Nicklas Bendtner gets a personal fine of 100K Euro for showing his underwear. The Croatian FA is fined 80K for not controlling its fans, who racially abused Mario with chants and bananas. -hence, read "A little racism never hurt anyone, but don't show your undies!" Bendtner should have been fined 1k and forced to work a day in a women's shelter, and Croatia should start its WC qualifying with -3 points. Just a thought.
I don't think UEFA and FIFA have long left under their current structure and practice. The decision to give Qatar the World Cup is the most obvious example of vote buying there could be. Clearly racism isn't on their agenda, they are just reacting to media pressure.
That saddest thing is, I think Bendtner got his fine, not because of the act of showing the top of his pants, but because they had PaddyPower written on them. Agreed with silky, UEFA/FIFA are a joke and a disgrace.
It's weird how these people like Blatter and Platini - and that weasel rapist from the IMF Strauss-Kahn - seem to lack the gene to feel shame. They seem to stride the planet like Nietzsche's ubermensch, above laws and morals that apply to the rest of us.
I don’t think the Strauss-Kahn case ever went to court but believe he was allegedly using some of his French charm on a maid in a New York hotel when she was cleaning his room and she was having none of it. I believe the case was dropped though… You know what they say though no smoke without fire and have to agree with DR he is a Weasel Looking at the fines UEFA have handed out it is an absolute disgrace. How can you fine Bentner 100k and the Croatian FA is 80K… I don’t see how anyone can think that is logical. I guess it goes to show how money rules the game. I’m sure had Bentner had Coca-Cola or McDonalds (one of the official sponsors) it wouldn’t have been an issue – UEFA may have even applauded him for it. It always amazes me how companies like Coke and McDonalds can sponsor sporting events? On the plus side for Bentner I read that Paddy Power covered his fine. All the publicity that got for 100K and a few free bets for Bentner , that’s got to be the cheapest sponsorship deal of the Euros… Good on them I think.
We have yet more evidence of UEFA's incompetence: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20718693 The Serbian FA get a £65'000 fine and one U21 behind closed doors. Pathetic.
It's truly disgraceful. It's saying that racism is less serious than a player advertising a sponsor when he shouldn't. I'd like the FA to ask FIFA to justify the fines and really get under the skin of Blatts and Platts.
The only justification I can think of - and I'm not siding with UEFA/FIFA on this, by the way - is that there's a difference between fines levelled to players and fines levelled to national associations. A fine of £65,000 would hit a national FA - particularly one that isn't among the very elite - a lot harder than the same amount would hit an established premier league player like Bentner. That's the only legitimate reason I can see for the disparity. I've not seen that line of argument put forward anywhere, by FIFA, UEFA or anyone else, so it's entirely possible that I'm missing the point.
I think the issue is not the size of the fine, but the lack of any kind of ban for the Serbian national team. The idea should be to deter fans from using racial abuse; will this 'punishment' do that? Most likely not. I will say that the bans for the coaching staff were spot on though, the fella that headbutted our Steve Wigley got a two-year ban from football.
Also, it appears that Platini has appealed for the fine/bans to be increased on racial grounds. This may be the first time I've ever backed him on something.
His general instinct to support clubs from smaller associations and lessen the influence of the big boys is good. Sadly, the major clubs are too powerful and I think he now knows that there's not very much he can do about it. A lot of his perceived 'anti-English' attitude is actually anti-big-and-rich-clubs. I think there's a lot more to him than is often reported in the media (most of whom, in this country, like the status quo and don't want the big clubs to have their noses dislodged from the Champions League feeding trough.) And he was my favourite foriegn player when I was a kid. The French team of the early 80s were a joy to watch. I couldn't believe it when one of them (Tigana) came to manage us.
Yet again evidence that UEFA and FIFA are so isolated and skewed. The contrast between their petty importances as shown by the fine handed to Bendner versus an apparent blindness to the really important things of life simply highlights the lack of values in these elites. They say Respect starts at the top - these organisations are morally busted. The pity is that they will not become financially busted - No chance of that. A pity that a man like Platini cannot change things.
