With the selection of Russia and Qatar to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cup respectively, I can only surmise that the Panorama Programme hit the nail on the head in exposing the corrupt nature of this long recognised group of people.
I commend the decision of the acting FA Chairman Roger Burden to withdraw his application for the permanent post over England's 2018 World Cup. It is discomforting and salutary to read that his work as FA chairman would have required him to also play an important role in liaising with FIFA, the governing body, but more disturbingly his broadcast comment that "I am not prepared to deal with people with whom I cannot trust and I have withdrawn my candidacy."
It pleases me that there is considerable disquiet across the country, and that FIFA members must now be comprehending perhaps for the first time, the contempt with which they are held by the general public.
To use the jargon of the back street, the two bids were a total stitch up and I am glad that the Prime Minister made plain and visible his anger. I do not like people (and I have experienced this personally this year) who look one direct in the eye with an absolute assurance and guarantee that they will decide in one's favour, only to discover that even as they were giving this assurance, they were already decided on the opposite course of action.
Let us now work towards achieving the greatest success in 2018 and 2022 and at the same time deal with this discredited body of people, FIFA. They have brought shame upon themselves and upon the Game. They have chosen two countries whose record on human rights leaves them being weighed in the balances and found wanting.
For England I would say this. Let the righteous anger we felt this week now transpose into an absolute determination to win both the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups.
We have the ability and the funds and the technical expertise to do it. We also have outstanding leadership at the top.
We have something else too. Put a great cause before the people, whether it be Britain as a whole, or in this case, England, and something curious happens. The people rally forth and refuse to be beaten but strive only for one thing - total victory and being able to prove that we were right to object so strongly to this week's decision.
Ian Bradley Marshall
LIVERPOOL
No comments:
Post a Comment