World Cup 2010 Blog: “Despite the chaos, the French Federation still finds time to entertain us….” plus 1 more

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Despite the chaos, the French Federation still finds time to entertain us…. Posted: 05 Aug 2010 03:03 PM PDT Houllier’s lack of class this time definitely did not get a thumbs up from me… Well, if you are a France fan, you might replace “entertain” with “mortify” or “embarrass.”  A number of dramatic and laughable incidents have continued to emerge from the French Football Federation (FFF) headquarters- proving that replacing former President Escalettes (who “voluntarily” resigned after World Cup debacle) with more of the same does not miraculously change everything.   The bureaucratic leaders at the FFF continue to remain self-indulgent egos who are more likely to pat themselves on the back than take responsibility for a damn thing (unless, of course, it turned out well). And while Escalettes was indeed the biggest sycophant of them all, there are many who weren’t far behind him in that contest. One of them being former Liverpool and Lyon manager, Gerard Houllier.  Now, Houllier has managed to avoid most of the fall out regarding the crisis of the senior team at the World Cup because as National Technical Director (DTN), he is responsible for every team BUT the senior team (ie youth and development teams only).  Let the games begin (as the insanity continues)! Round 1 Unfortunately, not everyone bought Houllier’s excuse- including former Bleus alum and World Cup tv consultant, Christophe Dugarry.  Dugarry publicly criticised the “triumvirate” in the FFF – Escalettes, Domenech and Houllier- and declared they were all three responsible for the state of French football and needed to go… Round 2 This obviously irked Houllier, who didn’t like the company he was being put in (Domenech and Escalettes). So, felling the need to restore his bruised ego, he took a jab at Dugarry while celebrating the  U19 European Championship the Bleuts won this summer, beating Spain. Essentially, at a time when Houllier was looking pretty good and should  have been high on euphoria, he felt the need to say this… I would first like to pay tribute to the team of France’s U19. This is a great picture that our youth have given the team of France. And I would like to dedicate this victory to Dugarry who doesnt think much about National Technical Director.  This is the fifth time in fifteen years that France has won a European championship. Behind [the team], we [the Federation] work well and contrary to what Christopher said, we get results.” As a France fan, I can’t tell you how great it is when our leaders use our moments of victory to satisfy their own personal disputes. What more could we ask for?  Did I mention he did this in the opening speech at a meeting to celebrate the title at the FFF with the press?  That’s pure class. Round 3 Robert Duggary, proud man that he is, couldn’t let it go and responded in a column in L’Equipe… Gerard Houllier is nice to think of me, I am touched that he dedicated this title to me. I commend the youth for their title, but I hope that the Federation has other global ambitions. From what I see, [by] looking at the history of  the U20 and U17 FIFA World Cup is that France have failed to qualify 24 out of 30 times! The column continues, but basically Duggary accuses the FFF and Houllier of taking credit for more than they have actually accomplished and implied [to put it nicely] that Houllier performance had been sub-par.. Round 4 Now feeling aggrieved, Houllier whipped out his own numbers and stats to prove just how successful he has been… I am delighted that Christophe Dugarry began to document [France's record] himself because before he did not do so.  Among our youth, in the European rankings, we moved from sixth to second. I would add that it’s been two consecutive years that the U17 and U19 teams have qualify for the final tournaments, boys and girls. Finally, since 1996, [there has been] a total of 15 World Championships for the U17 and U20 teams.  France has had 5 entries, which is not bad considering there are a few skilled European [teams]. In fifteen years, France has [won] a World title, the same as Spain. Only Portugal and the former USSR have two. If the U19s refuse to enter the U20 FIFA World Cup, would anyone blame them (I jest..kind of)?  But, you have to agree that it seems even when France wins, the team and the fans lose… I should add that Houllier isn’t the first of the “triumerverate” to get into a public dispute with Christophe – you can see his interactions (to put it nicely) with Rayray in the video below (in French, but still funny to watch them)… To continue keeping tabs on all the French Federation absurdity, visit us at the France World Cup blog. The only guarantee I can make is that you will be entertained…or frustrated.  One of the two.

Croke Park: Green In More Ways Than One Posted: 05 Aug 2010 11:20 AM PDT If you had to guess the most sustainable, greenest stadium in the world, you might understandably assume it was one of the new ones, one of those towering behemoths built for a recent World Cup or Olympics. After all, environmental concerns are certainly a bigger part of planning a new stadium now than they were, say, 30 years ago. But you’d be, as I was, wrong. In at least some respects, the greenest park in world football is Croke Park, appropriately home of the Republic of Ireland, and a stadium first opened in 1913. In May 2010, Croke Park received the BS 8901:2009 certification, making it the first stadium in the world to be given this award for sustainable event management. The park, used mainly for Gaelic football and hurling, is nonetheless the home ground for Ireland during the last two qualifying tournaments, and so counts at least part-time as a football ground. And even though there have been significant renovations for almost the last decade, they’ve managed to keep sustainability and impact management at the top of their priorities the whole time. Well done to Croke and to the Irish for putting an emphasis on this. Too often, we’re awed by the newest stadium fitting 10,000 more people than the last one, or being built to look like a birds nest … or a calabash. It’s worth a nod, I think, to a stadium that looks like a stadium, but run by people that think, perhaps, about a bit more than just the game.

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