In a week where football has shown why it is the number one sport in the world, there are still people who continue to remind us of the violence and corruption that will continue to lurk in the shadows, waiting to emerge its ugly head once more. So what better way to enjoy the good and bad of this fantastic sport by having a quick look at the top events from the week.
He’s Back!
Talking of the ugly side of the game, let’s begin with Sepp Blatter.
Since being removed from his position as the president, ringleader and king of the fraudsters, Sepp Blatter has been a little less common on publicly circulated media forum and outlets. Clearly not happy, he decided to make himself relevant by coming out and stating that “money is at risk of ruining football!”
Really Sepp?
Blatter went on to add that, “people already pay a lot to get into the football stadium. Prices are getting higher and higher because clubs need more money.”
“When all of this (law case against FIFA) is done, I want to write a book – my memoirs, more or less.” Hope he title’s it, “My Confession by Sepp Blatter!”
Two things immediately come to mind…
- He doesn’t realise that money has ruined football already, hence why the same teams, from the same leagues are always taking the trophies.
- Immediately after hearing the comment about ticket prices, does he not realise people will want to know how much a ticket to see a World Cup match is?
The answer to the latter question is $105 for the cheapest seats in a group match, to a whopping $1100 for a ‘Category 1′ ticket at the Final. Same category ticket at this years’ Champions League final is $660 and $140 at the Europa League Final – otherwise there’s no way anyone would go all the way to Azerbaijan, where the final is being held, to watch Arsenal and Chelsea fight for the trophy.
Don’t get me wrong, I completely agree with Blatter that ticket prices are high, but it’s ridiculous to hear him say it knowing full well that the organisation he ran for 17 years charged astronomical figures for games.
Dummkopf!
Give Me Your Kit!
This season has been a bust for many teams that had high hopes and for one team it couldn’t have been worse. Grasshoppers Zurich of Switzerland have officially been relegated from the Swiss top division for the first time in 68 years!
During the final league game, Zurich players consistently made unbelievable errors and were losing 4-0 at F.C. Luzern. The fourth goal seemed to be all that the traveling fans could take. As a whole, they moved pitch-side and threatened to storm the pitch. As a result, the referee had to stop the game, giving the Zurich players a chance to go over and calm their fans down.
Which they manage to do after some of the players partly succumbed to the demands of the fans in order to prevent the situation from escalating.
Unfortunately, those demands were to hand over their shirts and socks, and crawl back to the changing rooms in just their pants.
As you can imagine, the game was abandoned.
How The Hell Did That Not Go In???
Football is all about fine margins. Ultimately, those fine margins have been the decider of what has been an incredible Premier League season.
January 3rd 2019, Man City vs Liverpool. Man City won 2-1 but the talking point was the 11mm that cost Liverpool dearly…
Man City vs Liverpool talking point
Then a similar incident occurred, once again benefiting Manchester City, when they played Burnley…
Either one of those go the other way, and Liverpool – came second by one point – would would have become the Champions. Instead they have created history by accumulating the highest ever points total for a team that finished runners up.
Obviously, no one is silly enough to pinpoint one or two moments in an entire season but if we could then surely these two moments would be it.
What a week it has been, and that’s not even considering the comebacks in Europe. More of the same next week please…
