Andy’s Sting In The Tale (10/04/26) "I Agree With Eric"

(Sadly but Reluctantly, and after Careful and Painful Consideration)

Who is this Eric I hear you think?

What did he say?

And why does Andy concur?

I don’t actually know him but this Yorkshire ‘World Cup Veteran’ is “Searching for wisdom in a time of stupidity” and I like that.

And it’s not a story the media will pick up on.

This all started when my old pal Keith sent me a cutting of Eric’s succinct perspective, insight and reasoning and it reminded me of what I and many others like you all already knew but have long forgotten.

Eric conjures up more sense in his three easy lines summary than I’ve heard from anyone in the currently, ratcheting-up media stramash.

As per normal the commentators bombarding us all from every direction seldom add anything other than predictably empty hype.

In reality they join in and make noise, but are just exploiting whatever is exploitable for their own personal gain in what has become ‘Jahnnie’s Overblown World Cup Jamboree’.

And predictably, in the run up to King Donald’s Tournament it will all get louder and crazier.

I’m increasingly in turmoil and schizophrenic.

One of the Andys in my head, wearing his new orange-ish top, is delighted that Scotland have rejoined the elite, qualified and totally convinced that being there is enough.

And that the Tartan Army will again do us proud wherever and whenever.

Braw.

But the other Andy is asking pertinent and relevant questions ‘Jiminy Cricket on Pinocchio’s shoulder’- style.

Hard questions that I want to ignore just as much as our collective football society.

The Tartan Army, Pic from william wilson

I genuinely love football and love the World Cup.

I want it to be a success.

It’s a true event.

An event where fans are united by the tournament rather than divided by colours and man-made borders.

So Where I Am

Let’s start with a perspective to some of the Infantino created madness and badness around World Cup ‘26.

First the Host’s 180 Degree Change of Behaviour.

We used to trust and respect the USA.

Even when they bullied us a little.

Trust was a ‘given’.

A deep felt attitude.

So park that for now.

Then consider if the upcoming World Cup was scheduled to be held in, say, Russia, instead of the USA, and if their President, Mr P, had first raided Venezuela and stolen and captured the Venezuela President and oil, then attacked a sovereign country with no obvious plan apart from aiding the USA’s unofficial 51st State on a long term Middle Eastern property grab....?

Would what we think as part of the old USA controlled ‘Free World’.

And indeed why have the influential Uefa membership countries, those who ejected Russia against Infantino’s wishes, stayed so silent?

Where is the justified outrage and action?

WHERE IS A VIABLE PLAN B?

Now the Change of Treatment of Fans

We are witnessing systematic financial abuse of fans by both Corporate Fifa looking for cash to buy votes from small and dysfunctional without Fifa cash members, and Corporate USA, where in the world of PT Barnum, “There’s a sucker born every minute”.

Both inexcusable and sadly predictable too.

Deafening Silence

Sure there is a little fan outrage from FSE but nothing from the collective FAs around Uefa and further afield.

It’s because of the money and how it cements the power elites.

So I Asked the Money Question About How Much For Scotland

Direct to one of the 6th floor gods who knows.

And was told that our SFA hope that the World Cup ’26 will probably at best be cash neutral.

I found that hard to countenance so asked the question again.

And got the same answer.

It seems if we don’t progress quite/very far our World Cup costs will swallow up any revenues for being there.

And, ‘Good Ol’ Corporate USA’ in a parallel attack is out to make as many fast bucks as it can screw from us all.

The World Cup Has Been Well and Truly Financially Hijacked

So, finally here is Eric’s wee letter with his interesting first hand fan memories and a poignant sign-off worth repeating and consideration in bold.

“Fifa should be ashamed and, in my opinion, all real football fans should boycott this year’s World Cup”.

Half of Andy’s split football personality agrees 100% with him and I’m firmly in both camps as the countdown accelerates.

This Week’s Sting

1. Ultra-ism and Stuff

2. How is This Man Still Allowed to Work in Football?

3. Lamine Wisdom and an Amazing Pass

4. USA Halts the Lincoln City Yo-Yo

5. How Much is a World Cup Sandwich?

6. An Impossible Job for SPFL

1. Well Done Raith, But

In a week that sees the sanctioned return of The Green Brigade to bolster their green clubs run-in, I have a few wee Ultras stories/insights.

First thanks for the comments on my various inputs into the recent and timely Ultras series on BBC iplayer.

It is a good series and hopefully a start of something better rather than just 3 hours of TV.

I personally have no issues with fans groupings into semi militaristic, organised platoons and wings, as long as they have a Code of Conduct and behaviour that respects three things.

i) Their Clubs and Club Community especially fellow football fans not in the same self-declared elites.

ii) Their fellow fans and the football community as a whole.

(Like our wonderful Tartan Army the reality is we are united by football rather than constantly divided by different colours. Ultras should adopt that as a tenet)

iii) The laws of the land that are there for reasons bigger than football.

I’m also a fan of ‘Strict Liability’ because it stops the easy back door get-out for clubs.

We now know that this is not just about our biggest clubs.

Raith fans were out of order last week during the final.

The club will pay for the damage for sure.

And just why some young Kirkcaldy clowns thought Swastika flags and racist chants and graffiti were relevant to a final versus an Inverness team is beyond me.

After the match I, a losing ICT fan, texted my pal Murray, a lifetime victorious Raith fan.

“Could and should have been more, Well done Raith”.

That’s the kind of fan interaction I buy into.

As for Celtic’s very own Ultras, I hope they have moved on.

But the moment I hear well-rehearsed songs about an organisation who bombed innocent kids in Omagh I find it harder to respect the good stuff they do.

2. More Fifa Disgrace

Should have been a sine die and some time inside.

Petr Vlachovsky was once voted best female football coach in the Czech Republic.

He also secretly and ‘expertly’ was filming his players undressing and showering.

Last May he got a suspended jail sentence, and a Czech football fine and ban but because his membership had lapsed it was never crystallised with Uefa or Fifa.

FIFPRO secretary Alex Phillips thinks the case is not isolated and that sanctions should have been ferocious.

Instead:

Member Associations have no legal obligation to repost such stuff to Fifa.

-Fifa have no offender database.

-No training on safeguarding.

-No route for whistleblowing.

The ‘coach’ is meanwhile allowed to work in other federations, although currently isn’t linked to any club, and Phillips summed up the closed circle that is football.

“Fifa and Uefa have no incentive to sanction their own members because they need their votes in future elections, a governance structure that hasn’t changed in many, many years.

And if you ask how many individuals have been sanctioned over the last 5 years there is a black hole”.

We still have ‘DG’ playing in a Glasgow community team and avoiding the sine die his behaviour deserved.

3. Lamine Sees the Good

We all know how good a player young Lamine Yamal is.

Have a look at how in his own half he nutmegs a top quality opponent, then sends a pass with the outside of his foot splitting the defence.

Genius.

But genius with words and attitude too.

This week the Spain v Egypt game saw Spanish ‘Ultras’ chanting “Who does not jump is a Muslim”.

Childish but unacceptable.

Lamal said afterwards, “I understand not all in our fan base is like that.

But fans who use religion to mock people in a football stadium are ignorant, not true football fans.

Football is to enjoy and support, not to offend people by who they are or what they believe in”.

I’d say Glasgow’s big two have fans who could and should listen to this youngster.

Now look at that pass again.

4. Doing Simple Things Well

I was impressed that Lincoln City, one of my dad’s pre-war clubs were promoted with 5 games in hand and wondered why this perennial yo-yo club were on such a flier.

Three new USA owners, Ron Fowler, Landon Donovan and Harvey Jabarra.

Their budget is just £5m, a third of their contemporaries.

Top paid players get £3500 per week versus £10K in competitors.

They invest in data and set pieces.

They invested big time in their training complex.

They see family as part of the chemistry.

And their philosophy, “Come to a really good club where you can develop, and know that the club will help you move on”.

I will in the future ask why USA money is all over UK clubs but for now they are right-sizing and doing the basics.

5. Not All America Rips Off Fans

For me the biggest sporting events in the USA this year are The Masters and the World Cup.

We know the USA World Cup is a comprehensive rip-off from inside out.

And while The Masters can’t manage local rogue hotels preying on the restricted visitors who can get tickets they think and care about the fans.

It’s not just about Screwing Spectators, Jahnnie.

Basic tickets are not rip off, if you can get them, at a basic $160 per day Thu – Sun, up $20 on last year.

And a concessionary Pimento Cheese sandwich is just $1.50.

Profits go into next year’s tournament.

Even our hero from York this week, Eric, would approve.

6. A Message for Callum

This week we got the post-split fixture list and the annual ‘unfairs’.

The solution is known to all golf club secretaries.

Draw the fixture list pre-season and stick to it.

No finagling.

Honest simple and straightforward.

Andy’s Sting Blog

Has a mind and life of its own and wishes football and football fans could see the bigger story.

Opinions are mine and comments are always welcome.

I and Fans everywhere welcome a full investigation into how what happened at Ibrox recently but to achieve meaningful change the enquiry has to have an open dictat not just a marking of process.

I personally smell a whitewash but hope I’m wrong.

Football needs strong Fan Unions and we need your input, constantly.

https://www.thesfu.co.uk/

And as always feel free to write to me about anything in football or beyond.

Andy.smith@thesfu.co.uk

Andy’s Album of the Week

The Beatles: Revolver

Eric from York took us back to happier and more certain times in 1966 so I thought I’d look at the top albums from back in that day and I have 3 of them.

‘Sounds of Silence’

‘Blonde on Blonde’.

While writing Sting I’ve played all three.

The Beatles really were special beyond anything we ever realised at the time.