Columnists Archives - Page 21 of 77 - Inside World Football

Inside Editorial: Different strokes for different folks?

In October 2013, the Daily Telegraph wrote this headline and leader:

“Madcap proposals by Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini to increase World Cup finalists to 40 just do not add up – Sport’s top men claim that world Cup finals should be open to more nations but it is just another political football being kicked about by the hierarchy”

The paper continued to say:

“Under the madcap World Cup expansion plans dreamed up by Sepp Blatter and Michel Platini,

Andrew Warshaw: Turning over the Figo leaf

He can certainly talk a good game – in three languages in fact. And if prizes were given for glossy manifestos he would already have the keys to Sepp Blatter’s private office in Zurich.

Matt Scott

Matt Scott: English football’s Dutch Disease risk – PL clubs should take care to diversify

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“I don’t want to be a thief of my own wallet.” Johan Cruyff

It is hard to imagine the nation that produced Johan Cruyff, Marco van Basten and Dennis Bergkamp ever giving its name to something negative in football. But then Dutch Disease is an economic concept.

Lee Wellings

Lee Wellings: Internal affair for FIFA presidential candidates

The FIFA Presidential election has absolutely nothing to do with public support, or indeed media backing. Around two fifths of nine tenths of NOTHING. I reiterate that after an in-depth Talk To Al Jazeera interview to be aired over next few weeks with Prince Ali, the candidate considered the main challenger to Sepp Blatter.

Archive

David Owen: Why cutting Premier League ticket prices might not be such a good idea

Capitalism and popular culture do not always make comfortable bedfellows, especially when the bed is football. The Premier League’s new £5.1 billion domestic TV rights deal has brought calls for lower ticket prices.

Martin Volkmar: Neuer Druck auf den Rekordmann der DFL New TV blueprint for the DFL record breaker

Im Februar 2005 trat noch ein recht junger Mann seinen Dienst bei der Deutschen Fußball-Liga an, den bis dahin in der Szene kaum einer kannte. Zehn Jahre später ist das völlig anders: Christian Seifert gilt national wie international als Gesicht des Höhenflugs der Bundesliga.

Matt Scott

Matt Scott: Clubs run reckless risk as revenues rise with so much resting on unprotected players

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“I read a stat the other day that Burnley are bigger economically than Ajax.” Richard Scudamore, Premier League chief executive

The announcement that broadcast rights for Premier League football will soon be worth £1.712 billion (€2.317bn, US$2.633bn) every year in the domestic UK market alone must have caused a flood of mixed emotions for club executives across Europe.

Andrew Warshaw: African rollercoaster that delights…and dismays

The Africa Cup of Nations is not some fly-by-night, irrelevant competition. It is the continent’s equivalent of the European Championship finals, the Copa America, the Gold Cup or the Asian Cup.

Massimo Cecchini

Massimo Cecchini: Antonio Conte – un uomo solo al comando, Conte – a lonely command

Non è bastato il gesto della scorsa settimana – rinunciare allo stage per la Nazionale – per farsi ascoltare dai padroni del calcio italiano. Dopo le decisioni della Lega di Serie A del 6 febbraio, Antonio Conte è sempre di più un uomo solo al comando, dove ormai è doveroso mettere l’accento più sulla parola “solo” che su quella “comando”.

Archive

Inside Editorial: Cut them some slack – they already have some leeway

The mountain has given birth to three mice. What started out as a solid promise to “dismantle the FIFA monster”, has taken on the characteristics of playground posturing and classroom semantics.

Matt Scott

Matt Scott: MLS digital media deal is a new road for rights holders and sponsors to travel

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“Your sons and your daughters are beyond your command. Your old road is rapidly agein’. Please get out of the new one if you can’t lend a hand. For the times they are a-changin’.” Bob Dylan

For the past 20 years football has had a very healthy and profitable relationship with pay-tv. This will be underlined once more over the next 24 hours or so when the Premier League makes its announcement over the result of the auction it has being holding for its UK rights.

Andrew Warshaw: Football questions for football’s questioner?

“Are there any questions about football?” asked a tired-looking Prince Ali, perhaps more in hope than expectation, after answering yet another about his FIFA presidential credentials as he blinked into a phalanx of whirring cameras.

Archive

Dr Laila Mintas: Is this the end of CAS arbitration?

In 2009 the German speed skater Claudia Pechstein intended to participate in the World Speed Skating Championships organized by ISU (International Skating Union). A condition of entry was that all participating athletes were obliged to sign an arbitration agreement providing for arbitration before the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). This agreement was in line with the regulations of the ISU which contain – as do most of the regulations of the Olympic International Federations including FIFA – an arbitration clause that acknowledges CAS as the competent court.

Mihir Bose

Mihir Bose: How Blatter has split Europe

Whatever happens in the FIFA Presidential election one thing is already clear. Sepp Blatter has split Europe wide open. The most powerful and richest confederation in world football, whose leagues dominate the game and whose prize competition, the Champions League, is the greatest club competition in the world, cannot agree on a candidate to oppose the Swiss. Already 11 of the 54 national associations of UEFA are publicly pledged to three different rivals of Blatter: Michael van Praag,

Archive

David Owen: A tale of two elections

FIFA isn’t the only International Sports Federation (IF) with a Presidential election on at the moment. And, looking at the way the campaign for the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) Presidency has started, it is hard not to conclude that world football’s governing body has a few lessons to learn.