South Africa's Sports Minister's plea to the South African media.

Mbalula made a plea to the South African media on Wednesday that may well backfire: “Don’t be the first to chase us about bribes when we did not bribe … There is sovereignty and patriotism. We cannot be the first on the march to attack our own country. I know it sounds patronising but it is not. I must say don’t attack your own country. I’m saying state the facts and follow what needs to be followed.”

remember reading this book a couple of years ago. glad he's been credited now, it was the only comprehensive look behind the fifa curtain.

jack warner is also now spilling his guts

  • “I have kept quiet. I will do so no more.”

  • Warner says he has given all documents and cheques to a third party, “beyond my own reach”.

  • He says he will give permission for this third party to release the documents.

  • Documents on link with FIFA funding and me, UNC/PP, Section 34, Blatter and the PM

Biggus wrote:
General Mirth wrote:

The funny this is that the real Chuck Blazer looks like a bad Santa.

😆  It's George RR Martin.

so that's why he can't finish the books, he needs to be bribed.

Jeez, talk about sore losers 😆

You can take legal action over refereeing errors?! :o

otfgoon wrote:

Jeez, talk about sore losers 😆

Well you lot squealed like stuck pigs about the rather poetic justice of Lampards disallowed goal in Sth Africa 10, even though it was meaningless and you were fucking hammered anyway.  😆

Debateable whether going into half time 2-2 with the momentum rather than 2-1 down and still having to go all out to equalise was "meaningless" but we'll never know. There's certainly a chance the second half might have been different but either way I don't recall legal action over it. Referee's decision is supposed to be final.

It probably was for the good of the game though in putting further pressure on the goal line technology debate. It needed to happen in a big match on the big stage. I recall it also happened in the FA Cup final that year.

I'm

Biggus wrote:
otfgoon wrote:

Jeez, talk about sore losers 😆

Well you lot squealed like stuck pigs about the rather poetic justice of Lampards disallowed goal in Sth Africa 10, even though it was meaningless and you were fucking hammered anyway.  😆

Yeah, but we didn't start legal proceedings over it 😆

I thought the Scots were bad over the whole Eduardo drama.

invisibleman18 wrote:

It probably was for the good of the game though in putting further pressure on the goal line technology debate. It needed to happen in a big match on the big stage. I recall it also happened in the FA Cup final that year.

All this honestly makes you wonder whether things like goal line technology or more assistance for referees are being held back for ulterior reasons.

$5m for "the construction of a stadium in Ireland"?
Fifa are cheapskates.
Meanwhile

comments are brutal

General Mirth wrote:
invisibleman18 wrote:

It probably was for the good of the game though in putting further pressure on the goal line technology debate. It needed to happen in a big match on the big stage. I recall it also happened in the FA Cup final that year.

All this honestly makes you wonder whether things like goal line technology or more assistance for referees are being held back for ulterior reasons.

Makes me wonder again about Spain's two disallowed goals versus South Korea in the 2002 WC.
At the time I thought that was dead suspect.

The irony is that France would have been better off not qualifying lol

For them yes, but we were happy their circus covered up our shit performances.

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/05/the-19-most-ridiculous-moments-in-terrible-fifa-movie-united-passions

😆
There's being made a feature film about the origins of FIFA, wasn't aware of this before now. FIFA have contributed with 17 of the £20m
budget.

  • Some English guy: “Young lady, the natives of Africa are stupid. Undisciplined. It’s just in their nature – how could they possibly be expected to appreciate the subtleties of a game invented by whites?”

  • Havelange to Blatter: “Today I am making you my second-in-Command at FIFA… it is a great honour Blatter, and a great honour comes with great responsibility.”

  • Blatter: “From now on we will be exemplary in all respects. The slightest breach of ethics will be severely punished. We will play by my rules now.”

otfgoon wrote:

I'm

Biggus wrote:

Well you lot squealed like stuck pigs about the rather poetic justice of Lampards disallowed goal in Sth Africa 10, even though it was meaningless and you were fucking hammered anyway.  😆

Yeah, but we didn't start legal proceedings over it 😆

I thought the Scots were bad over the whole Eduardo drama.

I agree that it was ridiculous and audacious to try it on, it would certainly have failed but if it succeeded it would have opened the floodgates and made football a farcical sport like boxing.
The fact that they were scared and thought throwing money at it was better rather than having the World cup selection and qualification process inspected in court is revealing.
Delaney did well to extract some money out of them and nothing illegal.
However the Irish government should investigate how the money was spent.