World Cup season, time to start reading Marina Hyde again.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2014/jun/11/sepp-blatter-fifa-qatar


Why have people assumed that Sepp Blatter is talking about Qatar when he accuses the British media of “racism” toward unnamed parties? I have another theory, given the persecuted tenor of the rest of the Fifa president’s comments: that he has finally gone the whole hog and perceives Fifa itself to be a race. For a man who has for so long characterised himself as noble yet besieged, you have to think Fifa-ism was always the next logical step.

At no stage in his provocative rallying cry to the African and Asian football confederations this week did Blatter explicitly delineate what he felt was racist about journalists exposing bribery and corruption in what amounts to the awarding of billion-dollar contracts. But the overwhelming focus of his dewy-eyed speeches about defending Fifa against those who seek to destroy it suggests that Herr Blatter casts world football’s governing body itself as the true victim of prejudice.

I'm a big fan of Marina's work.

Oh, and Sepp Blatter can die in an AIDS-related fire.

FIFA, a non-profit organization, will pocket 3 billion from this World Cup.

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/jun/13/england-v-italy-conscious-uncoupling-world-cup

Though not strictly court-ordered, or carried out under specific instructions from one of the more eminently priced psychoanalysts, I am seeing how long I can go with a football tournament before thinking certifiable thoughts about England. By certifiable, of course, I mean any thought that England might acquit themselves with anything more than ignominy at any tournament.