The Football Column begins in controversial fashion, as the cheats within football are highlighted.

Close to the home of the Istanbul, the Turkish super powers of Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş had previously been issued with European bans for alleged bribes of the referee, alongside administration issues, by the governing body of FIFA. There had been investigations within the Turkish Federation, but nothing concrete was forthcoming to satisfy the FIFA delegation, no Turkish delight was packaged for FIFA!

In Italy where corruption is rife, arrests were made on club officials and players, but no ban was imposed on the Italian clubs from European competition. In fairness to FIFA, it is the lesser lights of all that’s Azzurri of the Italian clubs, that have been involved, but the general concensure is the big elite are also involved, where the Italian Federation would be reluctant to expose. For the two Milan clubs and the ‘old lady’ of Juventus to be involved would no be on the wish list. It is fair to say that corruption is more widespread within this league, where perhaps the bigger federation of Italian football, alongside their hall of fame as revered Wold Cup winners, has impacted on FIFA’s decision making.

Can a comparison be made with the English clubs who were served with 5 year bans during the 1980’s, due to crowd violence and in particular the Heysel disaster, of which Liverpool Football Club were held culpable v Juventus. A ban as stated was imposed, but not on the Italian clubs. The question has to be asked, if the English Premier League was working within the corruption umbrella, would we be top of FIFA’s hit list. During Swindon Town’s occupancy of the top flight, a corruption scandal hit the club, with no transparent administration policies leading to non football practices with the club. The Football Association relegated Swindon, which in truth is the only scandal of note to hit English Football with regard to dubious practices. If today’s big guns of the Prem played the same roulette wheel, would relegation be their fate? The 5 year ban on English clubs ironically hit Liverpool’s blue neighbours Everton, who at the time were reigning supreme as the English champions and European ‘cup winners’ champions. To compound issues further, the Toffees were regarded as the best club side in European football and were denied from putting that theory to the test, but no sweet taste was left for the Evertonians.

The Greasy Hands of Parma

What will follow is beyond belief, as the Football Column delivers the ultimate stats involving Italian club Parma, who akin to spaghetti junction had players in all directions.

Parma’s initial hit squad contained 30 players (first team players) followed by a second hit squad of 109 names out on loan with no reference of their sightings. Into the lower league of Serie C, and Palma’s named nursey club of Gubbio, while many players of other clubs remain unnamed.

Gubbio had a list of 16 names which were affiliated to Parma who they had contracted to, but little money slips through the greasy hands of Parma for clubs like Gubbio, where money exchanges with the loan clubs paying the players the minimum wage.

Onto a second unnamed nursey club of Slovenia, being of a non-Italian club, who had 22 players connected to Parma, not to let the last figure slip through the hands, was the loaning of 44 more names. Parma had a plan, the bigger the pot, the bigger the chance of success as they dreamt of world domination. Unbelievably Parma were not breaking any rules, as their cattle market theory ran its course it did not succeed. It is quality rather than quantity that succeeds, as player upon player slipped through the greasy hands of Parma without reference, just the reference that Parma will always remain a middle range club.

The Football Column begins in controversial fashion, as the cheats within football are highlighted.

Close to the home of the Istanbul, the Turkish super powers of Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş had previously been issued with European bans for alleged bribes of the referee, alongside administration issues, by the governing body of FIFA. There had been investigations within the Turkish Federation, but nothing concrete was forthcoming to satisfy the FIFA delegation, no Turkish delight was packaged for FIFA!

In Italy where corruption is rife, arrests were made on club officials and players, but no ban was imposed on the Italian clubs from European competition. In fairness to FIFA, it is the lesser lights of all that’s Azzurri of the Italian clubs, that have been involved, but the general concensure is the big elite are also involved, where the Italian Federation would be reluctant to expose. For the two Milan clubs and the ‘old lady’ of Juventus to be involved would no be on the wish list. It is fair to say that corruption is more widespread within this league, where perhaps the bigger federation of Italian football, alongside their hall of fame as revered Wold Cup winners, has impacted on FIFA’s decision making.

Can a comparison be made with the English clubs who were served with 5 year bans during the 1980’s, due to crowd violence and in particular the Heysel disaster, of which Liverpool Football Club were held culpable v Juventus. A ban as stated was imposed, but not on the Italian clubs. The question has to be asked, if the English Premier League was working within the corruption umbrella, would we be top of FIFA’s hit list. During Swindon Town’s occupancy of the top flight, a corruption scandal hit the club, with no transparent administration policies leading to non football practices with the club. The Football Association relegated Swindon, which in truth is the only scandal of note to hit English Football with regard to dubious practices. If today’s big guns of the Prem played the same roulette wheel, would relegation be their fate? The 5 year ban on English clubs ironically hit Liverpool’s blue neighbours Everton, who at the time were reigning supreme as the English champions and European ‘cup winners’ champions. To compound issues further, the Toffees were regarded as the best club side in European football and were denied from putting that theory to the test, but no sweet taste was left for the Evertonians.