I was listening to a “debate” on the FIFA scandal on the BBC this morning (it was on “Today” close to 9am and Barry Hearn was one of the interviewees but there is no link to share with you) and I heard the BBC presenter Evan Davies make the remarkable suggestion that given the concerns expressed regarding the integrity of FIFA, perhaps the UN or EU should be invited in to run it.
Great idea! After all, the EU is renowned for its financial transparency and we all know that the UN is the world’s highest moral guardian. You can always rely on the BBC to argue for one world governance but this one amused me given just how mad the suggestion is. Maybe Dominique Strauss Kahn could fill the supranational role the BBC suggests, I hear he is going to be at a bit of a loose end?
Actually, the EU or UN would be perfect, if you want to leave the integrity of FIFA as it is.
Maybe after 2012, BHO will be free to preside?
There is a link – http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today/newsid_9500000/9500997.stm – David was just being impatient.
And with the link, you can see that his impatience leads to inaccuracies: It was Justin Webb rather than Evan Davies, and his question about whether international governmental bodies ended was framed as “should they be involved, or would that be a recipe for further disaster?”
Hardly the ringing endorsement that DV would like to believe. As is so often the case, I fear his eagerness to criticise the BBC deafened his ears to what was actually said…
Scott, it was making such a stupid suggestion about involving “international government bodies” rather than the fact is was expressed as an “open” question that is being highlighted. And does it matter which BBC ant made the suggestion, you’re all the same.
I don’t think he is an actual Beeboid employee.
“Justin Webb said “or would that be a recipe for further disaster?”.But David Vance said “You can always rely on the BBC to argue for one world governance”, which Justin Webb wasnt doing,was he? Scott is right.
Funnily enough Scott, I was just about to send in the bit about it not being Evan-and I was about to “joke” that he`d better get it amended before I “did a Scott” on him.
You beat me to it-and ,to be fair, it nullifies a comment of mine.
That said though-don`t you see how ludicrous the notion is of the U.N/E.U being involved as if FIFA is a failed state on a par with Libya, say?
Bose was eminently sensible(unusually!) and that Hearn(no stranger to sports controversy himself!) parrots Webbs notion of U.N involvemnent…U.N Scott for Gods sake…shows just how Webbs reflex liberal fixall can get traction!Even with poeple who “do Sport” for a living like Hearn.
Don`t you think Scott that even Gary Richardson should have done this at 8.30 and not leave it to Justin-who has obviously never kicked a round ball in his life?
Don`t tell me then that the BBC can`t influence the mindset of people who are`nt listening or thinking…and it`s THAT you should be seeking apologies for.
No “Play Misty for me” today Scott…OK?
My God, everything the UN or EU gets involved with turns to dust. These wasters are even more incompetent and corrupt than FIFA, if that is possible. They are all populated by the same rotten clones.
That is why Beeboids and Lefties love them so much.
“Don`t tell me then that the BBC can`t influence the mindset of people who are`nt listening or thinking,” so why not accuse the BBC of influencing the mindset of listeners into thinking the U.N. and E.U are a “disaster” with what Justin Webb said?
Daisy,
I don’t quite get your point. Could you rephrase it ?
Thanks very much Dez/Scott for providing the link. I had a listen. To my ears the last bit Webb threw in was a caveat.
In the context of the discussion, I’d say a case can be made for Justin Webb throwing this UN/EU notion into the mix, but given TODAY’s track record of treating such a corrupt, tyrant/terrorist enabling organisation as some form of deity it’s right to rip it out of them over this notion, albeit in his rush to put fingers to keyboard, DV confused Webb with Davis.
ScoDez, have you got over the death of bin Laden yet?
Hippie,
But what is the difference between Webb and Davis ? They are both identikit Beeboids with identikit views of the world as seen through their blinkered , narrow-minded, pre-programmed little “minds”.
If nothing else, ol’ Justin let Bose state unchallenged that FIFA sells World Cup rights. No libel lawyers tuned in this morning, I guess.
Like some people on this blog who hate being disagreed with,as the way they treat Scott shows.
‘Like some people on this blog who hate being disagreed with,as the way they treat Scott shows.’
Daisy, when replying or, as seems the case here, extending a thought, it can be helpful to include a reference.
That will facilitate assessing a reasonable clarification to agree with or not, even if littered with bizarre ways to engage such as lobbing around person-playing over-inclusive terms like ‘you lot’ and ad homs before getting all precious about reactions in response.
Can’t speak for all (it’s a private blog comprised of individuals, over whom the owners have no control), but for my part if one sticks with the argument, a robust debate can be enjoyed by all.
Scott is a petty semantic contrarian low-fruit vulture who wastes some potentially worthwhile corrections by being unable to resist adding unnecessary, catty personal commentary playing to a perceived tribal crowd (it seems, of one) and then lobs the entire Toys ‘R Us inventory out of a Mothercare sale when he gets back a lot better than he could ever give.
And the paucity of his actual relevant points in the face of so much that is left well alone because the BBC bias is so hard to justify, simply makes his few desperate efforts even more sad.
The BBC ‘treats’ much more important things a lot worse, and that is well worth debating. With valid counters welcome.
“unable to resist adding unnecessary, catty personal commentary”
It really is like nobody at Biased BBC ever reads the stuff they write themselves, isn’t it?
Daisy,
Unlike Beeboids, most posters on this blog do not have identikit opinions as you would discover if you stuck around for a while.
1. I don’t have all day for the BBC to bring up the link. Do you?
2. Thanks for clarifying re Webb. Profound.
It wasn’t a whole day, it was a few minutes. They’re hugely different. To give an analogy you’re sure to understand, it’s kind of like the difference between “number of votes needed to get elected” and “number of votes a certain TUV candidate had to struggle to achieve”…
I’ll give you another analogy Scott my dear boy :
“The number of times you have made no sense whatsoever” and “The number of times you haven’t learnt from this”, you are a certainty to struggle and will achieve nothing.
I’m sure you wont understand.
It really does say it all doesn’t it. Not only is the TODAY programme beyond parody, it is beyond self-parody.
That said, the UN running FIFA? I’m sure the world would be indebted for holding the next World Cup in Hamastan. If a Hamastan defender shot an opposing player as he was about to score a goal the subsequent UN inquiry would blame Israel and that’s just the innovative and bold change that football needs right now. Evan, you’re onto something!
Good point, Hippie. I would support the next world cup being held in Gaza. Failing that, North Korea.
The troubles at FIFA are of such global importance I think Al Gore and the IPCC should be asked to break off from saving the world from climate catastrophe for a few weeks to sort them out.
Well done to Evan Davies for realising the gravity of this matter. What a superb example of the analysis the BBC news dept is famous for.
Phil,
The BBC led on this story for 2 days yesterday and the day before. Nothing like getting things into perspective. The BBC gets more superficial and trivial day by day , and with our money. Teenage broadcasting for teenagers.
Dont waste your money on a tv license ?
Should the BBC be charged with running World football then I’m sure we would see some exciting changes.
1) Anyone playing on or having anything to do with the right-wing to be interrupted and play stopped.
2) All floodlights to be powered from windfarms in Wales.
3) Only one global sponser – NHS.
4) Lesbian teams to be excused from playing one week a month.
5) No winners allowed and certainly no scoreline technology.
6) All players to wear matching high-visability kit.
7) All supporters to be removed from the ground by elf&safetee.
8) All pies sold to be organic free-trade hal-lal.
9) President Obama to pick the teams and fixtures.
*) Increase in the licence fee to cover not moving to Switzerland.
Now how could this possibly go wrong ?
Have suggested no night time games, no carbon emitting travel like to Barcelona myself in the past to the Greens…who seem to go all quiet as Sky comes on in the pub…can`t think why!
No Caroline Lucas or Porritt ever called in to this debate…like the litter at Live 8 we simply draw a line or a veil( a hijab these days of course!) over it and move on. Electric car though!
When the Great God Sport comes a calling…and so many Beeboids get their freebies and a chance to mix with the oiks on the terraces( well, you know…)-you can only admire their forbearance at not being proactive on behalf of Mother Earth as usual.
Funny where ceaseless competition and exclusive elitist excellence IS tolerated by our New Levellers..and when it is NOT to be indulged(schools being the clearest example).
BBC-providing flexible principles to the guilty liberals since 1997-and we pay for their(second,third etc) home delivery too!
(Solutions, however, unavailable at the time of writing…and for the forseeable future too!)
cj,
I think the only terraces Beeboids inhabit are at their villas in Tuscany and most definitely oik-free.
I’m sure those’d do wonders for attendance at Bootham Crescent.
Attendance was always a bit dodgy there. 😉
Alas ! It’s now KIT KAT CRESCENT – The Swiss bastards !
The EU could hold referendums on where the next world cup is going to be, with repeat referendums until the electorate picked the correct venue.
Phil,
I.E. Luxemburg !
Corruption at the top of football is national news, and the BBC are right to go on about it. It’s not really the fact that the top officials are corrupt, but that fact they have been caught with their snouts in the trough.
Of course, where the BBC have their usual blindnes is that FIFA are no different from the EU and UN, just in the case of FIFA, its on a smaller scale, and the individuals don’t have the halo.
The worm seems to have turned on a sixpence(old money!)at the BBC…Justin Webbs inanities apart!
David Goldblatt told it exactly as it is on the P.M show this evening.Mihir Bose unusually candid this morning( has he gone freelance or something…never recall him being so frank previously?). No pointless interruptions giving the Beebs line?…and the speakers allowed time to develop the points.
Very strange-given how craven the BBC has been since well before Triesman, it`s a shock to find that the sports toadies are all silent whilst the Goldblatts get the floor!
An Arab Spring catching on out Wood Lane way?…well in this trivial beanfeast spat in the ballpool at least!
Let freedom ring!
CJ, your suspicions are correct. Mihir Bose has gone freelance. (If only more of them would – preferably the whole lot of them!!). He now writes for a football website and for the London Evening Standard.
According to Wikipedia:
On 4 August 2009 Mihir Bose resigned from the BBC for personal reasons. It was reported that Bose was unhappy with the forthcoming move of the BBC Sports Department from London to Manchester, which would have required him to relocate.
Thanks Craig!
Thought I heard the BBC say that CocaCola(is it them or Pepsi?) were “distressed” at the FIFA allegations-and said by our BBC chum with a straight face and without any questionning or quizzical look about the reading of this.
It`s as if Alan Partidge did all their media training in the 90s and they still think that he was real!
Still…it`s only sport…and will cooapse on its own javelin round the time of the Olympics..lots of fast fit drug dealers then! Trust someone is burning the fat off the PCSOs in anticipation.
At least Bose had the integrity to walk away instead of commuting at your expense like the guy in charge of the move.
INBBC is quiet on QATAR and FIFA.
Is this because INBBC is politically close to Qatar emirate’s AL JAZEERA TV with which INBBC has a ‘technical’ agreement, and for which many ex-Beeboids currently work at London HQ of Al Jazeera English?
Is that right?..Blatter won?
Got to be worth a trip to Zermatt in the winter-to see if the victory changed the conditions for the poor and marginalised Swiss-outside the EU and so keen to join!
Hope that Clegg, Johnson and the other AV wallahs can lobby FIFA to have a referendum on how we elect tomorrows Blatters!
AV for FIFA!…
I watched the BBC’s live coverage for nearly two hours, waiting with baited breath for the outcome. They did build up the drama so. But then I had to take a phone call and missed the result! I completely wasted my time.
Oh, wait, the whole thing was a complete waste of time because he was the only candidate. Yet still the BBC spent ages of air time keeping us up to date on such important matters as which letter of the alphabet we were at in the voting order. Sopel’s constant sarcastic remarks didn’t make it any more newsworthy or interesting or factual. A real professional news organization wastes time and lets the news anchor clown around like this? It was clear that the Beeboids’ personal opinions were that the whole thing was a farce (one of the BBC journalists on the scene even used that word), but is that really how a respectable news broadcaster behaves? Personal opinion masquerading as news again.
Your license fee hard at work.