So where are you Rick? Surely you're out of bed now? This is from RAWK Blog and sums up my feelings and is probably one of the best articles I have read for a long while.
Hi Rick,
Firstly can we apologise for waking you. Thought it best to let you know that since the final in Athens the press has been slinging mud in the direction of fans, ably abetted by UEFAās Official gobs***e William Gaillard.
Now no doubt you may think itās enough to tell the Liverpool Echo that the club will ādefend ourselves fiercelyā in a comment a few days back, but even though Liverpool Football Club may still be run like a cottage shop, the world outside has changed.
We now live in a media-driven world of on-demand sports and news coverage; instant reporting and comment bounces itās way five times around the world before Ian Cotton has changed the ribbon on his typewriter. Satellite broadcasting and the internet allows trenchant opinions to be instantly formed based on evasions, cover-ups and lies. Itās a painful lesson we learnt all too well following Hillsborough - and since those dark days the process has been sped up exponentially.
Lies donāt take holidays or weekends off, pop off home to see the missus or retire for some beauty sleep. They fester 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 52 weeks a year. And currently UEFA is being given a free reign to say what they want, when they want.
William Gaillard is a bullshitter of epic proportions - before the final he was praising Liverpool fans when questioned over the Athens security arrangements, stating there had been no specific problems in Istanbul. He even went on to say āThe two groups of supporters have a tradition of good behaviourā. Weasel words from William, yet again. Post-final and weāre apparently the biggest rabble since Genghis Khan and his hoards invaded Europe for the medieval predecessor of the European Cup, and according to Gaillard the problems in Athens mirrored Istanbul.
Isnāt it time that Liverpool Football Club came out and defended the fans? They could start by pro-actively collating accounts of what went on from the fans as Manchester United did post-Lille and Roma. As it is the vacuum left by the club has had to be filled by the Football Supporters Federation:
http://www.fsf.org.uk/news/news0040-eventsinathens.htmlWe donāt want another measly statement to the local press, or a cosy chat with your favourite interviewer Garry Richardson on Five Live. We want you to take head on Platiniās corrupt organisation and counter everything they say, when they say it, where they say it. Point out the absolute shambles that most of the organisation of European away games and Finals stlll is: the crumbling stadiums where the steps are falling away from the ground underneath; the absence of basic toilet facilities; the lack of ticket checks; the bloody airports and their refugee camps; the overly aggressive stewarding and policing; the complete disregard for UEFAās own stadium and safety regulations.
Then thereās the officially sanctioned black market that sees so many of the tickets awarded to UEFAās āfootball familyā and sponsors sold far above face value. And the UEFA employees themselves, who were dumping spare tickets in Athens into the hands of cocktail waitresses and hotel porters who performed above and beyond the call of duty.
Itās not your reputation being ruined Rick, itās ours. And the UEFA shysters are being given a free reign at present.
http://blog.redandwhitekop.com/2007/06/03/alarm-call-for-rick-parry/