Please Support African Football in Wake of Togo's Tragedy

The news of the horrific attack on Togo's national football team bus in Angola is sad for many reasons. We mourn the loss of life above all. But although the team was not seen as a major contender in the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, the incident marks a sad beginning of a year in the spotlight for African football with South Africa set to become the continent's first country to host the FIFA World Cup.

As you know, the Togolese team has now withdrawn from the tournament. But I call upon all football fans to not change their plans to attend the World Cup in the wake of this tragedy. It took far too long for FIFA to recognize the need to bring the World Cup to Africa, which will inject cash and world attention on African football as never before. If you were planning on attend, please stay the course. If you weren't previously planning to go, please reconsider. There is so much at stake in showing your support for African football.

Hargitay and Australia's Shame, Continued

This great shame of Australian football, the appointment of Peter Hargitay as an advisor to our 2018-2022 World cup bid, is beginning to raise some eyebrows. An author whose work I admire, Steve Menary, author of "Outcasts: The Lands that FIFA Forgot" sent me a note with a suspicious "Hmm" concerning the foul choice of Hargitay as Australia's fixer. Like many others, he had heard of Hargitay's sordid past and I suspect it wont be long before everyone from anti-apartheid activists (Hargitay worked for the fugitive sanctions-violator Marc Rich) to drug enforcement agents (Hargitay went to prison for drug smuggling) are up in arms . Better still would be for FIFA to wake up to Australia's bid and the decay it reflects.

Drugs and Sanctions Busting in Australia's 2018 World Cup Bid: What Are We Thinking?

Thanks to the success of my fairplay blog, I've decided to launch a new site dedicated to the 2018-2022 World Cup race.

Now, everyone is aware of my long held belief that FIFA is corrupt, insular and leaves much of the world from play. Nothing new here! FIFA, the governing body of world football, excludes a great many nations from their organisation, while welcoming some others. Too many countries are left "outside" the FIFA tent, so it can continue to pillage for its own benefit among a gang of complicit members.

Well, FIFA's much tarnished reputation is about to get worse thanks to 2018-2022 World Cup frontrunner Australia's decision to hire Peter Hargitay as its bid advisor. You may have seen the 17 October Sydney Morning Herald article on this particularly nasty character's background.

Hargitay was twice arrested for cocaine smuggling and served time for drug trafficking. He aided and abetted the international fugitive--and apartheid sanctions buster--Marc Rich. Now he's "our" man. Our fixer. Shame on Australia. But par for the course for FIFA, a criminal enterprise of its own.