Blatter was more like a black person dressed in a white colour

Dennis Keagile | Friday October 30, 2015 14:47

The majority of these men I must say were either cowards or they only saw Blatter as a colossus than one they could not challenge. The majority I must think had strong confidence and conviction in his leadership.

For the less developed countries, Blatter was more like a black person dressed in a white colour. The Europeans, led by the Union of European Football Association (UEFA), could only murmur or whisper. England, who were bitter at not getting the rights to host the 2022 World Cup, cried the loudest but little did they know they were being stabbed in the back by the very federation they  thought supports them. Now Blatter has come out in the open to say Michel Platini sold out both the United States and England.  Blatter says the 22 person executive committee had made an understanding that 2022 World Cup will be staged in America but the likes of Platini and four others somersaulted to vote for Qatar much to the chagrin of the USA. According to Blatter, very few people wanted England to host the event hence the English could not even go beyond the first round.

Now, what really is the battle for the FIFA presidency for? At face value, people talk about reforms and rooting out corruption but is this the real motive? The answer is a big NO! The real battle is for the control of FIFA, motivated largely by economic interests. And it is now obvious that UEFA, the richest federation in the world, owing to the fact that the majority of its members come from well-developed countries, want to wrestle control of FIFA.

When signs were clear that Platini may not make it, the organisation sponsored its Italian-born secretary general to contest for the presidency.

This is desperation at its best. Why can’t UEFA support Jordanian-born Prince Ali bin al-Hussein as it did when he challenged Blatter in May after Platini had declined?

This is a clear sign of lack of sincerity from UEFA. I pray that hopefully Africa and the Caribbean will be smart enough to read beyond this facade. Yes we all agree that FIFA has been corrupt generally at all levels but there is also a feeling that Blatter’s real crime is his failure to pander to the whims of the European, that is, play the geopolitical games hence I say he was a black person wearing a white colour.

Blatter has been a pain in the neck for Europe by resisting many political pressures from the likes of the USA and other countries.

He has always wanted politicians to stay away from the game as he resisted USA demands to throw out Iran out of the 2006 World Cup games. I therefore call on the Botswana Football Association (BFA), and Africa and the other less developed countries to be smart in picking a candidate.

 Anyone from UEFA would be detrimental, but I also know that the western media will come down like a tonne of bricks should it not get the presidency.  For the only country with the capacity to fight the Europeans is South Africa because it also has a strong and vociferous media albeit being controlled mostly by whites hence anything that is black controlled will always attract strict scrutiny from angles. Africa has to speak with one voice and not sell its soul wholesome to the Europeans. There is a lot to gain and lose and chances are that if UEFA take control of FIFA it might take long to make any meaningful change for Africa.

Interestingly, Europe is seen generally as being dependent on South America and Africa for football talent and of late Asia for television audiences. Most European clubs have a God-like status in Asia hence the fight to harness or control all this, and this can only be done by UEFA. The BFA and Africa therefore ought to look at this with a microscope before casting their votes.

 

Zebras donations

I read with great interest that the BFA and Nicholas Zakhem, the majority shareholder in Gaborone United, who recently gave the Zebras P50,000 as incentive to beat Burkina Faso seem not to agree on certain protocols. It is important not to adopt some cowboy mentality or conduct. I am one person who loathe the tendency to come with loads of money at the stadium to give to players as incentives. I want to see a dignified manner of giving out such gifts; maybe giving the money to the appropriate authority to hand over to the players.

 I also fail to understand how other technical people are overlooked like the team’s physical trainer, coach and the medic just to mention but a few. A team is not only made up of players, but there are other people who contribute a lot to the player’s success hence it is always said you lose and win as a team. There is therefore a need to respect the structures that we have put in place than try to skirt around them.

 

beMOBILE Premiership

By beating Mochudi Centre Chiefs 3-2 to open an eight-point gap at the top from the defending champions, Rollers might have effectively knocked off Chiefs from the league race. Chiefs did not recruit wisely in the off season as it has Dirang Moloi, Tendai Nyumasi and Mkhanyiseli Siwahla who to me is almost like having one type of player. Instead, Magosi should have added some pace upfront so as to confuse opponents but currently it is easy to plan for them as the team generally play a low paced game.  However, it is worth noting that this is a marathon and there could be twists and turns but it is for Rollers to lose.