Gulf influence cripples the FFA again

 
Matt Bungard Roar Guru

By , 3 Feb 2012 Matt Bungard is a Roar Guru

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Once again, the West Asian powers in the Gulf that be have flexed their muscle and cowardly FIFA have buckled to their demands.

Despite Australia’s upcoming World Cup qualifier against Saudi Arabia taking place at AAMI Park in Melbourne, the kick-off has been pushed back to the absurd time of 9:30 PM – to better accommodate the viewership in the Gulf.

The need for kick-off times being synchronised on the last match day of a group stage is well documented, but FIFA only notified the FFA of this change in scheduling a few days ago.

It’s understandable why they do this for the Gulf region. But to only tell Australia about the switch in the eleventh hour is irresponsible and ultimately, will be of detriment to the FFA’s bottom line.

People will simply not turn up because of the adjusted start time. Those with work the next morning will not fancy getting home after midnight to attend what is essentially a dead rubber. Likewise; parents will not want their kids out until the small hours on a school night.

Crowds affect how the game is perceived in the media – if say, 9,000 people turn up instead of 20,000 the anti-football drones will have a field day.

My main gripe isn’t with the mandatory kick-off time, but with the failure to give the FFA proper notice. Had we had to deal with a later kick off from the start, the solution would’ve been simple: play the game in Perth. Problem solved.

Unfortunately, FIFA has once again displayed the lack of foresight that makes them such a laughing stock and as usual, we are the ones that suffer.

A synchronised kick-off time is an option, but not one that had to be enforced – until the West Asian faction of the AFC decided to coerce FIFA to see their point of view.

And if there’s one thing that Qatar 2022 has already taught us, it’s that Sepp Blatter and his cronies absolutely love our friends in the Gulf.

When it comes down to it, football is much like life with the haves and the have-nots. Qatar gets handed World Cups and the powers that be are so determined to make it a reality that the ridiculous notion of playing the game’s greatest tournament in January has been floated.

And then there’s us – broken promises by Blatter back when we were in Oceania, countless dubious refereeing decisions in major tournaments against the ‘thuggish’ Socceroos and a legitimate and well thought out World Cup bid left on the floor with the ignominy of just a single vote in the first round.

Whether or not Australia should have hosted the World Cup is not an issue – simply that Qatar were far more undeserving.

Laughable concepts like taking the stadiums apart and sending them to Africa after the tournament, or the prospect of playing in 40 degree heat were ignored. And this latest slap in the face from FIFA to Australian Football is no different.

There are clear comparisons between the Arabic influence in FIFA and the Sub-continents stranglehold on the ICC. Australia obviously has a far greater pedigree in our national sport than in football, but the principals are essentially the same. I’m not trying to paint us as the victim here, but it’s hard not to.

Despite being the most dominant cricketing nation of the last 30 years, Australia has hosted just ONE World Cup, Champions Trophy or t20 World Cup (when they had to share hosting rights of the 1992 World Cup with New Zealand). That’s one tournament of the 19 that have been held across the three formats.

But back to the football – Australia simply cannot compete with the petrodollars and shady backroom handshakes that result in liberties extended to certain members of FIFA from the executive body.

Never mind that the TV numbers of this game against the Saudis will drop significantly, the crowd will be chopped in half and once again, the naysayers will get to laugh about how ‘sockah’ in Australia isn’t making any progress. That isn’t FIFA’s concern: we are an afterthought.

All we can hope for is that the West Asian influence on our beloved game wains once Sepp Blatter retires, which surely can’t be too far away. Surely the next man in line will give us that impartiality that we crave?

Oh, the Vice President is Prince Ali Bin Al-Hussein of Jordan. I guess not.

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