Can we compare FIFA to the Lisbon treaty?

1der

Anybody following Ireland world cup qualifying campaign will have been very disappointed this week by FIFA's sudden change in it's rules in order to suit the larger European nations.

For anybody who's not in the know, here's a link:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/sep/29/world-cup-play-offs-seeded-sepp-blatter

This rule was brought in as soon as it seemed that France, Germany, and Portugal may not get into the world cup.

Who does the rule benefit?
Larger European Countries

Who suffers?
Ireland



This seems to be a foreboding example of how the EU may change towards Ireland when our vote gets diluted.




btw: i agree that the rule is fair but the timing of when it was brought in was absurd.

turgon

FIFA's rule doesnt suit the bigger Euro countries. It suits the better Euro countries.

ei.sdraob

i was about to reply

but why bother?

lets have a laugh and move along



http://i37.tinypic.com/2czzkea.jpg

http://i33.tinypic.com/30ac2fa.jpg

http://i38.tinypic.com/i1mni9.jpg

1der

turgon wrote: »

FIFA's rule doesnt suit the bigger Euro countries. It suits the better Euro countries.

well, technically it does suit the richer countries (i.e France and Germany)

if it was just a case of suiting the "better" countries then the rule would have been in place from the beginning.
would this have happened if it was, oh i dunno, Sweden, Poland, Czech, Turkey, Spain, Switzerland, Norway, Slovakia

Oh, wait, that actually happened, and oh yeah, there was a bit of an imbalance there too. how come the rule wast changed then, or any other year for that matter?

Funglegunk

turgon wrote: »

FIFA's rule doesnt suit the bigger Euro countries. It suits the better Euro countries.

Yeah I would hardly call Portugal a large European country:

Population of Portugal: 10,707,924 (July 2009 est.)

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/po.html

marco_polo

Are you going to make a point at some stage?

* Waits patiently to refute the QMV falsehood that is on the way.

1der

Funglegunk wrote: »

Yeah I would hardly call Portugal a large European country:

Population of Portugal: 10,707,924 (July 2009 est.)

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/po.html

ok then let's not.

ye obviously didn't grasp the simple point which was laid out, in that FIFA arent playing fair because they dont have to play fair and it simple does not benifit us.
When our vote becomes worth less in Europe the EU will have a similar power over us is what I was trying to point out.

but never mind

ei.sdraob

Funglegunk wrote: »

Yeah I would hardly call Portugal a large European country:

Population of Portugal: 10,707,924 (July 2009 est.)

https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/po.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal

Area - Total 92,345 km2 (110th) - 35,645 sq mi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland

Area - Total 70,273 km2 (120th) - 27,133 sq mi


theyre huge! :eek:

1der

ei.sdraob wrote: »

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Portugal

Area - Total 92,345 km2 (110th) - 35,645 sq mi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland

Area - Total 70,273 km2 (120th) - 27,133 sq mi


theyre huge! :eek:

well done

ei.sdraob

i know i know

this thread IMHO is so ridiculous that its hard to take it seriously

r0nanf

Ignore the fact that if Latvia or Ukraine come second then we'll be in the top tier. That would really put a skew on this theory.

1der

r0nanf wrote: »

Ignore the fact that if Latvia or Ukraine come second then we'll be in the top tier. That would really put a skew on this theory.

ok so ye're not following the soccer then. even if they were to come second, it's fairly obvious the rule wasnt changed to help us in any way. An I assume it wasnt set to target us either.

look, if ye dont get the point it's fine. It's a simple and valid point. im just raising a question, so if you don't follow the subject of the question you can just move on. Or if you just simply dont see the point that's fine too.

r0nanf

I completely understand the point you're trying to make. However it was FIFA and not UEFA who made the decision, so there is no real comparison, however tenuous it was already. Unless of course you're suggesting that the New World Order are behind it...

Scofflaw

1der, this thread really is complete rubbish. FIFA aren't the EU, and citing a FIFA rule change as "a foreboding example of how the EU may change towards Ireland when our vote gets diluted" is utter nonsense. It might play in AH, but AH aren't accepting Lisbon threads.

moderately,
Scofflaw