What the FIFA was that?

There is taking the piss, and then there is Sepp Blatter and his FIFA cronies. He lead the FA a merry old dance. Got his boys wined and dined, and their arses kissed, and when the dust had settled they granted us a single vote. One. (We did get two, but seeing as one was from the English delegate it hardly counts) Monsieur Blatter, as ever, got what he wanted, and the World Cup in 2018 will be pitching it's tent in Russia. The fact that Russia won doesn't really bother me too much. As I posted earlier, I think England, and the Spanish/Portugese/Holland/Belguim bids were naive to think that it would be going any where else. Sepps mission is to take the Cup to fresh fields, and had made clear for months his preference for the Russians. But at least they have some football pedigree. They have provided some great players through the years. Yashin, Blockhin, Bellanov and Arshavin to name but a few, They were also European Champions in 1960, and have been runners up twice. They were also semi finalists in the 1966 World Cup. So fair enough, they deserve a shot at it. But then along came the 2022 announcement...

Which is that Qatar will be the host nation for the World Cup. This is a nation of some 1.6 million souls (roughly the same as manchester), a tiny outpost on the Arabian peninsula, whose football team is currently ranked 113 in the World. They have gotten about as close to qualifying for the finals as Bingley Juniors, and did not even enter the competition till 1978. It is the equivalent of awarding the Olympic games to Keighley, and holding them in February. And then outlawing the sale of alcohol. In fact, in Qatar, it is is an offence to be drunk in public. I think myself, Fromagio, Shouty, Helmet and the rest of the Squad need to be giving this one a wide berth. It is difficult to know who the World Cup of 2022 will be for. The Dutch? Far too liberal. The Germans? Hell they like beer even more than us. The Brazilians? Way too much skin on show. Scotland? Yeah right, they wish..... So the beginning of the end of International football is even nearer than I thought. Who will really give a toss about a tournament that inhibits fun, is played in a desert, and will be won be a host nation that will miraculously find that a new FIFA law allows them to buy players from whoever they want. As the video below shows, if they are relying on the local talent pool they are in big trouble. Even the good Doctor Shotgun would have buried this one..



As for England hosting a World Cup? Let it go, it ain't gonna happen in our lifetime. And to be honest, if it means we don't have to kow tow to a bunch of jumped up little pricks from the backwaters of the footballing globe, I hope we never even bother trying.