Trollheart

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Trollheart

This is just ****ing hilarious as well as facepalm. One of our respected Irish ex-players, Ronnie Whelan, says something along the lines of this last night after the match: "If the money (five mil) had gone through some Cayman Islands untraceable account, and worked its way into the FAI account, now THAT would be corruption. But this: this went directly into their account." When his partner on the panel (also an ex-international) said "So the only difference that matters to you is how it gets there?" he responded with "Sure you're surely not saying we're the only country it happened with?" Just as Richie, the other player, was saying "Two wrongs don't make a right and you can't just say it's ok because others are doing it", the program came to an end. I wish I could have heard Ronnie Whelan's response! Stupid ****er apologist.

The CEO of the FAI has to go now. He's been on record as saying how disgraceful Blatter and FIFA's behaviour is (and he's right) but you can't say that and then accept what was, let's be honest, a bribe not to kick up a fuss about a decision we all know should have gone the other way. His position is untenable, no matter what his bosses say. Watch this space.

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Cuthbert

Na tbh TH I genuinely was unaware of this incident. I dunno why they took that 5 mil to be honest would have thought it would be peanuts to the FAI.

Unless it went directly into a handful of people's bank accounts?

Trollheart

Trouble is, now we have forever forfeited the right to complain about it. People will only say "Ah shut up! Weren't ye paid to keep yer mouths shut?" I feel dirty. They're talking about it having gone partway to building the new Aviva Stadium. ****ign great! How are the fans all meant to feel now, when we know that the stadium was built with dirty money?
John Delaney may face Oireachtas questioning - RTÉ Sport

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Cuthbert

I still don't get it. That ground cost 410m Euros to build and they took a 5m bribe? Why do that. I can understand if the money went into the accounts of FAI individuals but not if it was the FAI's money:

Surely they weren't skint if they were financing that ground. 5m would probably have only just about paid for one of the dressing rooms.

The fact they were offered a bribe suggests they had a case, if they'd have fought to overturn the decision and qualified for the WC, the prize money for making the groups would actually have been more than the bribe

2010 FIFA World Cup - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

FTR though I don't think they would have won. It was a handball but if you replayed games every time an incorrect decision was given then we'd never get anywhere.

Trollheart

It doesn't matter if only ten thousand went into the building; it's still bribe money and it's like one dodgy brick used in a great building, could cause the whole lot to fall. Rotten foundations, ya know? I should make it clear, Whelan was not quoting fact when he mentioned how the money was used, to my knowledge: it was more a case of "probably happened this way".

As to the handball, I agree, but when a blatant (and I mean ****ing BLATANT!) handball like that stops one country from getting to the WC then I think the issue could very much have been raised, esp as it was France, one of the ones expected to have been there, and it has been said that perhaps this was purposely overlooked for the prestige of a greater nation and for the revenue. I don't know how true that is, but either way, whether we had a case or not, we could have made it very embarrassing for FIFA, which is why I think Blatter offered the bribe. And we grabbed it with our greedy Irish hands, eyes slanting sideways and whispering "This never happened."

****ing disgrace, and a huge blow to the integrity of Irish international football.

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Chula Vista

Your avatar just gained even more poignancy.

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“The fact that we live at the bottom of a deep gravity well,
on the surface of a gas covered planet going around a nuclear fireball 90 million miles away
and think this to be normal is obviously some indication of how skewed our perspective tends to be.”

Trollheart

Yeah, Monty would say it was a disgrace that it was such a piddling small amount. "Five million? Pah! I keep five million in my back pocket, just in case I need to pick up anything when I go out. Like what? Perhaps a small corporation, a struggling family concern, the odd law firm ... heck, you never know what might take your fancy when you're out a-strolling..."

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Cuthbert

Russia & Qatar 'may have bought votes' - BBC Sport

They're gonna lose Qatar at this rate. Reckon Russia is too close to do anything.

Nurse Duckett

Both of them should have the WC taken from them, there's almost three years before the next world cup, more than enough time for several European countries to arrange a WC. If they bribed their way to getting the WC they should have it taken from them. The English system deals with a WC every Saturday afternoon during the season, I honestly believe England could plan a WC tournament in under 8 hours that's how easy it'd be.

The Ireland/France handball thing has happened loads of times in the past, or something very similar to it, the England goal in the 66 final and the Lampard goal against Germany are both very similar incidents. All three of these incidents could have been sorted at the time with the use of technology. The Henry handball and the Lampard goal just needed the referee to look at the huge screen in the stadium, problem solved, but they're not allowed to, how backwards is that. Goal line technology and a referee that is allowed to communicate would solve most issues.

Can someone please show me how having a WC in Africa helped the locals, apparently that's why FIFA choose places like Africa and Qatar, to help the local economy for years to come and to improve grass roots football in those countries. If you can find one bit of help the WC money has brought to S African grass roots football please let me know.

FIFA needs scrapping completely, there's no need for it at all, i honestly believe the work done by FIFA could be done by 3 people in full time jobs.

I'm amazed that some people are shocked by the bribery allegations, they must live under a fecking rock or on Venus or something, Ive know for at least two decades how bent FIFA are. I wouldn't allow a German, Italian or a Russian to run FIFA, they cant help themselves they are inherently bent.


ps. I watched a bit of the womens WC, doesn't matter how much they hype it and yes im sure there are sections of the dumbed down that will believe its every bit as good as mens football, but it isn't, its slow and dull. Apparently the USA womens team played a warm up game against a team of 17 year old males, lost and conceded eight goals. Yes women should play football, but lets be honest about it and not pretend its any good.