Here we go then

Well, its been a fair while since I wrote on this blog (I'm terrible at this blog malarkey) and I've just discovered it again. Time to write.

Not only time to write, but time to start living also. I've just come back from 5 months away, travelling the world. Its only really starting to sink in what an incredible trip I went on. So many things I've seen that I would never see any other way, and such an eye opener to other, less fortunate places in the world. Has it changed me? I don't know, I would imagine yes, but I think it is too soon at the moment to define that change. As the weeks go by I'll find out.

Today two big news stories on the football front. First, England fail to win the bid for the World Cup in 2018. I always had a feeling that it would go to Russia and the way it went, it looked as though the Fifa members were determined to make that feeling come true.

I don't think this was a decision made today. It looked to me that it was weeks, maybe months in the makings. Panorama didn't change anything. It may have been the difference between us getting through the first round and not, but the end result would be the same. It seems that a few voters "backstabbed" the England bid by changing their mind. It's as if this vote became similar to a wrestling angle - Jack Warner pretending to be someones partner, before costing them the title in a big match.

Questions really have to be asked about Fifa's integrity. The problem is that they are unaccountable to anyone, and basically can do what they want. I think everybody with any interest in the global game knows that Fifa executives are corrupt, but nobody can do anything about it. To have any chance of "getting on" with these people, we would have to resort to similar games that they play. Personally, I'm glad we don't, and maybe one positive from us losing out might be our scorned press looking to dig out the truth about just how corrupt Fifa are.

Russia have not hosted a European Championships, and they have stadiums that need to be built. The games will take place in different time zones, and the distances between host cities are so large, fans will have to travel by plane or face a 10 hour train journey to travel between. Along with this, and perhaps a slightly more worrying prospect, is the inherent racism that still has such a strong presence in Russia.

Ask Peter Odemwingie what he thinks of Russian fans. There was an interview on the BBC with an African player who plays in Russia before the announcement today. He said he didn't want the World Cup to be held in Russia, and said playing was an ordeal. How can it be that a country is rewarded for being behind the times with human rights? Why should it be seen as a chance for Russia to put that behind them, as I've heard today and will no doubt hear again. Surely a better thing to do would be to not consider a bid from that country until incidents involving signs with a banana on just do not happen. Until any European team with black players can play a match in Russia without having monkey noises made at them. I find it disgusting really that UEFA and FIFA took no action against the fans who made and supported that sign, and instead swallowed the (pardon my french) bollocks that they were fed about "having a banana" being a phrase for a bad performance.

What will happen when the Ivory Coast or Nigeria play Russia in 2018? I'd love to see Blatter squirm when that happens, but unfortunately for him to squirm would mean he actually cared about anything other than himself and his wallet.

The selection of Qatar is worthy of a few Roger Moore eyebrows too. Here is a country with no footballing pedigree or history (not even qualified for a World Cup before), is approximately 50 degrees at the time the World Cup takes place, and currently has no football stadium with a capacity of over 20,000. Questions HAVE to be asked over why they have been chosen. Their bid was classed as high risk, the lowest scoring technical report. They have crazy ideas of weather machines and air conditioning in the stadiums, and stadiums that can be taken down and reconstructed elsewhere. FIFA keep talking about "legacy". Well, all Qatar's legacy will be is a few empty plots where football stadiums once stood, and increasing the bank balance of Blatter, Warner et al. How can they, in all seriousness, be selected to host a World Cup?

I have heard of a story of Jack Warner having an interest in a construction company. I wonder which construction company will be used to build the required stadiums in Russia and Qatar.

The second big story of the day is that Richard Murray, Chairman of Charlton Athletic has accepted a takeover bid. Details are sketchy at the moment, but ex-CEO Peter Varney is fronting the bid, and that is making the whole Charlton community far more optimistic. We know Varney, we also know Murray, and neither of them would let us down with something as huge as this. Hopefully this will be the catalyst in propelling us back up the leagues without the threat of administration or just plain lack of money holding us back.