Andy’s Sting In The Tale (30/01/26) "No Plan B"
- Andy Smith
- Jan 30
- 6 min read
Updated: Jan 31
Despite the Geo Politics I don’t think there is much that will change the hosting of the World Cup.
This week several countries have tried to ‘squash’ their ‘sprouting like mushrooms’ calls for ‘A BOYCOTT’.
Uncoordinated and not properly united or thought through, for now.
But I think being wary of what King Donald will do next and prepared is eminently sensible .
I say that because the stark reality is that come `Hell or High Water’ or an invasion or two of Venezuela, Greenland Iran, or even the next one on his list, and I hope that it’s not Canada.
Anyway, and any way, Jahnnie, Fifa’s Grandest Ever Fromage, has Donald, his bestie’s back.
And together this twosome have dragged us back to the time of Margaret Thatcher’s reign when our job is just to do what we’re told.
Or Else.
(Margaret Hilda was christened TINA by the erudite Cabinet Minister Norman St John-Stevas, because her cabinet, of which he was a member, were frequently told.
“ There Is No Alternative”.
And here’s a truth.
No single country has a real voice at Fifa.
To stand up and criticise the Fifa Leader would be self-harm of the highest order and never forgotten.
It takes a communal and instant rebellion like the Uefa countries reaction to Russia’s attack on Ukraine to shift Jahnnie’s fixation on delivering the monies that he knows keep him in power.
He’s a political genius.
The Uefa countries do have power in Fifa, just about enough to make the point on Russia but they don’t work together often enough.
They’ve been divided and conquered by the maestro.
Like thousands in the Tartan Army My two ‘Scotland Daft’ boys will be in Miami, ticketless and hopefully following the ongoing and sensible advice from our Association of Tartan Army Clubs, ATAC.
Good guys with insight and battle experience.
Either way Greg and Adam will have a good time.
But I’m a generation older.
I feel uneasy and genuinely worried about the implications of the predictably unpredictable changes in America’s behaviour.
I was at the launch of a wonderful new book last night, Glyph.
It was in sunny Portobello where the writer talked about the lies that emanate constantly from people not trying to make the world better but justifying their current and planned actions.
Self-interest and self-rewarding stuff.
We all know that sooner or later King Donald will cross the proverbial Rubicon.
If it’s Iran, and what they have done to their people is distressing, then both are Fifa members, and both are in the World Cup.
But my fear is some kind of chaos is heading our way and decisions will have to be made.
As a final insight.
My pal Mike has just come home from a ‘get away from the winter’ trip to Florida.
I don’t know what the weather was like because I didn’t ask him, but as a frequent pond-crosser I valued his views about King Donald’s Land this time around.
Succinctly he said.
“Bizarre.
And very expensive”.
This Week’s Sting
1. Balls to Sir Keir and President Xi Jinping
2. Ideas Welcome
3. Heading for Game Changes?
4. Avoiding History Repeating Itself
5. Seppsis Fighting Back
6. The Old Media Model is Broken Forever
1. The Brotherhood of Football Supporters
I didn’t know the Chinese President was a Man U fan.
I do know Sir Keir is a long time Gooner.
So he wanted to break the ice on his very recent trip and handed over a signed yellow Puma match ball from Man U’s victory away against his team last weekend.
It reminded me of the story about when one of the British United Nations peacekeeper, blue capped officers in the Balkans conflict was threatened by a militia man in a Man U top with a pointed loaded weapon.
He told him he was a Man U fan too and a dialogue replaced the bullets and they parted with a hug rather than the planned violence.
Football can unite, as well as divide.
I preferred football when it unites.
2. Money for Kids Before a Starring Retirement
Andy Goram’s World Cup Kilt will end up in the Hampden museum when wanted, but probably also have a permanent home on the wall of the company or individual who facilitates it’s journey to the USA with a bit of fun and fundraising for Scottish Kid’s football.
You are an influential bunch so feel free to pitch in with good ideas.
I know Andy G is smiling.
3. Gordon Wasn’t the Only One
I was never a giant but was good in the air and never thought about the very real damage from heading water logged footballs, and even worse practicing heading at training.
I dealt with it personally with paracetamol.
And for me it was occasional, not every day or session or game.
I well remember the towering McQueen header at Wembley in 1977, the wonderful day my pal Billy gave me a bit of his 2 foot square of Wembley on the late train back to Inverness.
We’ll never know how many footballers have been damaged by heading and the biggest unspoken issue is maybe the game is more frightened of paying compensation than digging too deep into what could become expensive.
I love head to ball in our game but even one premature Alzheimer’s and death is one too many.
4. What Should A Fan’s World Cup ‘Forever’ Charter Cover?
Just say Fifa read this column. (They don’t)
What should any future World Cup Fan’s Charter include as the set in stone immutable parameters?
I personally think ‘pricing controls’ linked to the real world in the host country is a definite.
‘Ticket re-sales management’ to thwart scalpers or opportunists would be another.
More tickets for the fans’ of the teams actually on the park too.
Proper ‘availability for disabled fans and their carers’.
Rules on ‘Fan Zones’.
‘Price controls on stadium sales’.
Help me guys.
Send your thoughts to my email address.
This will be shared with the ATAC and FSE.
It will be a long and probably unsuccessful battle but bit by bit the message will sink in.
5. Some Chatter from Blatter
This week Sepp, remember him, corruption and all that and Jahnnie the clean broom who replaced him
The 89 year old said, “We need to question this World Cup”.
This was in response to Swiss lawyer, Mark Pieth who said “Fans, Avoid the USA. You’ll get a better view on TV”.
No response from Infantino, who the record show said back in the Sepp demise days he helped accelerate, “We will restore the image of Fifa and everyone in the world will applaud us”.
Bollocks Jahnnie, Bollocks.
6. Paywall Time at the Home of Angus Og
My introduction to the Daily Record was it was the paper my pal Gordon bought every day and took to school.
(We were a P&J family).
I quickly became a fan of Angus Og the wise teuchter and his orchestra of west coast pals.
A single dimensional pre-curser of Hamish Macbeth, maybe.
Two things from this.
I doubt if any 14/15 year old schoolboys buy the Daily Record to read it at school today.
And sales of 800,000 plus in a wee country of 5 million or so were remarkable.
This week the paper announced it will go behind a paywall.
Sad days for what was once a strong national media asset.
And a sector that’s on a slippery and seemingly irreversible slope.
I’m not sure if there is a solution.
Sting is,
A wee blog written by a fan who doesn’t care so much about who’s on the subs bench at his club as he used to.
But as a greybeard can see that football needs help to realign so we have a better future at all levels.
Thanks for reading.
Join the SFU to make our voice louder.
And as always feel free to write to me about anything in football or beyond.
Andy’s Album of the Week
Runrig: Once in a Lifetime
I’ve been playing Runrig all week.
Critically acclaimed and recorded by the Radio Clyde Mobile Studio at gigs at Eden Court the Barrowlands.
It’s a great insight to a long missed iconic Scots band.
I probably prefer the Donnie Munro vocal years and ‘Once in a Lifetime’ is up there with the best live albums ever produced.
I don’t actually know what Celtic rock is but this delivers nice tunes and passion.
And when Runrig were big I don’t think we understood just how good they were.
Comments