The World Cup: Expanded edition.

[Grams and Ounces]

Platini thinks there should be more teams (40 rather than 32) in the world cup. What do you think of this idea?

I think it's an ok idea but I would want some of the meaningless friendlies cut from the calendar as compensation. I also would rather the world cup was just a straight knock-out competition rather than starting with groups but I know that will probably never happen.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24701131

 

[Stopspot]

Why would you want the world cup to be one match elimination matches?

 

[Grams and Ounces]

More excitement, a minnow nation could get lucky and go through against one of the bigger nations, whereas in a group they will more than likely get found out and the usual suspects go through. Gust getting through the first round could then be the catalyst for them to go on a good run.

 

[Jonathan]

Platini and Blatter are absolute jokes to world football. They both have no idea of how the modern game works and are absolutely ruining football.

Also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24634466

The fact he wants to increase a term from 4 years to 8 years and is also hinting he wants to continue in 2015 when he's previously said this term is his last? Fuck him. If it went to 8 years and he continued, he'd be 87 by the time his term ends. He hasn't got a clue now, god knows what he'll be like in 10 years.

 

[Grams and Ounces]

Platini and Blatter are absolute jokes to world football. They both have no idea of how the modern game works and are absolutely ruining football.

Also: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24634466

The fact he wants to increase a term from 4 years to 8 years and is also hinting he wants to continue in 2015 when he's previously said this term is his last? Fuck him. If it went to 8 years and he continued, he'd be 87 by the time his term ends. He hasn't got a clue now, god knows what he'll be like in 10 years.

Blatter is a Joke, I consider Platini to be the lesser of two evils.

I read this column in The Observer on Sundays, http://www.theguardian.com/football/series/saidanddone , there is normally a FIFA or Blatter related part about corruption every week. This week:

• Inquiry of the week: Brazil's government investigating whether Fifa's accommodation agency Match – co-owned by Sepp Blatter's nephew's firm – used "cartel" practices to fix hotel prices, with some rates raised 500%. Match deny wrongdoing.

 

[Jonathan]

Blatter is a Joke, I consider Platini to be the lesser of two evils.

I read this column in The Observer on Sundays, http://www.theguardian.com/football/series/saidanddone , there is normally a FIFA or Blatter related part about corruption every week. This week:

Wow, that's comical. Yeah, I'm sure they didn't change anything, nothing at all... :

 

[Grams and Ounces]

Wow, that's comical. Yeah, I'm sure they didn't change anything, nothing at all... :

You should check it out there are loads of classic FIFA ones :

Line of the week
Fifa.com– on what makes a five-star Mauritius resort the right choice for this month's annual Fifa congress: "The Indian Ocean island location could hardly be more apt, as the representatives of Fifa's 209 associations meet to discuss President Joseph S. Blatter's 2011 congress pledge to 'steer the Fifa boat back into clear, transparent waters'."

• Also making news in Mauritius: FA president and Fifa delegate Dinnanathlall Persunnoo denying wrongdoing after he was secretly recorded appearing to admit match-fixing. Persunnoo: "I was just joking."

Fifa's Jérôme Valcke, asked if the governing body would be sharing its tax-free World Cup profits with clubs negatively affected by the move to a winter 2022 World Cup. "No, no, no. Compensation is a word you should never use."

And some decent bits of foreign news too:

Apology of the week
Brazil: Aparecidense physio Romildo Fonseca – "sincerely sorry" for running on to the pitch to make a double goalline clearance, "although my impulse was effective, and yes, I'd do it again".

Overhaul of the week
Romania: Ionel Ganea, sacking eight of his Cluj players for being money-driven "club grave diggers". Raul Ciupe, one of the eight, told local media: "Ganea runs this club simply through swearing and threats. It's time for us to sue."

Oversight of the week
Argentina: organisers expressing "regret" after a high-profile charity game between Atlético Tucumán and San Martín was called off due to "the pitch having no goalposts, and too much manure". Players played football tennis instead "to please the crowd"