I see that Michel Platini has admitted that trickery was involved in ensuring that Brazil and France did not meet before the final in 1998. They were both the top seeds at the time and were 'allocated' Group A and Group C before the tournament started. If they won their group (which they did) they would not meet until the final. He also has the affront to say 'do we not think the other World Cup organisers don't do it'? Bold as brass eh?

There is no hope for normality in the game if the ex UEFA President admits this and then laughs about it on a radio station in France. It is also reported that he is challenging his 8 year ban from the game in the European Court of Justice (think that is what it is called).

What was it that someone said about cheating L2 ref's over the County. The game is rife with it. The game I love is riddled with corruption and cheating. What we do about it - I have no idea.

Agree Pembs, sadly I fear the tentacles of dishonesty have their grip everywhere. The problem is human nature , I fear there is bias and dishonesty from the top to the bottom of the game we love and that includes the players as well as the officials. The bigger the stage then the bigger the stakes and the World Cup is big business.
As regards our level, my bone of contention is the referees. I think at our level much of the poor decisions are just down to rank incompetence ( which seems to be getting worse ) but I don’t rule out real bias on occasion ( reputation, Welsh club ) - there just seems no explanation otherwise for the truly awful refereeing performances I have witnessed in L2.

Too much money in the game for there not to be any kind of corruption. Although with the hosts/holders seeding thing, France aren't the only host country to arrange the tournament to favour themselves more. Didn't England move all their knockout fixtures to Wembley in 1966?

pembsexile wrote:I see that Michel Platini has admitted that trickery was involved in ensuring that Brazil and France did not meet before the final in 1998. They were both the top seeds at the time and were 'allocated' Group A and Group C before the tournament started. If they won their group (which they did) they would not meet until the final. He also has the affront to say 'do we not think the other World Cup organisers don't do it'? Bold as brass eh?

There is no hope for normality in the game if the ex UEFA President admits this and then laughs about it on a radio station in France. It is also reported that he is challenging his 8 year ban from the game in the European Court of Justice (think that is what it is called).

Not being funny but the hosts are always allocated to a group prior to the draw to assist the host nation with selling tickets for their games (and scheduling them in the biggest grounds etc), and there's nothing particularly dubious about the holders (which was Brazil before the 1998 tournament was played) being allocated the same slot in the other side of the draw for ticketing purposes either. Equally, pretty much every host nation has manipulated the draw in some way to give themselves an advantage and this was no different. Equally, if Brazil or France had come second in their group they'd have played earlier in the tournament.

Platini's trying to make something out of nothing to try and discredit the various FIFA political rivals that have led him to be banned from football administration, and that's about it.

SJG99 wrote:

pembsexile wrote:I see that Michel Platini has admitted that trickery was involved in ensuring that Brazil and France did not meet before the final in 1998. They were both the top seeds at the time and were 'allocated' Group A and Group C before the tournament started. If they won their group (which they did) they would not meet until the final. He also has the affront to say 'do we not think the other World Cup organisers don't do it'? Bold as brass eh?

There is no hope for normality in the game if the ex UEFA President admits this and then laughs about it on a radio station in France. It is also reported that he is challenging his 8 year ban from the game in the European Court of Justice (think that is what it is called).

Not being funny but the hosts are always allocated to a group prior to the draw to assist the host nation with selling tickets for their games (and scheduling them in the biggest grounds etc), and there's nothing particularly dubious about the holders (which was Brazil before the 1998 tournament was played) being allocated the same slot in the other side of the draw for ticketing purposes either. Equally, pretty much every host nation has manipulated the draw in some way to give themselves an advantage and this was no different. Equally, if Brazil or France had come second in their group they'd have played earlier in the tournament.

Platini's trying to make something out of nothing to try and discredit the various FIFA political rivals that have led him to be banned from football administration, and that's about it.

If you believe your last paragraph then he is not exactly helping himself in his appeal to the European Court of Human Rights against his 8 year ban from the game is he?