IS it just me or does it seem a little bit ironic that the nation that has never really embraced football (or ‘soccer’ as US prosecutors referred to it this week) has been the one to investigate and expose corruption within the sport?
The arrest of seven high-ranking FIFA officials brought out into the open what many observers of football’s world governing body have suspected for some time – that much of the way it operates is shadowy, involving clandestine deals, kick-backs and out-and-out bribery.
Some of the sums involved are mind-boggling. As part of a ‘plea bargain’ deal with the US authorities, one Brazilian media figure, Jose Hawilla, head of sports marketing business Traffic Group, agreed to forfeit $151m.
As one commentator observed – forget Pele at the New York Cosmos, the World Cup in the US in 1984 and David Beckham at LA Galaxy, it took US Attorney General Loretta Lynch to get football as the lead item on US TV sports news channel ESPN.
And FIFA president Sepp Blatter, the man who has sat at the top of this organisation since 1988 and is seeking a fifth term of office, welcomes the investigation whilst failing to explain how all this corruption could have happened around him without him having a clue.
It reminds me of that scene in Carry On Up The Khyber where Sid James and Joan Simms and their guests are having dinner in the British Governor’s residence in India oblivious to the cannon fire which is exploding around them and blowing plaster from the ceiling into the soup.
The only one aware of the attack is Peter Butterworth who looks incredulously at his fellow guests while they carry on regardless.
The only difference with the FIFA situation is the only person laughing is Sepp Blatter.
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ONE of Britain’s great aviation executives you have probably never heard of died earlier this month.
Sir Maurice Flanagan, the founding chief executive of Middle East airline Emirates, died at the age of 86.
Lancashire-born Sir Maurice, was a man of many talents, in 1969, he won a television playwriting competition, but chose to focus on aviation rather than the arts.
After a long career with British Airways, Flanagan was wooed to the ambitious emirate, and he launched the Dubai-based airline with 10 people and $10m in 1985.
He retired two years ago.
I was fortunate enough to meet him on two occasions when on trips with Emirates to Dubai.
As part of a small group of regional journalists, I sat in his office overlooking Dubai Airport and listened to him talk modestly about the phenomenal growth that Emirates had achieved in a relatively short time.
And then I was among the group of journalists and dignitaries that travelled on the inaugural Emirates Airbus A380 flight into Manchester Airport.
We travelled in the first class cabin along with then just plain Maurice Flanagan (he was knighted by the Queen in 2010).
Fire tenders greeted our arrival on the runway at Manchester with a water cannon salute and then we were whisked up to the air traffic control tower for a champagne reception.
Sheikh Ahmad Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of Emirates, described Sir Maurice as a legend in the aviation industry.
He made less headlines than Freddie Laker but certainly more of an impact.
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NEWSPAPERS printed pictures this week of the victim of a stag do prank.
Lee Forrester from Chesterfield in Derbyshire, was taped to a lamp post in nothing but his underpants by members of his 13-strong stag party, who relaxed over a beer in a nearby pub while passing drivers stopped to photograph him.
The party then travelled to Liverpool where he was forced to dress as John Lennon complete with mop-top and miniature guitar.
Then the following day he was painted blue and made to dress as a Smurf.
Lee told newspapers: “It was one of the best weekends I’ve had.”
If that’s a good weekend, what counts as bad in his world?
Have a great weekend.
Although not as good as Lee’s.