Qatar, Riyadh and the dark side of Sport

I hardly ever agree with Lewis Hamilton about anything.

But fair play to him for saying he'll ignore a ban on all F1 drivers saying anything without approval of the governing body.
Drivers are employees of Formula One - not its property.
Human rights are being eroded everywhere. Free speech cannot be cancelled by a clause in a contract.

 

Qatari businessman's take-over of Manchester United is bad news for its LGBTQ+ and female and Jewish fans.
As was the Saudi take-over of Newcastle United.

Of course, that will all be quietly swept under the carpet as the cash flows in.
The expensive signings and glossy PR will doubtless win over a big majority of fans (white straight men).
They don't have anything to fear.

Hey ho. So much for the liberal (woke?) notion that Football is for everyone.

 

Good news for agents, though, eh?

 

These people cloak themselves with good deeds for the community, easily affordable with their unlimited cash. But their values of intolerance and oppression will always leech through eventually.

I doubt there will be much future for the Women's teams at Man Utd or Newcastle.
Or any initiatives to foster equal opportunities for everybody in diverse local communities.
Not right now, but over the next few years as these owners settle in.

 

He's at it again I see.

England World Cup winning* manager Gareth Southgate slams the FA for punishing Ivan Toney, found guilty of hundreds of rule-breaking gambling offences.
His Holiness says it isn't fair on the poor lad.
And of course the brown-nosing pundits are coming out of the woodwork to praise the Saintly England boss for "recognising the human being..."

Give me strength

Of course Ivan Toney is going to be hurt by his punishment.
Punishments are SUPPOSED to hurt.
They are designed to make the offender re-think his ways, and to deter others from following his offending lead.

What are other serial gamblers among the players' community going to think now?
That betting is a fast-track to Gareth's overflowing heart and a place in his National squad?

Try winning something Southgate, you pontificating hypocrite.
Then you can judge others who are trying to keep football clean from the corruption that illegal Gambling brings to it.
In the meantime get off your high horse, you Qatar boot-licker.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

* in his own head.

You can tell I don't like him very much

 

Disgraceful abuse of a referee and his family;

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/65776488

Jose Mourinho should be ashamed of himself.
Fans look at how he behaves. What he did helped to incite the violent reaction of some moronic Roma fans.

 

The ref was entitled to tell him his team was a f***ing disgrace with it's negative tactics.

 

Anti-football.

I've never been keen on him throwing his medals into the crowd either.
They may not mean much to him, but winning them is something he is too obsessed with - as he has clearly shown again.
There is nothing admirable about being emotionally unable to accept when you're beaten.
It just betrays pathological immaturity.
Mourinho, Boris and the Donald all share this pitiful trait.

 

It was a horrible game all round (someone on the BBC updates posted it was a typical Mouriho final) but Seville really weren't a lot better to be frank. 2 hours of my life I won't get back. But Mourinho went way over the top with his insults of the referee which was probably a bit of a factor in the uidiots who went after the ref at the airport. Depressing and horrible scene's, and as the Penguin says, if abuse is the way to go, the Ref sould have pointed out that Roma lost in part because Mourinho started replacing attackers with defenders. Referee's never criticise the managers of the games they referee and the same should go the other way. I know sometimes there are terrible mistakes that cost points or games, and it's hard not to complain - we all do it. But apart from Mourinho, we are talking about professional managers, and a bit of proffesionalism would be great.
A good place to start would be an apology José. Any interest?

 

Another sad day for football.
Victory bought by the Sports-washing puppet of the United Arab Amirates at Wembley.
Facing over 100 FFP charges but they don't care.
Their lawyers will make sure nothing is pinned on them in this lifetime.
And their manager is bought and paid for. He's always known how they operate despite his protestations of personal integrity.

They'll complete their purchase of the Champion's League next weekend.
The only trophy won fairly this season was the League Cup. That's the measure of corruption in the English game.
But nobody is rocking the boat. They've all been bought off.

 

Saudi Arabia has just swallowed the entire world of Golf, without even a burp

Those players who stood up against the money on offer from LIV - oops, you've just been bought anyway.
Still don't want to be used for sports-washing?
Looks like you'll have to retire.

 

Waiting for Naby Sarr to post on here.

The geezer has seriously found gold with his next move.

 

No more can we dream of The Nabster returning to his spiritual home.

 

I still blame him for Sunderland's goal at Wembley.

 

Great back-pass

Ten year olds are taught never to direct a back pass between the goalposts.
They aren't taught it for fun...

 

100%

 

was a very traumatic experience, I remember it well !

 

I looked at my watch then the next thing I saw was the ball rolling into the net.

 

I just remember how quiet the Charlton crowd went - total disbelief!

 

Totally bizarre atmosphere. Even the Sunderland fans were in a state of disbelief.