The Football and Politics Blog

In an earth shattering and landmark announcement, Minister James Purnell stated in the House of Commons today that the major cause of poverty is ‘not having enough money’.

It is a relief to know that such great thinkers and shapers are in charge of the UK government.

Well that was one of the best games of tennis I ever saw. Both Nadal and Federer played outstanding tennis, even in the twilight and after 4 hours exertions. Normally I think tennis is a game better played than watched on TV, but the Wimbledon 2008 final, rain breaks and all, was a marathon of nerve tingling, great shot playing excitement.

Federer says he will be back next year, if he can match the strokes he conjured up in this years final, I may have to watch Wimbledon again next year. And Nadal, well he completed a grand slam for Spain this year, who appear to have overtaken Italy as the great European sporting nation.

Wouldn’t it be nice if an English player won Wimbledon. How long to wait?

Just about every conceivable variation of reality tv show has been tried now. And I say enough is enough. The original charter of the BBC, simple but wise, should be returned to. Educate, entertain and inform. It may sound banal and old fashioned, but the way society is fragmenting it’s time to get serious about it.

Informing programs have been squeezed into little half hour spots, unbalancing the BBC and commercial TV schedules. A well researched documentary can cover all three words of the charter. Wish I was head of the BBC, there’d be some changes! I know Big Brother is shown on commercial tv, but the BBC has downgraded so much of its program output, it’s as though the program makers think the entire population are uneducated morons. Ring the changes, TV executives!

Take a look at the quarter finalists and semi finalists of the Euro 2008 football finals in Switzerland and Austria, and one thing is clear, the quality of football in Eastern Europe is going up and up. Turkey, Croatia, Russia all in the quarter finals, Turkey and Russia in the semi finals.

Calls now for Russia’s Arshavin to be sold to a premier league team in England, but Zenit St Petersburg, Arshavin’s owners will have other ideas. There is big money in Russian football now, GAZPROM et al are priming the pumps and quality footballers are now being churned out by formerly selling clubs.

Traditional football powers in Europe like Italy and Holland take note, there are new kids on the block, and they don’t come from Western Europe. What a great competition it has been , the Euro 2008 finals have been so much easier to watch without the participation, WAGS and all of the over the top in everything except practicing football, team of England.

Regarding professional English football, is rolling up at 10am in ones Porsche, doing an hour or so practice,  then finished before lunch really the right way go?

Well Platini may have said that the absence of England at the football Euro 2008 championships meant nothing to him, but I bet for many England fans these finals have been far less stressful and more enjoyable to watch. Instead of agonising about how poor England are, we can actually have a lot of fun at other nations squirming while their future is sorted out on the field.

It should be possible that with ten English players on the field at the Champions league final in Moscow, a half decent coach should be able to get the national football team into the semi finals of Euro 2008, minimum. Roll on the 2010 world cup, and more agony for English fans. Football eh, it just doesn’t make sense. 

In the latest outburst by UEFA, president Platini singled out Man Utd and Chelsea for using debt to finance success ‘at all costs’. Why no mention of clubs like Real Madrid who have used debt for years to buy players, remember how they managed to pay for David Beckham by incorporating large debt?

The worrying aspect is that the two clubs Platini singled out are owned by Jewish families, Man Utd with the Glaziers and Chelsea with Abramovich. Why did Michel name only these two clubs? Is there a touch of anti-semitism here? OK,  they were the ones who contested the Champions League final while Platini was pictured glowering from the stands, surrounded by a phalanx of UEFA top officials, a picture that resembled a mafia like family from the Godfather, but they only follow on from what has been the norm in Spain and Italy for years.

When top football bodies allow anti semitic comments from officials like Platini, whilst not even mentioning the corruption within UEFA which should be his gambit, they should remember it is an English game. The English invented football, which provides Platini’s livelihood, a little respect is due, not the constant hateful comments, don’t you think?