Matt Scott: Who would pay for Champagne’s new FIFA republic?

“The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men.” Plato, The Republic

Since the earliest days of democracy, political apathy has carried a price. In the UK, bizarre though it still seems, the price of a low voter turnout and diminished engagement with the political process was a £1,645 claim for a “floating duck island” by a member of the British parliament and knight of the realm.

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Collymore cracks and demands tougher Twitter action on social media trolls

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By Tom Parsons
January 23 – Stan Collymore has called for Twitter to make it their responsibility to take action against those who send abusive and racist Tweets. The former Liverpool star turned media pundit has been subjected to offensive tweets over a long period of time and has finally decided enough is enough and quit the social network all together – he returned to the social network later in the day.

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French giant PSG surges up football’s money league

loadsamoney

By David Owen
January 23 – Paris Saint-Germain’s meteoric, Qatar-fuelled surge to the top table of European football is highlighted today by publication of the 2012-13 Deloitte Football Money League. The table, a simple ranking of the world’s top 20 clubs by revenue, has PSG at number five, below only the two Spanish giants, European champions Bayern Munich and Manchester United – and above Manchester City, the other club most palpably boosted by Gulf funding,

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South African fury as team exits Chan at group stages

Jacob Zuma

By Ben Nicholson
January 22 – As hosts South Africa exit the African Nations Championship (Chan) amid recriminations and criticism that have even drawn South African president Jacob Zuma (pictured) into the debate, the local organisers have announced prize money of R34 million (3.1 million) for the tournament.

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Ossie Ardiles injured in Falklands car crash while on TV documentary shoot

Ardiles and Villa

January 22 – Former Argentine World Cup star Osvaldo Ardiles says he is “fine and doing well” after being admitted to hospital following a car crash in the Falkland Islands. Ardiles, 61, became a legend not only in his country after Argentina’s 1978 World Cup triumph but also at Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur where is regarded as one of the all-time greats, winning both the FA Cup and Uefa Cup.

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