How do you trust the man that can�t be trusted?
Press Statement
18th October 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
JOINT STATEMENT FROM:
The Association of Tartan Army clubs (ATAC - Scotland)
Football Supporters Federation (FSF - England)
Football Supporters Federation Cymru (FSF - Wales) and
Amalgamation of Official NI Fans Clubs (AONISC - Northern Ireland)
How do you trust the man that can�t be trusted?
The No Team GB campaign notes that Jim Murphy, the Scottish Secretary, is the
latest politician to jump on the pro-team GB bandwagon and to peddle worthless
assurances.
Following their meeting with the FIFA General Secretary, Jerome Valcke,
NoTeamGB.com calls upon Mr Murphy and Andy Burnham to explain how they feel able
to trust the footballing fate of all four home nations to the word of a man who
has already been dismissed from FIFA (Dec 2006)[1] for, by his own admission,
telling a �commercial lie�[2] during sponsorship negotiations where he
deliberately lied to two competing parties, and who has been certified as a
�serial liar� by a New York judge[3].
Much has been made of Mr Murphy�s talks by the media in the UK, however the
fundamental flaw in this so-called assurance has been largely brushed over. Mr
Valcke has absolutely no authority to offer such a �categorical assurance� and
in fact nobody within FIFA or any other body for that matter has such authority.
FIFA is a democracy and it is the elected members from national football
associations, the committees appointed by those elected members and the FIFA
Congress that decide on policy and not the likes of Mr Valcke who is pure and
simply the footballing equivalent of a civil servant.
Indeed, Mr Valcke�s comments are actually directly at odds with those of his
superior at FIFA, Sepp Blatter, who, in March 2008, stated �If you start to put
together a combined team for the Olympics, the question will automatically come
up that there are four different associations so how can they play in one team".
Mr Murphy is adamant in his view that these assurances pave the way for a
football Team GB to take part in the Olympics without detriment to the
individual nations. However, this being the case, it is quite astonishing that
the Secretary of State, a Westminster MP, has felt the need to conduct this
meeting (on an issue which has been devolved to the Scottish Parliament) in
secret and with no involvement from the SFA, the FAW, the IFA or the FA, the
very organisations which are at risk of vanishing should this go ahead. It is
clear that, whilst Mr Valcke�s role at FIFA may have changed following his
initial dismissal and subsequent near biblical resurrection to the upper
echelons of the organisation, his clandestine negotiating tactics have not!
NoTeamGB.com spokesman, Tam Ferry said �once again, we have a politician
claiming that this should be a football decision made by football people, yet
once again they have undermined the standing of the national associations by
going to FIFA behind their backs. Mr Murphy claims that this is "�a new
reassurance and commitment from FIFA� and that he looks ��forward to them
honouring it", however, he�s conveniently ignoring the previous comments from
Sepp Blatter who pointed out that a Team GB will �put into question all the
privileges that the British associations have been given by the Congress in
1946." We applaud the responses from the SFA and FAW and strongly encourage them
and the IFA to maintain their position on this issue�.
Contact
Tam Ferry � NoTeamGb.com Scotland (07984 510033)
Gary McAllister - NoTeamGB.com Northern Ireland (07760
233011)
Simon Johnston � NoTeamGB.com Scotland (07967 102588)
[1]
https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/fifa-sack-four-over-lies-to-sponsors-428198.html
[2]
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/jr244me-valcke-he-scored-the-worstever-own-goal-now-hes-running-football-398086.html
[3]
https://www.sundayherald.com/sport/shfootball/display.var.1857695.0.mystery_at_the_heart_of_fifa.php
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