Columnists Archives - Page 49 of 78 - Inside World Football

Mihir Bose: Football must watch out for the dangers of technology, just look at cricket

Have we got technology wrong? I speak as one who has always believed that sport should use technology. Yet the events in the first Ashes Test between England and Australia have made me think that technology may be becoming a sporting monster. I am well aware that the use of technology in football bears no relation to cricket, given how different the two games are. But the question is how far do you allow technology to decide events on the field of play.

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Inside Insight: Qatar’s heat most felt in England?

Not an easy thing to figure all of this out, admittedly. When Qatar won the hosting rights over several rival bidders who were pretty sure that they would have beaten the peninsular state in the middle of the Middle East, there was plenty of crying about alleged foul play.

Several investigations later, be they internal, overt or covert, executed by ‘official investigators’ (such as chief FIFA investigator Garcia, who, one hears, is about to throw in the towel in favour of kitchen utensils,

Jean Francois Tanda

Jean Francois Tanda: European court decision is for the Good of the Game

Football belongs to everyone. That’s basically the outcome of the recent decision by the European Court of Justice that ruled against the two football governing bodies, FIFA and UEFA. Formalistically, the case was about Belgium and the UK. Both countries had decided to declare football World Cups and European championships as ‘events of major importance’ and as such have to be broadcast on free TV channels. FIFA and UEFA both tried to avoid this decision,

John Yan

John Yan: 不能容忍的灰色地带 A Tacit-Understanding Match

不能容忍的灰色地带

经过伪职业足球在中国二十年的教育，我逐渐学会了辨析”假球”和”默契球”这些专有名词之间的细微差别，甫一听到都感觉不可思议且义愤填膺，对于那些骗子掮客，绳之以法是刻不容缓的。然而这样的场景一再重现——十多年前，”渝沈之战，绝对假球！”这样的标题，让我无比震撼，可是震撼完了之后，哪怕我们都没忘记这样比赛的存在，我们也只能在无可奈何中继续承受着。

所以社会公认：球迷是中国最苦逼的群落。现实的不堪与肮脏，或许你还能找到一些办法排遣和缓释，可足球本来是给大家一个闲暇时聚众的机会、让社会群落在聚众的环境下找回部分心理平衡，然而中国足球显然只有让你心理更严重失衡的作用。

如此的弄虚作假，光天化日之下进行，手段拙劣嚣张，所以有人说天津辽宁这样的”默契球”，”比’假球’技术含量低多了”。在严格的职业足球环境里，这样的职业比赛，呈现给观众的就是一种具备观赏价值和地域归属感的产品，从而换取观众支付的门票现金、通过电视观看的收视率，并且将这些关注度在第二级市场上形成转化，得到广告赞助收入。社会契约关系，是职业体育商品化的属性组成。天津辽宁的比赛，倘若被认定是”默契球”，那么就是对所有观看这场比赛的现场观众、电视观众以及中超乃至足球所有观众的一次欺骗。这样的欺骗，本质上和售贩假冒伪劣产品，有何差别？

Osasu Obayiuwana

Osasu Obayiuwana: What do footballers owe themselves?

Louis Paul Mfede, the influential, classy midfielder in the Cameroonian side that reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup, died last month, at the relatively young age of 52.

But as sad – and shocking – as his demise was, the cause of his passing is far more surprising. Mfede died of a lung infection, which he was unable to treat at a Yaoundé hospital, because he could no longer pay for his hospital treatment.

Andrew Warshaw: Qatar 2022 – Winter Rules apply

So now we finally know where we stand on the 2022 World Cup. More importantly, so does Qatar.

Six months ago, I wrote that every time FIFA was asked whether it would sanction a winter tournament, it gave the same answer: only if Qatar, as host nation, officially requested it. I also wrote that every time you posed the same question to the Qataris, you also got the same answer: only if they were formally asked to switch by FIFA.

Lee Wellings

Lee Wellings: It’s Women’s Euros…Not a debate on the Euro

Are you watching the women’s European football championships?

If you have access to it why not? It’s a question that interests me but, more importantly, it will tax those who have been trying to increase interest in Europe and beyond.

In revisiting this subject, first let me give you the good news. The quality of the football has been pleasing. Not life changing, not Brazil 82, not Barcelona or Bayern no,

Jean Francois Tanda

Jean Francois Tanda: “The world has gone mad, football is even crazier”

In European football, off-season is high season for football agents trying to sell their players to clubs for loads of money. So far, this year’s high season has been a successful one. Falcao left Atlético Madrid for €60 million to join new French First League Club Monaco. Neymar left his home country Brazil to continue his career with Barcelona. The Catalans paid €57 million. In the last few days, Paris St-Germain confirmed the transfer of Uruguay’s international player Edinson Cavani from Naples.

Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose: English football – where the American Dream is alive and kicking

A foreign owner jetting in to buy a club always produces the same response. The fans hope he will be another Roman Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour. Then reality sets in and the fans, who so enthusiastically welcomed the new owner, act like jilted lovers and cannot contain their anger. So how should the Fulham fans treat Florida-based Shahid Khan’s purchase of Fulham?

The first thing to be said is the sale was no surprise.

Andrew Warshaw: Fulham, the latest club to fall into American hands

What do Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Fulham have in common? Okay, they are all members of English Premier League but that’s not the answer I’m looking for.

The answer I’m looking for is they are also now controlled by American owners or majority shareholders, Fulham being the latest to join that particular ‘club’ for a reported £200m.

Not so long ago, the notion that almost a third of top-flight English clubs would be in American hands 13 years into the new millennium would have been dismissed as fanciful given the fact that professional football,

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Inside Insight: That NSA Thing

The world has gone totally mad, hasn’t it? Ever since the “US citizen-without-a-passport”, Edward Snowden, went public and gradually released his material about global spying, institutionalized by US and UK spooks at the NSA and GCHQ, a storm of aggression has hit him and the US alike.

Meanwhile, in a parallel universe (and somewhat ridiculous to compare with issues of real concern), a handful of people continue digging and investigating for a very handsome fee –

John Yan

John Yan: Reform the CFA or Dismiss the CFA 足协剥离，生吞活剥

足协剥离，生吞活剥

任何一条和中国足球体制改革的新闻，哪怕新闻源头很有些问题，都会让不少人兴奋，都会激起各种YY式的遐想和评论，因为在这个话题方向上，我们关注的不仅仅是中国足球，其实更是一种社会新闻的关注。

所以当”中国足协将和体育总局剥离、高层指示剔除行政指令”这样的标题出现时，我也被裹挟进入大众YY的洪流中，虽然我觉得这标题已经很可笑——高层指示剔除行政指令？这样的”指示”，本身是否也属于”行政指令”？新闻的诞生，来自于《足球报》，但是对于新闻源缺乏描述——这我们也早已习惯了，对于中国社会任何涉及到体制改革的话题，新闻源头都只能靠猜以及意会。只是新闻本身除了标题吓人以外，实质性内容毫无新鲜感。

改革就是管办分离，给中国足协真正的协会身份，不再以政府行政部门方式管理中国足球，彻底放权中国足协管理中国足球，不再让体育总局过多干预。报道言之凿凿，连未来机构设置调整，都有一些细节安排，并且援引一名足协人士感慨说：”这是中国足球最大的利好消息，1比5的学费总算没有白交。”

说来道去，无非是高层又不满了，领导又震怒了，看上去和许家印”1比5让我忍无可忍是耻辱”一个意思。于是要改革，而且是领导决定要改革。但是对于”领导”这个概念的理解，产生了多重复杂性：这当中既包括体育总局的领导，又包括体育总局领导的领导，可能还有更上面的领导的领导。

我不相信这样的改革能取得成功，甚至连向前挪动一步的可能性都不太具备，这明显是在为足协诿过，回避了中国足协本身能力低下，浮沉于体制之内，早已失去对一个市场化程度最高的职业运动项目的管理能力。领导怒了，要改革，但倘若改革如此进行的话，其实是保护了足协——不让国家体育总局更多行政干预足球事务管理，这样的思路未必错误，只是”放权让中国足协管理中国足球”的决定，会不会让人啼笑皆非？

这个机构的颟邗无能，已经得到了十多年来连绵不断失败的证明，不仅在国家队成绩上，而是在职业联赛管理、青少年足球普及、业余足球推广、市场拓展和内部廉洁等全方面的失败。一个机构如果溃烂至此，肯定不仅仅是因为几个为头的腐败堕落，而是从上至下遍布的问题。足协老大的位置，王俊生阎世铎算是安全着陆，谢亚龙南勇锒铛入狱，韦迪走得虽然凄惶，至少没有牢狱之灾，如今的张剑噤若寒蝉、无话可说。他们懂或者不懂行，所有决定的执行，都是通过足协中下层去执行的，以为拿掉一个老大，就能正本清源？

就像一惨败，就震怒，就”必须改革”一样，这更是政治反应，而不是真正为了提高中国足球。将”改革”的大旗打起来，又何尝不是新的一次危机公关、视线转移，让大家不再去顶着615惨败背后的原因，让大家暂且忘掉连年失败的凋敝，重新描画一张新的大饼。

615惨败的三大疑问依旧在那里飘荡着：有没有国脚消极比赛做掉卡马乔的可能？有没有俱乐部控制球员消极比赛的可能？有没有赌博集团操控比赛的可能？足协高层屡屡做出错误决定，那么中下层执行过程中，又是怎样去操作的，他们具备管理足球的能力吗？

前事尽忘，后事何师？解决不了眼皮底下的谜团，任何改革，都只是生吞活剥的画饼充

Reform the CFA or Dismiss the CFA

Not a single day passes without some new drama in Chinese football, the only thing that remains the same low competitive level and the mystifying football management talks.

Former Team China manager Camacho’s legal team is still in deadlock with CFA for his contract compensation payment,

Lee Wellings

Lee Wellings: Who needs transfer trash talk?

Remember when Diego Maradona signed for Tottenham in the late 1980s?

No neither do I, but I do remember the tabloid newspaper back page claiming the deal was done.

And I remember the same reporter coming up with transfer stories a few desks away that led me to the simple conclusion; he was dealing in fiction.

Transfer trash talk has got a much bigger audience now. The combined weight of football and social media has turned millions –

Osasu Obayiuwana

Osasu Obayiuwana: Egypt takes another uncertain turn

As the ‘cradle of civilisation’ remains trapped in the maelstrom of another political crisis, following the removal of Mohamed Morsi, Egypt’s first democratically elected president, from office last Wednesday, football – yet to recover from the consequences of the 2011 uprising that toppled Hosni Mubarak – has been sucker-punched yet again.

With just one round of the regular national championship left to play, before the start of the decisive four-team title play-off involving Ahly,

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David Owen: Why Turkish Airlines boss finds delight in Dortmund

A summer Thursday on the shores of Lake Geneva. I am in a salon in Lausanne’s plush Palace hotel talking to Temel Kotil, President and chief executive of Turkish Airlines.

We are just days away from the curtain being drawn on the airline’s sponsorship of Manchester United, arguably the world’s favourite football club (Aeroflot have become the club’s sponsor). Yet I don’t think I have ever met a business leader so bursting with enthusiasm about the effect sporting partnerships can have on multinational companies.