Andy’s Sting in the Tale 17/07/26The Man Who Stole the World

I’m glad that the madness that has been the World Cup is on its last lap and hope Spain win, but whatever, we all know 2026 has been a watershed moment.

A central ‘forever’ statement of the new reality from the new boss, (much worse than the old boss).

Why?

Because of the seismic changes to Fifa-driven monetisation. (AKA Milking the fans).

Crude over-monetisation in the land of KD.

Profound never-to- be-reversed impacts where ordinary fans and the game become the biggest losers in Jahnnie’s ‘New-Boss-Money-Squeeze’.

A World Coup from a man who has the morals of a Victorian money-lender preying on needy factory workers.

But Credit Where it is Due

Infantino

Make no mistake, Infantino is a financial and political genius.

A man who makes Machiavelli look like a beginner and who personally doesn’t give a fiddler’s fart for justified criticisms of his sociopathetic shenanigans.

He relishes the power.

He needs it.

So much so he has created an impregnable protective wall of protection.

An army of ‘Mini-Mes’ (like in Autin Powers), with grasping (like-minded), self-interested, opportunism as the new religion.

The wrong kind of ‘leaders’ who have collectively cottoned on to the life-changing personal returns that The New Fifa Magic Carpet can bring each and every one.

A Swiss Gold Rush

The same ‘Greed is Good’, model King Donald is on with current wheezes like his wee crypto project where the losers get harmed.

The sad reality is that football in a macro sense is now well and truly in the ‘wrong hands’ and the old adage has been reworked.

‘Money corrupts, and loadsa money corrupts absolutely.

Football is the new gift that keeps on giving’ .

That is if you’re on the inside and the power and self-importance that come with Jahnnie’s New World is the icing on the cake.

So credit for now to Jahnnie Infantino, The Man Who Sold the World.

Andy’s Sting in the Tale

1. Why are France So Good ?

2. Some True/False Questions

3. This Fan Welcomes The KDM Evolution Trophy.

1. Football de La Rue y el Callejero

In the late 1990’s I was in Buenos Aries over 2 weeks and apart from the warmth of the people there were a few impressions that are still fresh in my mind.

The first was the quite unbelievable hostility/ugliness of the crowd at the Rio Plata vs Boca game that we got ‘seats’ to.

Most fans never seemed to look at the game and just chanted their bile at the opposition fans.

Not passion, pure hatred.

And the scariest polis I’d ever encountered with their 5 foot sticks and big black dogs.

The second was how the empty public parks, mostly worn out grass, came alive on Saturdays, and especially on Sundays with casual games of football on small, medium and big ‘pitches’.

Like our wonderful ‘Meadows’ in Edinburgh used to see every weekend and midweek night but on speed.

I read this week that France, the country with the most players at the World Cup still has that magic ‘street football’, culture too. A culture where football is more than organised clubs with all the trimmings.

Like we used to play before we decided we were better than that.

I hope that whoever, if indeed if anyone is even given the task, that ‘whoever’ is able to create a new plan for Scottish Football and sees a core foundation block in common or garden ‘Street Football’.

Informal, unplanned, any time, and fun.

2. No Prizes in This True/False Quiz, (Just think yes or no).

i) Jahnnie is now more powerful than ever?

ii) There are still good people at Fifa?

iii) Last week’s Balogun red card reversal was not by the ‘Discipline Committee of 18 people’ as stated because they did not even hear about Donald Trump’s wee favour request. The Chair, Mohamed al Chaiman of the UAE did the business for his boss?

iv) The USA World Cup was budgeted to deliver $13 Billion but with all the tweaks will deliver much more and bring great self-announced credit to Fifa about financial sharing all over the world?

v) The English FA have already committed their allegiance and vote to the Infantino regime and the Scottish FA are working closer than maybe ever before?

vi) The World Cup expansion from 48 to 64 is no longer a discussion?

vii) Thoughts in the land of William Tell are now on a World Cup every 2 years and justify it by the revenues it can ‘disburse afar’ and the sheer power?

viii) Fifa are actively bending their own rules to get paid employees to lobby and recruit countries to keep ‘Jahnnie’ in power?

3. Real Football, But Real Questions

I had to look up KDM the new sponsors of the Challenge Cup, first launched in 1990 for lower league clubs and was surprised that they don’t mention their link anywhere on their interweb site.

But I love the ‘KDM Evolution’ league format, the fact that Clachnacuddin for instance have games against Dundee Utd B, Elgin, Peterhead, Ross County, Celtic B, and Clyde.

Great early season fare for players and fans.

I also love the fact that the sponsorship pot is being shared across all clubs so well done SPFL.

But there are deep seated, ‘forever’ issues that this wonderful trophy shines a light on directly and indirectly.

I’m a pyramid fan but football in Scotland is not yet properly integrated and our scant resources are probably not good enough and what we have is probably spread too thin.

We have 40 ‘Professional’ Clubs in the SPFL.

The SPFL now has 3 feeder leagues with a heath Robinson type end of season charade and no inherent balance.

We have no idea what to do with the clubs who have historically fallen out.

The gap is way too big.

And the unintended consequence impact on their communities has been in some cases severe.

Our junior football historic anachronism has never been fully integrated and where we have tried is messy.

Grass Roots Needs Strong Local Clubs

I bang on about it often but if, (big if), IF we ever get serious about grass roots then it all starts in the communities, not the SPFL parks.

Why has nobody ever thought this through?

It’s needed no more than ever and the historic SFA funding of kids and community clubs, and laissez faire view on Schools football should be revisited and revised.

Sting is:

Many things to many people.

To Frodo and Bilbo it was a short Elven sword with a sharp point that glowed blue in the company of goblins or orcs.

To me ‘Sting’ is a cathartic process for and by a fan who sees the short termism and self-interest inherent in the game self-harming the future by damaging some of the very special things that football can bring to our communities.

There is no doubt that Jahnnie Infantino and his mafia-mobster approach will deliver the greatest fiscal package of revenues the game has ever seen but the monies are from quite outrageous financial cynicism towards ordinary fans. (AKA ‘screwing his mug punters’ and hiding it all behind his cloak of World Football Dominance).

Where financial corruption abounds.

It seems like but is not a contradiction that the English FA have already committed their Fifa President’s vote next year to this pariah of a genius because they want to be the host partner to both the women’s and men’s world cups’ in the medium term.

It’s pragmatism, ‘seal your nose with a clothes peg’, pragmatism.

Other FA’s sitting silently know what happens to cage-rattlers.

Nothing obvious.

Nothing overt.

They just lose out financially when King Jahnnie disburses this loot.

So better to pursue a ‘3 Brass Monkeys’ mantra.

And you don’t have to agree with anything I say in Sting, but I hope some of it makes you think.

Music While I Write

It’s been Bowie this week because once ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ came into my head that was it.

Like life itself it was a messy composition.

A slow burner about alienation and duality that started with that Ronson riff, and a few words, ‘Saviour Machine’ came to life when producer, Tony Visconti wanted to wrap the album up and David Jones scribbled more in the reception area.

A great album name but a virtually ignored song till ’74 when Lulu was given it as a single in a wee love tryst.

The rest is history.

Who knows? Not me.

I never lost control.

You’re face to face .

With the Man Who Sold the World.