Mihir Bose's Blog, page 25
December 16, 2015
What’s worse, state-led doping or money stealing federation chieftains?
Inside World Football
FIFA in its present form may or may not be destroyed, as the US Justice Department is clearly aiming to do, but for all the never ending stories of corruption that continue to emerge from the world of football one point needs to be stressed. This is that, however dreadful the governance of football, the FIFA scandal as far as sport is concerned does not match what has happened in athletics. There, as has been well reported, following the World Anti-Doping's Independent Commission finding that the Russian state sponsored doping of athletes, Russia has been suspended from the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, and could miss next summer's Rio Olympics.
And, if you do not accept my argument that one form of corruption is much worse than the other, then listen to what Dick Pound, who chaired the WADA Independent Commission, told me. When I asked how he saw what has happened to athletics compared to football his answer was, "It is not like FIFA where a bunch of corrupt people are passing money around to each other for sponsorship deals in marketing and television, that sort of stuff. This [meaning the athletics scandal] actually goes right down to the field of play. In sporting terms it is a worse report in the sense of affecting those who are playing. That is the qualitative difference between the two types of corruption. FIFA is a b-to-b type of corruption".
FIFA in its present form may or may not be destroyed, as the US Justice Department is clearly aiming to do, but for all the never ending stories of corruption that continue to emerge from the world of football one point needs to be stressed. This is that, however dreadful the governance of football, the FIFA scandal as far as sport is concerned does not match what has happened in athletics. There, as has been well reported, following the World Anti-Doping's Independent Commission finding that the Russian state sponsored doping of athletes, Russia has been suspended from the IAAF, athletics' world governing body, and could miss next summer's Rio Olympics.
And, if you do not accept my argument that one form of corruption is much worse than the other, then listen to what Dick Pound, who chaired the WADA Independent Commission, told me. When I asked how he saw what has happened to athletics compared to football his answer was, "It is not like FIFA where a bunch of corrupt people are passing money around to each other for sponsorship deals in marketing and television, that sort of stuff. This [meaning the athletics scandal] actually goes right down to the field of play. In sporting terms it is a worse report in the sense of affecting those who are playing. That is the qualitative difference between the two types of corruption. FIFA is a b-to-b type of corruption".
December 14, 2015
The first mass migration from outside Europe
Mihir's blog from
The Migration Project
Europe will need to think outside the box if it is to cope with the most unique migrant crisis in its history – and he looks back to 1971 and the painful birth of Bangladesh for a telling point of comparison.
The migrant crisis that has engulfed Europe has seen a whole range of responses, from Angela Merkel’s August Wilkommenskultur – although that is fraying a bit now that summer has turned to winter – to the stated willingness of those on the European far right to let the refugee boats sink in the Mediterranean. One thing everyone in Europe is agreed on, however: this is the worst migration crisis the continent has seen since the end of the Second World War.
In terms of size and scale it certainly is, but the fundamental nature of this migration is very different. Europe has never experienced migration of this nature, or at least not for over a thousand years, and we need to understand how different this migration is, because failure to do so has distorted the migration debate and is the reason why Europe is yet to develop a humane, viable, migration policy.
The Migration Project
Europe will need to think outside the box if it is to cope with the most unique migrant crisis in its history – and he looks back to 1971 and the painful birth of Bangladesh for a telling point of comparison.
The migrant crisis that has engulfed Europe has seen a whole range of responses, from Angela Merkel’s August Wilkommenskultur – although that is fraying a bit now that summer has turned to winter – to the stated willingness of those on the European far right to let the refugee boats sink in the Mediterranean. One thing everyone in Europe is agreed on, however: this is the worst migration crisis the continent has seen since the end of the Second World War.
In terms of size and scale it certainly is, but the fundamental nature of this migration is very different. Europe has never experienced migration of this nature, or at least not for over a thousand years, and we need to understand how different this migration is, because failure to do so has distorted the migration debate and is the reason why Europe is yet to develop a humane, viable, migration policy.
December 11, 2015
South Africa vs England: Joe Root believes tourists are ‘more than capable’ of series win
London Evening Standard
England could not have timed their arrival in South Africa today any better. For although the hosts are still the No1 Test team they are reeling from one of the most chastening defeats in their history.
South Africa’s 3-0 drubbing in India, completed on Monday, was their first overseas Test series loss since 2006. It was Hashim Amla’s first series defeat as Test captain and the country’s worst batting performance since 1912. By contrast, although England also lost their autumn Test series against Pakistan, they came close to winning one match and ended the tour on a high, taking the one-day series and the T20s.
England could not have timed their arrival in South Africa today any better. For although the hosts are still the No1 Test team they are reeling from one of the most chastening defeats in their history.
South Africa’s 3-0 drubbing in India, completed on Monday, was their first overseas Test series loss since 2006. It was Hashim Amla’s first series defeat as Test captain and the country’s worst batting performance since 1912. By contrast, although England also lost their autumn Test series against Pakistan, they came close to winning one match and ended the tour on a high, taking the one-day series and the T20s.
December 2, 2015
David Haye: Tyson Fury will lose all respect if he gives up belts to avoid fighting me
London Evening Standard
David Haye is sitting in a studio in New Broadcasting House, a half-eaten tray of tuna salad in front of him. The Londoner is busy promoting his fight against Mark de Mori on January 16. This is Haye’s first fight after three-and-a-half years out of the ring and normally the talk would be about how the former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion will fare against the Australian, who is ranked 10th by the WBA.
However, the one topic that overshadows everything is Tyson Fury after Britain’s new heavyweight world champion made it clear he has no appetite to fight Haye.
Fury, who secured the WBA, IBF and WBO belts with his shock victory over Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday, insists he would rather square up to his cousin, Hughie, than Haye. “At least Hughie would throw some punches back,” said Fury.
David Haye is sitting in a studio in New Broadcasting House, a half-eaten tray of tuna salad in front of him. The Londoner is busy promoting his fight against Mark de Mori on January 16. This is Haye’s first fight after three-and-a-half years out of the ring and normally the talk would be about how the former cruiserweight and heavyweight world champion will fare against the Australian, who is ranked 10th by the WBA.
However, the one topic that overshadows everything is Tyson Fury after Britain’s new heavyweight world champion made it clear he has no appetite to fight Haye.
Fury, who secured the WBA, IBF and WBO belts with his shock victory over Wladimir Klitschko on Saturday, insists he would rather square up to his cousin, Hughie, than Haye. “At least Hughie would throw some punches back,” said Fury.
November 27, 2015
Sponsors hold the key to stopping corruption in sport, says former WADA president Dick Pound
London Evening Standard
Dick Pound believes the power to clean up sport rests with the companies that pour billions into it.
Pound led the WADA commission which this month exposed Russia’s state-backed doping program for athletes and his team is preparing a second report into allegations of corruption within the IAAF.
Then, on Monday, dozens of Kenyan athletes stormed the offices of their national association as they accused the organisation of mismanagement.
Dick Pound believes the power to clean up sport rests with the companies that pour billions into it.
Pound led the WADA commission which this month exposed Russia’s state-backed doping program for athletes and his team is preparing a second report into allegations of corruption within the IAAF.
Then, on Monday, dozens of Kenyan athletes stormed the offices of their national association as they accused the organisation of mismanagement.
November 26, 2015
How can the scandal-struck world of sport emerge from crisis? I have a solution…
London Loves Business
Why do sports administrators still try to preserve the fiction that sport has nothing to do with money? Asks Bose in his latest column…
Now you may think Lloyd’s of London has nothing to teach sports. One is an insurance market where how you calculate risk matters, the other is about athletes creating a wonderful world of myth and magic. Wrong.
For both institutions there is the question of who sets policies for them. How can sports emerge from the crisis that has engulfed both football and athletics? One solution is to look at how Lloyd’s finally realised that the self-regulatory world which had worked for centuries could no longer cope with the problems of the modern age.
Why do sports administrators still try to preserve the fiction that sport has nothing to do with money? Asks Bose in his latest column…
Now you may think Lloyd’s of London has nothing to teach sports. One is an insurance market where how you calculate risk matters, the other is about athletes creating a wonderful world of myth and magic. Wrong.
For both institutions there is the question of who sets policies for them. How can sports emerge from the crisis that has engulfed both football and athletics? One solution is to look at how Lloyd’s finally realised that the self-regulatory world which had worked for centuries could no longer cope with the problems of the modern age.
November 22, 2015
For King and Another Country: Indian Soldiers on the Western Front 1914-1918 by Shrabani Basu, review: Forgotten fighters of the First World War
Independent on Sunday
“So what did Indians do during the First World War, daddy?” is not a question many ask. Yet India contributed nearly £250m and 1.2 million fighting men to the Allied powers’ cause – 72,000 of whom never returned home.
“So what did Indians do during the First World War, daddy?” is not a question many ask. Yet India contributed nearly £250m and 1.2 million fighting men to the Allied powers’ cause – 72,000 of whom never returned home.
November 20, 2015
To change FIFA we need to look beyond Zurich
In all the coverage of the crisis in FIFA what has been happening in the far flung corners of world football, like for instance Nepal and Laos, has been rather missed out. Now I do understand that you cannot expect the western media, in particular the British media where a story about Sepp Blatter or Michel Platini now nearly always makes the front page, to dwell on such remote corners of the globe. For the British in any case Nepal means Gurkha soldiers, and for climbers Everest and the Himalayas. Other than that little is known about the country nor much interest.
This was perfectly illustrated when the Nepali team for the Olympics entered London's 2012 stadium for the march past during the opening ceremony. The team hardly raised a cheer which, given how much the British love and honour the Gurkhas, was amazing. It was evident that most people in Britain do not connect their beloved Gurkhas soldiers with Nepal, whose citizens they are.
[More...]
This was perfectly illustrated when the Nepali team for the Olympics entered London's 2012 stadium for the march past during the opening ceremony. The team hardly raised a cheer which, given how much the British love and honour the Gurkhas, was amazing. It was evident that most people in Britain do not connect their beloved Gurkhas soldiers with Nepal, whose citizens they are.
[More...]
November 17, 2015
Why the England v. France football match should go ahead
BBC Radio Wales
Mihir was interviewed on Good Morning Wales today on the importance of carrying on as normal despite the tragic events in Paris last Friday. Listen here. (Interview starts at 02.53.45 into programme).
Mihir was interviewed on Good Morning Wales today on the importance of carrying on as normal despite the tragic events in Paris last Friday. Listen here. (Interview starts at 02.53.45 into programme).
Weekend Show
BBC World Service
Mihir joined the panel on Weekend on Saturday morning 14 November. The programme covered many topics including the Paris terror attacks, the election in Myanmar and why Indians are replacing all their old buildings of architectural note for grotesque high rise blocks. You can listen to the programme here
Mihir joined the panel on Weekend on Saturday morning 14 November. The programme covered many topics including the Paris terror attacks, the election in Myanmar and why Indians are replacing all their old buildings of architectural note for grotesque high rise blocks. You can listen to the programme here
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