As we prepare for the vague pronouncements that the FIFA Executive Committee meeting will be doling out after its meeting, lets see where things are with this fine executive. Sepp isn’t going to let the Thai President sketchy land deal put a damper on this day. As long as you’re a Friend of Sepp (FOS), they will deal with these problems by minimizing what actually happened and pretend that everything is great.
Blatter likely will briefly touch on the the debacle of 2018 and 2022, proclaim more greatness about the new ethics committee. They will introduce new lofty goals they will never quite reach, and talk up the crimes committed by the people who dared cross him. There is a claim that Sepp will release *all* the documents that refer to bribery and influence scandals of the 2018 and 2022 world cup site selection as well as the confidential settlement involving alleged bribes to FIFA officials by ISL–the former marketing partner of FIFA that went belly up a decade ago.
Whatever the case is, Lap Dog Michel Platini is ready to go back for his list of proposals. Sepp is on a mission to “ensure his legacy” but he forgot the first rule – take care of the fans, and they will take care of you.
UPDATE: The match schedule for Brazil 2014 (PDF warning) has been posted for all you busybees who need 3 years advanced notice to clear out your calendars. The opening match is on Thursday, 6/12/14 in Sao Paulo. The big final is on Sunday, 7/13/14 at the venerable Maracaná (let’s hope they finish those renovations on time).
Fox won WC rights for 18 and 22. God help us all
@Brian: Disaster. They have 7 years to completely overhaul their broadcast personnel and upgrade every single HD camera they currently use. Based on the amount of money they spent, I assume they won’t fuck around. But their current coverage is abysmal compared to ESPN, and really the best thing about FSC’s Premier League coverage is that they pipe in the feeds from the UK-affiliates and don’t use their own commentators. Their in-studio guys suck, and the people on the Fox Soccer Report are still mispronouncing names on a daily basis. Not to mention the fact that ESPN will no longer have any incentive to invest anything in US Soccer and MLS beyond 2014.
What, you don’t like that totally ugly studio they have?
shame on you. well, not.
And it’s amazing how I think JamesT and I both sketched out what would exactly happen, and then it does. sigh.
@MM, So basically the two of you are to blame for this mess
@MP They have to upgrade their HD cameras, PLUS freaking offer FSC HD in more than a few markets. The fact that I can’t watch in DC is shitty, and the fact they show the “HD” logo on some broadcasts anyway is shittier.
@dan: The World Cup will not be on FSC unless Fox wants to leverage the World Cup to get FSC HD on more carriers. But, I don’t think they will do that. It will simply be on Fox, FX or the FSN channels.
@dan: Yup. I can’t get FSC HD in Boston either, so the ever-present “HD” logo is just a huge cock tease. But then I click over to FOX watch some NFL action, I realize that FOX’s network HD looks like standard def anyways. F-ck FOX.
This is a major Yikes! Just when ESPN got their coverage to a professional level and I thought I wouldn’t have to listen to Dellacamera do another WC game. Maybe Fox is colluding with FIFA to spur attendance. Because if I have to suffer the likes of Kyle Martino (douche), Christopher Sullivan (fat, arrogant douche), or Eric Wynalda (raving idiot and human skid-mark) announcing a World Cup, I might just think that going to Russia or Qatar is a better option. And all the Canadians on FSR are just awful. Where do they get these people? The “Boom-goes-the-dynamite” school of sports anchors? One positive note, all the video feeds are centralized by FIFA, so Fox won’t be using their own cameras. For that, we can all be grateful.
@all: maybe it’s just me, but all the HD channels I get from Fox look the same and not worse than any other HD channel, ie ESPN.
Only the powers of FIFA and FOX combined could make us yearn for Alexi Lalas