David Owen: Blatter’s pledge for World Cup vote reform is clever but will it change anything?

David Owen(3)

It would have been hard for the candidates in FIFA’s Presidential election to avoid the subject of World Cup vote reform.

And in fairness to Joseph Blatter, his latest proposals came as a direct response to an interviewer’s question.

Nonetheless, several points need to be made about the FIFA President’s “positive solution” for preventing a repetition of the “uncomfortable experience I had here in Zurich on 2 December”.

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Blaquart suspended over French quota row

Blaquart

By David Gold

April 30 – François Blaquart, the National Technical Director of the French Football Federation (FFF), has been suspended over plans to implement a quota restricting the number of black and north African players in French youth academies.

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Alan Hubbard: Cameron must stick to his guns as Robertson comes under fire from the football lobby

ALAN HUBBARD PLEASE USE THIS ONE(1)

David Cameron may bold enough to bomb Colonel Gaddafi but has he got the bottle to take on his own country’s football lobby?

I raise the question because of growing concern that the same back-stabbing cabal which did for Kate Hoey as Labour’s sports minister ten years ago apparently has it in for present Tory incumbent Hugh Robertson.

There is no doubt that the long knives are out for the minister,

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