World Cup

[matsuki]

Sure it is dear. How boutcha get me another cold one while you're up, and I'll turn it back to the Stanley Cup so we can watch some real athleticism.

Too bad Chicago seems to have already given up....New York raped Tampa Bay today.

[Russell]

Fifa election: who is Prince Ali bin al-Hussein, Sepp Blatter's challenger?

The challenger to Sepp Blatter’s grip on global football is not your average sports executive. Prince Ali bin al-Hussein is the brother of King Abdullah of Jordan and a Sandhurst-trained former special forces officer whose speciality was freefall parachute jumps. According to Hashemite tradition, he is the 43rd generation direct descendant of the prophet Muhammad.

Those supercharged establishment credentials notwithstanding, Prince Ali is also seen as the reformist candidate, and not just because he is taking on a 79-year-old man who has been in Fifa’s top job for 17 years. Ali is 40 years Blatter’s junior, and is the organisation’s youngest vice-president as well as the youngest of the original field of challengers. Now, he is the last one standing.

He led the campaign to lift Fifa’s ban on the hijab in women’s football, and pushed for the publication of an internal report into irregularities in the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Prince Ali is running on a platform of transparency and grassroots development, and has promised to drastically increase the proportion of Fifa’s $2bn (£1.3bn) annual revenues that are returned to member states. He also wants to downgrade the power of the job he is vying for, the Fifa presidency, and has pledged to serve just one four-year term.

Prince Ali told the New York Times: “We don’t want an executive president. We want to get to a day when people don’t even know who the president of Fifa is. When that happens, we will know that the organisation is being run the right way and with the right priorities.”

Link

[Russell]

Former Fifa vice president Jack Warner cites satirical Onion article to attack US over bribery accusations

Fifa’s ex-vice president Jack Warner cited a spoof article in the satirical Onion website as he lambasted the US authorities for accusing him of soliciting bribes.

Mr Warner, who was arrested then released on bail by authorities in his native Trinidad and Tobago last week, held up a printout of the Onion article, which reported that Fifa had awarded the World Cup to the US and already begun the tournament, in a video posted on his Facebook page.

“I look to see that Fifa has frantically announced [that in] 2015, this year ... the World Cup [will] begin May 27,” he said.

“If Fifa is so bad, why is it that USA wants to keep the Fifa World Cup? Why is it that they have begun games on May 27?”

More

Clearly not the sharpest knife in the drawer...

[Russell]

Sepp Blatter to resign FIFA presidency

In a stunning announcement made at a hastily called news conference Tuesday in Zurich, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said he will resign after FIFA elects a new leader at an “extraordinary congress” that will be called by the organization’s executive committee.

The election will be at least four months away, a FIFA official announced. FIFA’s next congress, at which such decisions usually are made, is not until next May in Mexico, but FIFA announced its desire to speed up the process in order to put the scandal in the past.

[...]

“While I have a mandate from the membership of FIFA, I do not feel that I have a mandate from the entire world of football – the fans, the players, the clubs, the people who live, breathe and love football as much as we all do at FIFA,” Blatter said.
“Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective Congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA president until that election.”

[...]

On Monday, reports linked FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, Blatter’s right-hand man, to a $10 million payment sent to former FIFA vice president Jack Warner in exchange for what prosecutors say was a positive vote on South Africa’s bid for the 2010 World Cup.

The $10 million was taken out of the operating budget for that year’s World Cup and transferred by FIFA in 2008 to an account controlled by Warner, ostensibly to fund something called the “Diaspora Legacy Programme.” All of this was detailed in a letter sent from the South African Football Association to Valcke in 2008. The letter was published Tuesday by the Press Association in Britain.

[...]

In a statement released Tuesday, FIFA claimed the program supported “the African diaspora in Caribbean countries as part of the World Cup legacy” and that neither Valcke “nor any other member of FIFA’s senior management were involved in the initiation, approval and implementation of the above project.” However, the program’s name did not appear in any official FIFA documents until the letter was uncovered Tuesday, and U.S. prosecutors allege that Warner transferred the $10 million to his personal accounts.

More

[kurogane]

Yes. Yea. It seems he couldn't find a tall enough step ladder to crawl his way out the shithole he dug. In breaking news, famed Newcastle alumni David Ginola has broken free of the midfield and has taken off on one of his breathtaking weaving runs in from the wing in a bid to replace the old Nazi. Oh, .............that hair........those shorts............OOH! AAAh! GINOLA!!!!

[Russell]

[Coligny]

All was a decoy ?

FIFA indictments reveal Loretta Lynch’s hypocrisy

http://america.aljazeera.com/opinions/2 ... crisy.html

For much of her legal career, Lynch has defended some of Wall Street's worst financial criminals

[matsuki]

She seems really scummy but that's not really news?

[kurogane]

So, anybody watching the current World Cup? I snoozed through the Canada games and watched France slaughter Mexico 6-0 the other day. It would have made a great sleep aid it was that exciting. As a supporter of women's efforts but no real fan of the actual sports I have to say even I am shocked at the low level of technique and the level of play.

[wagyl]

So, anybody watching the current World Cup?

I've seen a couple of guys having a conversation about it on Twitter.

[wagyl]

So, anybody watching the current World Cup?

I've seen a couple of guys having a conversation about it on Twitter.

...While other people are watching for different reasons

[kurogane]

How little need for clever parody there is when we have ingenuous retards like that. One for the ages and for How Not To media studies classes that one.

[matsuki]

How little need for clever parody there is when we have ingenuous retards like that. One for the ages and for How Not To media studies classes that one.

How long till photoshops of them being on pop up?

[kurogane]

Win or lose I predict it will be utterly fapulous

[matsuki]

US be turning "nadeshiko Japan" into "tadanoshiko."



[edit] Yay...I think we just avoided a few more months of "Yappari Nippon!" and "Nadeshiko" mania.

[yanpa]

初めての試みとしてガーディアンのライブブログを日本語でも提供します！

http://www.theguardian.com/football/liv ... final-live

[matsuki]

The commentators went from 「ニッポンetc. etc.」 to「あきらめないニッポン」 to 「あせなくていい」 to finally 「未来のために後一点」

I don't normally watch Japanese narrated soccer but coming from hockey, it was really odd to see a J-player make a great steal or play, only to have 「ニッポンが」 instead, 「鈴鹿が」I mean, team sport and all but the only time they seemed to focus on individuals was either between plays or mention the 「レジェンド」hypetrain players.

[chibaka]

World cup aftermath related, pretty sad

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33405094

Pearl Harbor Twitter row after US World Cup win

[yanpa]

Wasn't the 2011 tsunami already God's punishment for Pearl Harbor?

[wagyl]

Wasn't the 2011 tsunami already God's punishment for Pearl Harbor?

I think the US is the country of Never Forget linked image sadly lacks animated glitter in the eagle's tear

[matsuki]

They may call it women's soccer...and give them a silly themed name like "Nadeshiko" but...

_84071218_hi028035119[1].jpg

holy fuck, they look more manly than most dudes here...

[Mike Oxlong]

[matsuki]

They must not like tofu...

[Samurai_Jerk]

I think the US is the country of Never Forget linked image sadly lacks animated glitter in the eagle's tear

I thought that was China, both Koreas, the Balkans, the entire Middle East, all of Europe (and especially England) vis-a-vis Germany, etc. Americans are pretty good at forgetting. Probably because of our shitty education system.

Speaking of not forgetting my worst experience with that was on my first trip to Japan. On the flight over I was stuck next to this boring Canadian (is there any other kind) who asked me with great pride, "Did you know we burned the White House down?" I made the mistake of saying I thought it was the British (which it technically was) instead of just saying, "Yeah." After that I got an hours long Canadian history lesson in a god-awful Strange Brew accent. I don't think I've ever felt more relieved than when my flight touched down in Seoul where I had to transfer. In his defense he said he had been teaching English in Korea for years which would drive anyone mad. Especially back then.

I'll never forget that tool.

[kurogane]

And just to add a touch of irony, all of this is coming from f'in Americans, seemingly without any touch of irony

BTW, technically it was us that burned it, after we expelled your capitalist imperialist invasion from the lands of our fathers' fathers (or some such Soviet level stuff). The ones you guys beat down south in Cajun Hicksville were actual Brits, hence the 50/50 result.

[matsuki]

the lands of our fathers' fathers

Which land would that be?

[Russell]

Silly Americans.

Now, burning down the Reichstag, that is something you need courage for...

[Samurai_Jerk]

And just to add a touch of irony, all of this is coming from f'in Americans, seemingly without any touch of irony

BTW, technically it was us that burned it, after we expelled your capitalist imperialist invasion from the lands of our fathers' fathers (or some such Soviet level stuff). The ones you guys beat down south in Cajun Hicksville were actual Brits, hence the 50/50 result.

When you stop being subjects of the queen I'll recognize your army as Canadian.

[yanpa]

They may call it women's soccer...and give them a silly themed name like "Nadeshiko" but...

_84071218_hi028035119[1].jpg

holy fuck, they look more manly than most dudes here...

Mrs. Yanpa agreed with me the other day when I said they look less feminine than the men's team.

[Mike Oxlong]

They may call it women's soccer...and give them a silly themed name like "Nadeshiko" but...

_84071218_hi028035119[1].jpg

holy fuck, they look more manly than most dudes here...

Mrs. Yanpa agreed with me the other day when I said they look less feminine than the men's team.

And that's a fairly charitable statement, innit!