culture difference between the British and foreign games- yes you can find a few examples and dirty players ( I never said anything about dirty players) and British divers but there is a hard but fair ethos in our game (which supporters expect) where win at all costs has been an ethos abroad for some time. it is the perception that it is ok to cheat that is or at least was different.
Your work site, lorry, school, office, pub etc are all workplaces. You make a racist comment in/at your workplace and you will, rightly, get reprimanded, put on a warning or sacked.
That large green area that we all idolise, whoever we support, is a workplace. Why should the rules be different?
Kap 10 mentioned a Charlton player spitting. It was, I recall, Max Miller ( V Derby?) and, as usual, Charlton led from the front and sacked him that week.
Your work site, lorry, school, office, pub etc are all workplaces. You make a racist comment in/at your workplace and you will, rightly, get reprimanded, put on a warning or sacked.
I wouldn't class what he said as racist comments. What he has done is be dismissive of it, basically saying it's okay to say these things as long as it stays at work and you shake hands when you clock off. Just as bad considering his position of authority.
Sepp Blatter has said that racist remarks during football matches should be settled on the pitch.
Personally I think he's crossed the line, but FIFA insist he definitely didn't.
That's the problem when the highest authority in the game is the one causing the problems. What can you do? Complain to FIFA and Blatter just points at you and laughs.
Blatter is out of touch and in his position, his comments about racism show how out of touch he is. Someone said on the radio, that it is something you may expect from a 75 year old white swiss man who doesn't have much contact with the outside world but that's no excuse, particularly given the global constituency of FIFA, it is incompetent and embarrassing.
No FIFA president should be able to be President for more than 2 terms maximum. Than they wouldn't be able to or tempted to build up and maintain their own position by patronage and petty bribery.
I did find it rather funny that when he relesed his statement, retracting his earlier statement, he got a black FIFA member to read it out to the press as if that would make it all okay. Think the bloke's nothing short of a dictator. Maybe time for the U.S to step in...............;-)
Regarding what Gus Poyet said, although I don't agree with it, I see where he's coming from regarding taking one mans word over another, without any shred of evidence and no witnesses.
I didn't say that what Blatter said was racist. I was pointing out that he appears to believe that the two scenarios should be dealt with differently.
Why should they be?
Your work site, lorry, school, office, pub etc are all workplaces. You make a racist comment in/at your workplace and you will, rightly, get reprimanded, put on a warning or sacked.
I wouldn't class what he said as racist comments. What he has done is be dismissive of it, basically saying it's okay to say these things as long as it stays at work and you shake hands when you clock off. Just as bad considering his position of authority.
Yes, the aftermouth demonstrates how out of touch he is - only suprise was he didn;t black himself up and put his pic on the FIFA website. We didn't need this episode to tell us Blatter is out of touch though did we? FIFA is a jobs for the boys organisation and he is perfectly safe because of it. It just makes them a laughing stock which I 'm sure they care about but not enough to restructure as the bigwigs there would most likely lose their perk laden positions to talented visionary people!
Comments
Blatter should go , but will not go as too much power. What a twat. Genuine will to win and genuine mistakes in that aim are what get forgiven at the end of the game over a few beers. Racist comments and out and out violence do not, nor should they.
Personally I think he's crossed the line, but FIFA insist he definitely didn't.
That's the problem when the highest authority in the game is the one causing the problems. What can you do? Complain to FIFA and Blatter just points at you and laughs.
Sepp Blatter - A South Africa saying "Step Ladder"
(c) Hugh Dennis
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XytARlqYfDM
No FIFA president should be able to be President for more than 2 terms
maximum. Than they wouldn't be able to or tempted to build up and maintain their own
position by patronage and petty bribery.
Maybe time for the U.S to step in...............;-)
Regarding what Gus Poyet said, although I don't agree with it, I see where he's coming from regarding taking one mans word over another, without any shred of evidence and no witnesses.