Football is Corrupt

[Nuclear Spoon]

This is probably just me being a cynical bastard, but there you go. I'll try and split this up into sections.

Role Models
You always hear about "Oh, soandso's a good role model", but to be honest, a lot of them aren't. Take Rooney for example, he's a very talented player, but if too many people try to be like him, we're screwed. He's managed to become famous and rich without the slightest contribution to society, and by kicking a ball around (I suppose this accounts for most football players). He probably doesn't have 2 GCSEs to rub together either. I think that any player that swears or commits an act of violence should be banned for the rest of the season.

Money
I suppose you saw this coming from a mile away, but there you go. Football players get payed far too much, everyone knows this, including them. "Just because they can" is a pathetic excuse for paying the wages they get. Soldiers are being payed around 15k a year for dying for their country, footballers are getting payed 50k a week for kicking a ball. Transfer fees are also ridiculous. A player's contract shouldn't be worth more than 50k.

The FA
Are a bunch of senile twats. Too weak to face up to people that should be afraid of them. Fined Chelsea, what was it, 300k, for whatever they did wrong? That's no more than tuppence to them. There'd be no harm in fining them £30m. Same goes for Mourinho and Cole. They should also pluck up some guts to sack Eriksson. England are going nowhere under him, yet they just sweep it under the carpet.

[/endrant]

Now I must go, because my internet time has expired and my blood sugar levels are high.

[Captain]

How does this make football corrupt?

Corrupt

Dishonest. Marked by immorality and perversion.

None of that stuff is dis-honest or immoral and certainly not perversive.

[jonffm]

*sigh*

1) Most footballing role-models are just that. I never would have stuck at playing football every day without fail for at least an hour if I wasn't inspired by my boyhood heros like Shearer and Gazza. It doesn't matter if they are actually shit people. Gazza wasn't perfect, and everybody knew that, but in the end, the overwhelming power that is football over-rules all of that. All that matters is that second of inspiration on the pitch. Take 'pool for example. Our bravery and courage in the CL has over doubled our fan-base, and everyones saying how we're their 'heros'. Football inspires, and is one of those things in life that doesn't need a huge brain, which is why millions of kids take faith from the fact thatyou can be the thickest person in britain, and still come out on top.

2) Football is the sport of kings. All the richest folk in tyhe world with more than a passing interest in sport have some chips at the table when it comes to footy. It's like a giant game of chess, played by the worlds richest fools. We're just observers. How much they get paid is up to their club, and the F.A probably should cap it before it gets out of hand...however, they hardly just 'kick a ball'. By being a top football player, your instantly sacrifice any chance at a private life. It's a very difficult life to live, fispite what people think. I personally wouldn't take all the money in the world if it meant I couldn't even walk down the road or go out for a drink without being constantly harassed. It's all about pros and cons. An armed forces career way not pay nearly as much (and it pays a HELL of alot more than 15k..I have no idea where you got that from..maybe BASE rate, but watchmen in Iraq are getting nearly a thousand a WEEK at the moment) but you get infinate times more job satisfaction.

3) Everybody knows the F.A are't great, because they are old fashioned, but that doesn't meant they're corrupt. The Chelsea fine could have been more, but at the end of the day, it was just Jose talking crap...I didn't think many people listened to him anyways. Sven though, is fine in the job. You can't asay we haven't gone anywhere since he took over from Keegan and Hoddles reign of terror. Quarter finalists in the world cup, marginally knocked out by the best team in the world (hell, we did alot better than the so-called finalists didn't we?) and an EXTREAMLY unlucky knock-out in Euro 04'....Sven isn't to blame for that. Do I sense a knee-jerk to the denmark gtame, hmmm?

kthnxbye.

[Mr stabby]

I agree with the money point, BUT if all wages and transfers are cut 90%( one tenth ) the revenue coming in would make the rich teams infinetly richer, and would create an even bigger gap between the premiership and other leagues.

And the FA are rubbish, but what are you going to do?

[streety]

3 very flawed points.
ROLE MODELS
The stars of today are in the public eye much more than their counterparts 20 years ago. Doesn't mean that there weren't things going on. Players used to go out and get drunk and sleep with anything with tits, look at George Best. At present, Paps follow footballers everywhere and i'm not surprised that they get caught doing things. Can you imagine being followed 24 hours a day?

MONEY
I agree that players get paid far too much these days but this has a lot to do with inflation and interesy in the sport. I can remember Trevor Francis being the first £1m player and players getting paid peanuts. With the amount of sponsership involved and the moneymen wanting to be part of the action there is no surprise that players are being payed more. The money is there so they can demand it.

The FA
Why fine Chelsea more because they are a richer club? They shouldn't be punished more becuase they are richer. I'll give you an example...
Lee Trundle is caught match fixingand taking performance enhancing drugs. As he plays for Swansea and earns say £3000 a week he gets fined £10000.
Steven Gerrard is quoted as saying "It wasn't a penalty. Graham Poll sucks balls" and being very highly paid gets fined £250,000.

It's rubbish.
England going nowhere? We are looking likely to qualify for the next world cup after being narrowly beaten in the last 2 major competitions. I sense backlash for the recent Denmark loss. Get a grip.

[Nuclear Spoon]

By swearing, I meant swearing directly at a match official. Why am I not surprised to see everyone disagree with me?

[Chavvy]

Why am I not surprised to see everyone disagree with me?Because you're a twat and you talk out of your arse??

[seaempty]

The way I see it, you started a debate, people responded and gave good reasons for their disagreement. Done and dusted. If you wish to counter these counter-arguments, then feel free.

[jonffm]

Sorry, but that's really pathetic.

TWO people disagree with what you say and you start crying about how nobody agrees with you? And if you expected it, why did even say it? Seems to me like a really shabby attempt at moral highgrounding. Unfortunatly, it doesn't work.

If you can't even take people having different opinions to your own, why the hell are you on a discussion forum?

[Smartie]

Football is a waste of time full stop, and is one of the only sports where real talent and hard work doesn't actually matter.

And remember >> this is my opinion, and i'm entitled to it.

[Sebastian]

I agree. And I'll leave it there.

[seaempty]

real talent and hard work doesn't actually matter.
Can you clarify what you mean by this? Doesn't matter in what respsect?

[jonffm]

Football makes a huge difference. When England win a game, everybody goes to work the next morning in a good mood. It keeps us from becomming America 2, because a huge percentage of kids play football day in day out. It brings in vast quantitys to our countrys finance, and is one of the only things left in the world that binds every country together, regardless of race ect. It touches illions. There's so many reasons why football is important. It's nobodys fault if you don't comprehend them.

You clarify the fact that you no nothing about football when you say no talent is involved. Another of those ''omfg, it's only kicking a ball'' people...though 90% of the time, it's women who say that.....Tell you what then, you go to Chelsea and try to sign for em', as you with no real talent should do fine in a sport of no real talent.

No? Didn't think so.

Please, both of you, stop spamming with your anti-football parp. Nobody cares if you like football or not. This isn't a discussion about the existance of football, it's a football discussion, therefore, you should not care.

minusedkthnxbye.

[Smartie]

What!!! That is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. Football stops us becoming america 2. We keep ourselves from becoming america 2 as you suggest, due to our ability as humans to think for ourselves, and not be led by the views of others.
Football does not bind us together, in fact so much violence is generated from english football fans that it makes our country look shameful (we are, of course not perfect). Much more so than in any other sport.


Instead of lambasting people for their views, why don’t you actually try and let people have their say. There is no need to start being offensive.

[LeoZ]

Hmm I don't agree totally with what you say there Nuclear spoon.

Although I have never been a big fan of footbal (it just doesn't appeal to me) I think that footballers can be good rolemodels for aspiring footballers.

However, I agree that their wages are stupidly high. But when you consider that football is the biggest sport on earth, it shouldn't come as a surprise.

[dogincognito]

By swearing, I meant swearing directly at a match official. Why am I not surprised to see everyone disagree with me?
Do you actually play football?

[jonffm]

Smartie, I listen to informed opinions, which you do not have. Can you not see how people in a footballing part of the forum could take offense from someone saying that their most beloved past-time is a waste of time, involves no talent, and makes our country look 'shamefull', hmmm?

What shame is this though? When have we recently been in any real trouble? Everyone knows that England are famously victimised for this kinda stuff too. It takes two people to have a punch-up. If you want to see a disgrace, watch Inter vs AC Milan, then you'll see whats shamefull. English footballing violence is mostly sturred by the passion of the game, while if you watch violence in games like the abobve mentioned, it's only for violences sake. They aren't football fans, they are petty criminals, and it's unfair to class football as bad because of it's worst kind. That's like me saying you should be locked up because you use the internet, and you may or may not be a pedophile just because you happen to be a regular internet user. It's bollocks.

With the america thing, I was refering to the fact that americans spend on average more time in front of the TV than us, I believe. Mostly because their youth are playing sports games rather than playing sports, because they aren't as much of a sport-mad nation as us. The overused anti-american parp wasn't really needed.

It really pisses me off when people who know nothing about football start slinging their uninformed opinions around, simply because they can. Nobody needs to know. Nobody cares. People who do care alot about football, and there's a huge amount of us, don't need some prat spouting off at how we're wasting our time watching some talentless idiots, and somehow contributing to englands apparantly footballign shame? :\ Why post in a football area if you dislike football? That's the biggest question mark. Bye.

[Paul12345]

Do you actually play football?

True I can't ever think of a single match I have played where I haven't sworn at someone (although in fairness it wasn't always the ref.)

[streety]

If the ref makes a stupid decision then they deserve to be sworn at. They cost team's points and sometimes even millions of pounds. Last night Everton were denied a goal that should've stood and it would've given them a huge chance of making it into the Champions League. Collina's poor decision cost them £15m. I wonder why Drunken Ferguson was foaming at the mouth?

I have sworn at many a ref in my time. Even been sent off for it and fined. If you are going to put yourself in a position of hatred expect to get abused.

[Captain]

Smartie most of your post on this forum imo are great, but when i saw that i lost alot of respect for you.
Im going to pick at a few things you said that made me cringe.

Football isn't a waste of time. It is the most played sport in the world. Think if there was no football people would be out of shape and overweight.
No realt talent. Ok then smartie go one on one with owen or beckham or any pro. You could say rugby doesn't need talent as all it is is people running with a ball and hitting each other, when really there are skillful swerves and kick that people couldn't do without talent. Same with football. You couldn't go out for the first time to play football and score from 40 yards or croif all the players on a team. It needs serious talent and determination.
Actualy in euro 2004 after the first two games were there was a bit of Violence we were applauded on our behavour. There are more arrest, because of robbery then there is football ruffhousing. Do robber make the country a disgrace. Not to other countrys as they have them aswell. Same with fans who go to start fights. In my opinion we are not frowned upon.
Also can people stop being mean to americans. I went there and alot of them are nice and cheery and loads of them are against the war.
I also saw the bush kerry debates and im sorry, but bush was the better candidate.[/offtopic]

Nuke you are Naive. If you played football you would realise the undying hatred of all of the officials for any wrong decisions. A little swear word isn't going to kill him. Swearing imo is the only reason that the refs don't get hit. I would like to hit some refs, but i stop myslef by swearing at them or at others.
I have never heard someone say they are good role-models, ever. I have heard of them as Childhood heros, but never role-models.
Money, oh come on the reason they get all this money is, because of the rising demand on their time. I have read David Backhams Biography and he couldn't have a real personal life. One time he was so trapped he couldn't leave his house. Fergie didn't want him to see his wife give birth (at that time) for training.
Sure the FA aren't great, but heck they aren't that bad. They have made some bad decisions like not letting Woodgate play for england during his trial and giving ferdinand a longer ban than mutu. They do make some right choices.
Sven really doesn't take us anywere does he? Apart from quater finals of the world cup through the group stages of euro 2004 in a group with france in. Sure he has no plan B, but most of the time he just needs his plan A. He is leaving after the world cup anyway so maybe you'll shut up about him then*.

Knowing you, you'll make a thread saying HURRAH svens gone.

[dogincognito]

I wonder why Drunken Ferguson was foaming at the mouth?
He's always like that. ;)