Platini on greed; Barclays on the big society; porridge news; plus more from Gigi Becali
Man of the week
Michel Platini: ? 2007 ? attacks the EU for imposing weak financial legislation on football. "This does not go far enough to protect football from the rampant commercialism which assails on all sides. Millions of football fans, for whom I speak, call on Europe to do more to defend our sport, based on financial solidarity between rich and poor, which is the only way to guarantee the values we cherish."
? Last week: Platini's Uefa fail in an attempt to force the EU to overturn legislation protecting free-to-air TV coverage of Euro 2012, and defend pricing the cheapest Champions League final ticket at �176. "That's the market price. Why should we sell them for less?"
Wild west
Also part of the failed legal bid to overturn the free-to-air legislation: Fifa, arguing that the law ? which stops governing bodies selling games to higher bidding subscription channels ? "infringes property rights". (2005: Sepp tells the press how a "Wild west style of capitalism" is ruining football. "This cannot be the future of our game. Fifa cannot sit by and see greed rule the football world. Nor shall we.")
Meanwhile
New last week for Sepp's "friend forever" Jack Warner: Fifa's ethics committee meet to assess allegations made by Norwegian paper Dagbladet that he tried to move $250k of 2010 World Cup tickets on to the black market ? four years after being fined $1m for a similar offence. Fifa: "We have held a preliminary meeting. No decisions have been made."
? Jack's focus so far in 2011: cleaning up Trinidad's politics. Jack says that before he took over as the country's transport minister: "the Public Transport Service Corporation was the perfect example of corruption. It should have been called 'Public Transport Significantly Corrupt'. What a blatant misuse of funds."
Beautiful game news
Latest on Chechen leader and alleged serial human rights abuser Ramzan Kadyrov's rebrand via football, after he signed Ruud Gullit on a lucrative deal to coach Terek Grozny (Ruud: "I am not here for the politics. I am here for the sport"). New last week: a deal to host the Brazil 2002 squad for an exhibition game. Chechen sports minister: "The head of the republic will personally select our team. And he will be the team captain, too."
All in this together
Doing their bit to ease the blow of government school sport cuts:
1) Sainsbury's relaunching their Active Kids voucher scheme: "With budget cuts taking effect, it is more important than ever that we all do what we can." �3,110: Cost in vouchers of one Mitre football.
2) Barclays - extending their deal to back the Beyond Sport campaign last month, adding to the �37m spent on their Spaces for Sport scheme since 2004. "Barclays lead by example". �113m: corporation tax paid by Barclays in 2009 - 1% of its �11.6bn profit. Barclays: "We always comply with taxation laws - in the spirit and the letter."
Trouble brewing
Headlining last week in South America: stories outing Germany keeper Manuel Neuer, all based on a mistranslation of Neuer's comments about discrimination in football. Neuer told German magazine Bunte: "Players who are gay should say so and relieve their burden. The fans will get over it." Among the coverage in South America: ? La Voz: "GERMAN KEEPER IS GAY. The German broke a lifetime of silence to show who he really is." ? Todo Noticias: "The keeper came out and says he feels the burden relieved." ? ABC: "The gay keeper asked others to be free." ? Trome: "Finally, football has its own Ricky Martin."
Sexism update
Jan: The Sun rails against Sky's "shamed TV pair" for objectifying women. Feb: "CRAW BLIMEY! Page 3 stunner Peta Todd shows off Crawley's FA Cup kit, sponsored by The Sun."
Disciplinary news
South Africa: Orlando Pirates facing "heavy sanctions" after a fan threw porridge at a match official. Last year Kaizer Chiefs were given a suspended �45k fine after fans threw a cabbage and two vuvuzelas.
Row of the week
Argentina: All Boys midfielder Hugo Barrientos says fans threatening to kill his family are "unfair". Barrientos was seen on TV telling Racing's Giovanni Moreno he planned to "smack him", minutes before a tangle between them ruptured Moreno's cruciate ligament. "I broke my shoulder in a game once and it was nothing. People should get over themselves."
Plus: Gigi's week
Romania: Steaua owner Gigi Becali says League president Dumitru Dragomir "must be beaten" for "humiliating" Steaua during talks over a new TV deal, and for "corrupting football". Dragomir: "Only a moron could think like him. He's illiterate." In 2008 Becali said Dragomir called him "a retard": "In return, I called him a tramp. Then we had a fight."
Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/20/said-done-uefa-fifa-tax
BBC Foreign policy Dennis Bergkamg BlackBurn Rovers Rugby union India
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