You ain’t in Kansas anymore Dorothy. Back in the day, international sports integrity conferences – like Play the Game, happening right now in Colorado Springs – were jovial affairs where independent journalists, saddened whistle-blowers and beleaguered sports officials could meet, chat, drink and sometimes dance. Now, everything has changed. Sports are battle grounds of geopolitical … Continue reading How to Survive an International Sports Integrity Conference
Tag Archives: Qatar
Poor, Old Qatar: labour conditions and the compromised fight against match-fixing
The timing could not be better. Just as the sporting world endures another hot-air session a.k.a. an international conference on match-fixing sponsored by the Qatar 2022 World Cup Committee, out comes a new report on labour conditions in Qatar and the building of the World Cup infrastructure and stadiums. The report, by the external company charged by … Continue reading Poor, Old Qatar: labour conditions and the compromised fight against match-fixing
Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way
After reading – Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way – you feel dirty. It is like bathing in a pool of scummy water for hours, but is nonetheless a fascinating story from a former insider of the FIFA world. Bonita Mersiades was a senior executive in the Football Federation of Australia … Continue reading Whatever It Takes: The Inside Story of the FIFA Way
Why Neymar is Cheap at 220 Million Euro
It is not about the sport. The sporting giants like Jürgen Klopp and Arsène Wenger have weighed in to denounce the transfer of Barcelona’s Brazilian star Neymar for 220 million Euro to Paris Saint-Germain. They claim it is against the spirit of sport and is “beyond rationality”. Their rival José Mourinho at Manchester United, somewhat, … Continue reading Why Neymar is Cheap at 220 Million Euro
Secret Transcripts of the Middle East Soccer Argument
There is an argument going up and down the halls of power in Washington. No, it has nothing (well, not directly) to do with Donald Trump. Rather on one side are keen, hungry FBI agents and their Department of Justice counterparts. These police and prosecutors are usually clothed in dark suits, dresses with shoulder pads … Continue reading Secret Transcripts of the Middle East Soccer Argument
The Greatest Case of Commercial Blindness in the History of Sports Integrity
There are all kinds of examples of inappropriate blindness. There was Captain Smith of the SS Titanic not seeing the iceberg. There was Admiral Nelson putting the telescope to his eye patch not to see the signal to retreat. There was Johnny Papalia the mafia thug who beat up the head of Toronto’s illegal gambling … Continue reading The Greatest Case of Commercial Blindness in the History of Sports Integrity
How to Investigate Sports Corruption without upsetting the Senior Executives
Lets judge them using their own words. Today, (October 7) the Qatari-sponsored International Centre for Sports Security (ICSS) prepares to officially launch another alphabet soup of an organisation – the Sports Integrity Global Alliance (SIGA) or possibly they will announce a shift in their own organization’s deck chairs while attempting to convince the sports world … Continue reading How to Investigate Sports Corruption without upsetting the Senior Executives
60 Minutes Sport, the Qataris & the Tobacco Industry
There used to be a public health phenomena called Sick Building Syndrome (SBS). Workers in Qatar The idea was that dirty ducts and air vents inside modern buildings were making people sick. In the early 1990s, SBS was linked to lung cancer, asthma and a number of respiratory diseases. Medical conferences were held. Academic journal … Continue reading 60 Minutes Sport, the Qataris & the Tobacco Industry
2 Farces, Turkish Nightmare & Infantino’s Blatter-Lite FIFA
It was not a good week for sport. The Turkish nightmare continues. There are strange doings, as usual, in Singapore and Qatar. However, the big story is that Gianni Infantino’s FIFA has now become a Blatter-Lite FIFA: the same organisation, only with better table manners for the media. The key issue is the resignation … Continue reading 2 Farces, Turkish Nightmare & Infantino’s Blatter-Lite FIFA
7 Reasons to see The Program
Stephen Frears film The Program about Lance Armstrong’s doping to win the Tour de France has just opened to near unanimous negative reviews and public neglect. This is too bad. It is a superb film and should be watched by anyone with an interest in sports. Some points: 1. Ben Foster’s performance of Lance Armstrong … Continue reading 7 Reasons to see The Program
