Kicking it out
“It has no place in football; it has no place in society. It’s disgusting, a horrible thing. I’m shocked, and I’ll support any punishment imposed. I cannot tolerate it. It saddens me. It’s totally unacceptable” – Dave Whelan, 2011, on spitting.
• Last week’s highlights: Whelan discussing Jews chasing money, a decade after JJB Sports’ £6.3m fine for price-fixing replica shirts; and Mail Online readers weighing up his relaxed take on “fkn chinky”, fat Jew and “gay snake” banter: “Good on you Dave”; “Total legend”; “It’s a left-wing media witch-hunt”; and: “Whelan’s dead right. I wouldn’t be offended if I were Jewish.”
Meanwhile
Last week’s other zero tolerance headlines:
1) Uruguay: Penarol president Juan Pedro Damiani issuing a clarification after he tried to end a heated live radio telephone interview early, failed to hang up properly and was heard by listeners calling the host “a dirty Jew”: “This unfortunate phrase reflects neither my thoughts, nor my values.”
2) Italy: Lazio president Claudio Lotito giving a live TV interview to defend FA president Carlo “banana eaters” Tavecchio – discussing Tavecchio’s good works in Africa. “Tavecchio’s no racist. He built two hospitals in Togo, he even adopted some things …” Interviewer: “I’m sorry, he adopted … he adopted what?” Lotito: “He adopted some children.” Interviewer: “I thought you said ‘things.’” Lotito: “I said children.”
Other news: Qatar’s week
Last week’s Qatar 2022 headlines as Fifa prepare to re-review their ethics review:
1) A new rebuttal: “We stand by the integrity of our bid. [Allegations] have been investigated, tested, considered and dismissed.”
2) A new misunderstanding, after Spain’s athletics federation head José Maria Odriozola attacked the way Barcelona’s bid to host the 2019 IAAF World Athletics Championships was beaten by a rival bid at the last minute. “Qatar offered the IAAF $37m [in a sponsorship deal] after the deadline. We say it’s illegal, and I’m very angry.” The IAAF say no bidding rules were broken.
3) And a new landmark: a report ranking Qatar fourth in the world for the highest proportion of slaves to non-slaves – 29,400 slaves being 1.36% of Qatar’s population, behind only Mauritania, Uzbekistan and Haiti.
And elsewhere
The week’s other football family moves:
1) Cayman Islands executive Canover Watson – part of the Fifa internal financial watchdog panel tasked with re-reviewing Michael Garcia’s ethics report – charged with fraud, breach of trust, conflict of interest and money-laundering. He denies wrongdoing.
2) Former New Caledonia FA head Edmond Bowen banned for three years for lying during his application to join Fifa’s disciplinary panel.
3) Ghana FA head Kwesi Nyantakyi filing a $3m libel claim against Asempa FM for “years of lies” about his ethics record. In April Nyantakyi said he was dogged by “lunatic” journalists. “Only if you are sick in the head and a mad man would you talk about inflated figures in the budget.”
Plus: Jack’s week
Still keeping his focus despite ongoing unfair media attention – Jack Warner, busy cleaning up domestic politics in Trinidad. Jack says Trinidad’s government must be exposed as a den of corruption, “arrogance” and “indifference”, run by leaders “getting rich overnight”.
Bad journalism latest
Legal news: Former Rangers owner Craig Whyte facing a second arrest warrant after failing to appear in court. In 2011, Whyte pledged to sue the BBC for “prejudiced muckraking” into his business record. “I have nothing to hide, and nothing to be ashamed of.”
Manager news
• Italy, 28 Oct, Inter president Erick Thohir on coach Walter Mazzarri. “I already said it, I repeated it over and over, and I say it again: I believe in this coach.” 10 Nov: “I’ve said it six or seven times now. So, I’ll say it one more time. The coach can rest assured.” 14 Nov: Sacks him.
• 2010: Sven-Goran Eriksson’s agent Athole Still: “Sven isn’t at Notts County for money. He’s enchanted by the job. For so long the media have tried to portray Sven as greedy, that he’s only in it for the money, looking for the next chance, but nothing could be further from the truth. He joined Notts County for the challenge.” 2014: Sven joins Shanghai East Asia for the challenge.
President of the week
Argentina: Textil Mandiyú president Jorge Abib, denying players’ claims that he reacted to a defeat by breaking into their apartments and robbing them. Patricio Gorgona said Abib stole cash and made death threats; team-mate Rodrigo Mannara said: “It was wild, the president smashed everything up.” Abib: “It’s lies. These players are bums and drunks. If anything, they robbed me.”
Literary news
Romania: Steaua owner Gigi Becali releasing his first book in time for Christmas. “Mount Athos, home of the Orthodox”, written in prison, features pictures of him with monks. “Gigi as the world knew him is dead, and born is Gheorghe – the one in whom Christ lives.”
Plus: sad news
Brazil: Model Carol Muniz, 28, on her break-up after a month with FA president Marco Polo Del Nero, 73. “Yes, he’s a wonderful guy, but I’m my own woman. As Marilyn Monroe once said: ‘I have too many fantasies to be a housewife.’”
