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FFA forgoes opportunity to take a stand. Again.

2nd June, 2011
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2nd June, 2011
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Sepp BlatterLeadership is the one thing that defines great sporting administrators. Men and women who are revered for making bold decisions and being key influencers throughout their respective sport.

Sadly for Australian football fans, Ben Buckley does not fit into this category and seems to enjoy proving it on a regular basis.

Among the consternation of Wednesday’s farcical FIFA Presidential vote that saw Sepp Blatter re-elected unopposed, were the calls of some nations to boycott the poll. The English FA led the charge which was tepidly supported, but not enough to cause a boil over.

The question on everyone’s lips back home was, did the FFA boldly stand up to the corrupt circus that FIFA has become – even if it resulted in naught – or did it follow the other 185 spineless lemmings into the abyss?

Sadly for Australian football fans and lovers of honest democracy, it was the latter.

Football Federation of Australia Chief Ben Buckley said, “We didn’t believe there was any support for that position (of delaying the election) and that was obviously evidenced by the vote when it was taken when the proposal was put forward.”

In other words – “We weren’t prepared to make a stand and would instead prefer not to rock the boat, allowing the status quo to continue unabated for our own political interests.”

While the FFA would never go on record with this, many are speculating that the Federation endorsed Blatter in the dim hope that a re-vote might occur for the 2022 World Cup.

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It’s a tiny glimmer in the distance that has cost Australian football its spine and integrity. Even if a re-vote does occur, the FFA does not deserve to have the tournament fall in its lap, but that’s another story.

This was the ideal opportunity for Ben Buckley to win back the fans, to show some leadership on the global stage and make a stand. Instead, it’s more of the same watery garbage from our football governing body who will seemingly pander to and communicate with anyone except its own fans.

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