BILLY BREMNER MEMORIAL JOIN OUR CAMPAIGN
Date: 5th July 2024
(Photo:@Homesoffootball)
Let me start by saying that I find party politics like we have seen recently deeply depressing and I know I’m not alone.
It’s never been so miserable, angry, and downright ugly.
I was quite taken aback to read that 4 in 10 voters in Scotland didn’t even bother to vote yesterday.
That’s a key lost statistic among all the other election statistics floating around.
Consider this for a moment.
Our non-voting ‘disenfranchised’ group is now up more than 20% on its 2019 number.
Lots of reasons why, I’m sure and if this grouping was a political party the 40% who are in it would have won by a landslide.
And also consider that only 2 countries in Europe have a ‘first past the post system’, our own Blighty and the dictator state, Belarus.
So in reality only Blighty votes are counted and judged solely on a ‘first past the post’ basis in the whole of democratic Europe.
Are we right or are we something else?
The whys and wherefores about that are for another day because I don’t see ‘proper representation’ being high up Keir Starmer’s list of things to do in his first 100 days, or even in his first two parliaments.
That’s the way power works at Westminster, has always done, and when you have it and are in a position to change it all, you do everything you can to keep it and stifle change.
Sir Keir and his team including many SFSA friends and members do however deserve real credit for doing mountains of double digging after that Corbyn Carnage in 2019.
And as the new party leader one of the smartest things he did was reaching out to ask questions about a whole range of stuff to diverse groups up and down the length and breadth of the nation.
He was like ‘Johnny Number 5’ the endearing robot in the film Short Circuit looking for more and more ‘input’ from his future electorate.
We were one of many organisations who met his demands for ‘input’.
Not surprisingly when his team had first contacted the SFSA out of the blue we thought it was a wind up but he wanted an honest insight into our game, why we exist and stuff that never gets reported in the mainstream media.
This was well ahead of the Tracey Crouch led Independent Regulator cross-party plans at Westminster that understandably won’t be in his 100 day priorities but also won’t go away.
Anyway we marshalled a group of fans across the country for him to engage with and engage he did.
Sir Keir was good and listened a lot.
He is a real football man too and we quickly ran out of time which is always a good sign.
Below is the zoom summary, still relevant ahead of our MSP Minister Maree Todd’s Cross Party Meeting now scheduled for August 7th in Edinburgh.
Football Fans are Cross Party By Second Nature
Football clubs are a bit like political parties.
No single political party or football club has a monopoly on us and how we think, or indeed what we want the game to be.
Our fan’s rainbow of colourful views might even seem contradictory at first and dominated by self-interest emanating from the clubs they support.
Fair enough.
But you know what?
Put fans together in a room and very quickly the one-club- tribalism vanishes and we collectively see the big picture where our collective rainbow becomes more important than any one colour or hue.
A simple coming together for the common good that those in power whether it is football or in government sometimes seem to work to avoid.
It’s all to do with dividing and conquering.
Cross Party Trumps Tribalism Every Time
One of the best things I’ve witnessed since I’ve been chair of the SFSA is when elected politicians work together.Yes it is usually behind the scenes but it does happen.
Scottish hero Rose Reilly, joined Gavin and Gillian on the Hampden steps.
I bow humbly to the power the bring and the fact they and others all care.
It all taught me that sometimes what’s good for both the game and the ordinary fan needs some heavyweight support.
Last night sadly lost two friends of football.
Gavin Newlands and Hannah Bardell the now ex Livingston MP and others have more than done their bit during my spell at the SFSA.
So for now, this an inadequate thanks to Gavin and Hannah.
And I hope Douglas R stays on at Holyrood.
Andy’s Sting in the Tale
1. Euro’s Highlight Ifab Failings
2. Free the Parks for the Kids
3. Palestinians Go Legal with Fifa
4. Fire the Sticks Up for a Football Feast
1. Some Football Rules “is An Ass”
Mr Bumble was maybe not just speaking with his nagging wife. Maybe he was foretelling the very confusing and damaging football rules in 2024.
It doesn’t take Dickens to tell us that all is not well with the laws and interpretation of current football laws and instances of the nonsenses are writ large at the Euros.
And we need a Dickens of a fuss.
How can anyone be a centimetre offside when there is no centimetre measurement definition of the exact moment a ball is kicked?
There has to be more inbuilt leeway and a presumption in favour of the attacking side.
How can various ‘body-contacts’ that would be a foul in any outfield area somehow be freely allowable and normalised in the penalty box?
The constant wrestling is tedious and almost certainly reduces goals.
How can the hand ball rules especially in the box be simplified, fair and simple?
We currently have a camel of a patchwork of a nonsense of rules and guidances.
The 4 home countries dominate Ifab and should be taking a lead in the full light of scrutiny.
2. Pitching in for a Free For All
I was sent a WhatsApp earlier this week about an Inverclyde member of the Scottish Youth Parliament who has taken up one of the tenets of the SFSA policy.
Free pitches for kids all over the country.
Matthew Quinn, MYSP, brought a motion for pitches to be free at a recent MSYP meeting and won the backing of 90.7% of MYSPs.
Brilliant but how to go from there to making it happen?
It will take us all.
And his quest took me back.
My first organised football was the Inverness Street League in 1968 after school in summer term when we played our games at Inverness’s Bught Park pitches without nets, flags and official referees.
It was free because we just turned up and played.
Nobody stopped us.
And we were all away before the evening welfare games kicked off on the same parks.
In a political overload week all parks should be free all over Scotland for our kids, no matter who their parents voted for, or even if they voted at all.
3. Media Black Out?
First an insight.
My daughter’s family are currently home from Dubai ,shivering, but also avoiding the excessive Gulf summer heat.
In discussions over a glass of cold Verdejo it is clear we in Blighty are not getting anything like the same amount of core coverage, and by definition not experiencing the same flavour of anger by the neighbouring nations of the current very sad, nay horrific, nay outrageous situation in Gaza.
Our media is letting us down.
Really letting us down, and I guess it’s a political decision and to do with our close alliance with the USA.
As such here is an important related story you won’t read in our back pages.
It’s from `Inside World Football’ on the 2nd of July written by Samindra Kunti and it’s just a short piece.
https://www.insideworldfootball.com/2024/07/02/palestinians-submit-arguments-fifas-legal-eagles-making-case-banning-israel/
Basically Samindra writes,
“The Palestine Football Association have submitted a case for the banning of Israel to Fifa’s Independent Legal Committee.
The PFA have demanded the FIFA Council suspend the IFA with immediate effect, ban IFA from any football-related activity, respect the territorial integrity of the PFA, in particular in the West Bank, and refer the matter to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee for adjudication”.
(Andy interjects saying, Fifa politics are complex, confusing and if in doubt you should always follow the money).
“At the FIFA Congress in May, the FIFA membership was actively prevented from taking a vote by FIFA president Gianni Infantino. (Andy asks why?)
In direct response the head of the PFA legal team Katarina Pijetlovic said: “FIFA can choose either to follow its Statutes and Human Rights Policy commitments or sacrifice its statutory provisions and objectives to continue shielding Israel from liability.
In the past decade, the Palestinian cause has repeatedly been the subject of heated debate at FIFA Congresses, but in 2017, FIFA and Infantino shut down the work and report of its own monitoring committee, led by Tokyo Sexwale. The matter was declared ‘closed’”. (Andy asks why again)
4. Setanta Mk3 Delivers 75 Games to Firestick 4K Owners (The One With Alexa)
Lost in the noise of the election it seems that the company who used to be Setanta, then phoenixed to become Premier Sports becoming new bestest pals with the SPFL and then became part of a Scandi Media called Viaplay who got the Scotland rights, and finally when Viaplay’s financial numbers didn’t add up bought themselves in the fire sale and reverted back to being Premier Sports again.
Anyway they are now announcing 25 extra Scottish League cup games in a mix of live ‘pay per view’ and also streaming.
It’s great news for however many Premier subscribers there are and also a wee bonus for everyone with an easily doctored Amazon Firestick.
The Firestick Lite will set you back £34.99 and the impressive 4K is on sale for £69.99 with free delivery.
I know many ordinary fans who swear by their Amazon Firesticks, and I also know anecdotally of PPV channels who swear at them.
Here is some free feedback off the Amazon site, after a quick google, about the top of the range Alexa supported Firestick 4K.
“The Fire TV interface is intuitive and responsive. Whether I’m browsing through Prime Video, Netflix, or other downloaded apps, the navigation is smooth and lag-free. The Fire OS, based on Android, offers a wide range of apps through the built-in store. Moreover, I’ve discovered the joy of side-loading apps that aren’t officially supported, expanding my entertainment options.
Connectivity has been another highlight. Setting up the Fire TV Stick was a breeze, and it connects effortlessly to my Wi-Fi. The consistent, strong connection ensures uninterrupted streaming, even when watching 4K content. This reliability is a game-changer, especially when binge-watching my favourite shows.
The device’s performance has been impressive. Despite not using it with a TV, I haven’t noticed any significant drawbacks. Videos play smoothly, and the interface remains snappy. However, I did learn that using the original power adapter is crucial for optimal performance, particularly when streaming high-quality content.
In summary, the Fire TV Stick has transformed my monitor into a smart entertainment hub. Its user-friendly interface, powerful remote with Alexa, wide app support, and robust connectivity have made my viewing experience more enjoyable and convenient. It’s remarkable how this small device, originally designed for TVs, has so effortlessly adapted to my monitor setup despite the lack of support for monitors.
I guess in any laissez faire economy the consumer is king.
That’s it from me again this week.
If you are not an SFSA member please join and help us make the future of our game brighter.
NOTE: “Sting” is the personal views of our chair and does not necessarily reflect the corporate position of the SFSA on every issue discussed.
Andy’s Album of the week
The Chieftains and Friends: Further Down the Old Plank Road
I grew up without knowing the deep and fundamental influence of Scottish and Irish music on the fusion that is called rock and roll.
And I am embarrassed to admit that I was also dragged ‘kicking screaming and shouting’, almost, to my first Chieftains concert at His Majesty’s in Aberdeen.
I was blown away.
Converted.
And it sparked a lifelong love of anything Chieftains.
Around the millennium I was in Ireland every couple of weeks for work with business links with Green Isle foods based in Naas and in Dublin Airport discovered there was a wonderful music store that always ‘saw me coming’.
They had Chieftains displays designed to catch me every time and I had a Walkman by then too to play my new self-gift sitting in the wee cramped seats on the Aer Lingus ‘dirty little Fokkers’.
Looking back, the Chieftains were unprecedented, an unlikely group fronted by the wonderful Paddy Moloney, and a group of veteran musicians with unusual ‘rock’ instruments like a harp, and a tin whistle, and a bodhran instead of drums.
As they matured the band explored Celtic music links with musicians and singers who were like me probably didn’t originally know the provenance of the music they loved either.
I have several Chieftains albums where they go back to the future with their roots and I think this is my favourite.
The album showcases Chet Atkins, Roseanne Cash, Emmylou, Ricky Skaggs, Don Williams and more.
It all just shows what goes around comes back around and this album reaches deep into this writer.
Posted in: Andy’s Sting in the Tale, Latest News
