Part 2 (final)
Oooh. Did not expect to hear from you this soon Mr President.
Ah, I see, I did plant a seed of curiosity in your mind with the AFA story.
You did what? You followed the elections live on the internet?
I agree, it is like when NATO troops invaded Libya, two governments and only one that has power at the moment.
Don’t get me wrong I want changes there as much as the next man, but not the way it was done.
A great opportunity was missed to seriously challenge Grondona, who, in my opinion is the big winner now.
Yes, you are right again. He is always the winner, sir.
I don’t want to sound cheeky sir, but if you read my blogs I have been uncovering for a while now what this guy is like.
But I don’t want you thinking that I am anti Grondona because of personal interest or politic. I leave that to his political enemies.
I have no TV channels, don’t work for any media or financial groups, I don’t have ties with any football clubs, hell I am not interesting in running Argentinean football either.
I just want transparency, things done for the benefit of the game and fair play and democracy for all.
In order to hold this power, unequivocally, any man must think of every aspects of the game, and find a way to keep everyone happy.
Impossible? Well kind of but if you look at every area separately and treat it like a separate part of the whole picture it becomes easier.
Sorry, did not mean to confuse you.
Soccer= TV, Clubs, Players, Referees, Leagues, Security, Finances, National Teams, Managers, Conmebol matters, FIFA matters, etc.
It is a very complicated job. Most countries have commissions and sub commissions in order to delegate work loads and make it all come together at the general meetings.
Here those exist as well, but nothing, and I mean nothing, happens without JHG’s approval.
Let’s say the referees commission amongst other things, names who is going to be in charge of what games. On paper that is. Because before they can make it public, the big boss has to have his say.
Club presidents speak to him to “request” a certain referee or to ask him to veto a particular whistler from officiating their teams.
And like all, this becomes a business. If Independiente asks Grondona not to let xxx referee them against Banfield, he says, ok, but that means Banfield gets xx% of the tickets sales that day to compensate.
Do you think Banfield gets that full amount sir?
Same goes with finances (the other day sir I explained the TV contracts to you as an example)
The players have their Union. Called FAA. Now, there are a few laws there, for example the most current one causing headlines.
A player’s salary is paid monthly on the 10th of each month for the month that has just finished. Failure to pay any player for 2 months in a row can mean the involvement of the Union to intimate the club to pay.
Once intimated the club has 48 hours to pay its debt. If they don’t, legally the player or players are free agents.
Despite many recent cases when clubs have been intimated and still have not paid after 48 hours, never ever a player has become a free agent.
Yes, players have threatened with Strikes, or not starting a tournament if they don’t get paid.
What does Grondona have to do with this Sir?
Well the secretary of FAA, instead of dealing with the clubs goes to….AFA and negotiates. Then the players are pressurised to accept payments in instalments and end of story.
Then the clubs owe favours to Grondona (they did not need to pay all debts in one go), the union owes favours to him too (for negotiating on behalf of them) and the players also (if they do not accept terms, they know they will never play in any club or the national side)
I know it all sounds good actions Sir, but why does he negotiate? Because players in this situation in the country are in a very large number and could organise a strike at any point.
If there is a strike, there is no income from TV or sponsors to the AFA accounts.
Another thing that the FAA has decided via its members (the players) is that if there is any act of violence in a stadium before or during a match, that compromises the safety of the players, they can decide not to play or stop the game.
That, Mr President, has not happened.
No, I don’t mean that the acts of violence have not happen, they happen all the time.
Games have not been stopped because of them.
Why?
Because violence is overlooked by the clubs and AFA.
The clubs and AFA pay the police for security on all matches played.
A policeman gets paid 3 or 4 times more for that day, than the pay he receives the rest of the week.
Police need their officers to be happy, money makes people happy, then it is not in the interest of the police to stop the violence.
If they stop it, they will need fewer agents, who will get less money.
Don’t the police know who the hooligans are? Don’t the clubs know who they are?
These hooligans that “represent the clubs” only exchange their services for free tickets.
What services, sir?
At election time they come very handy to intimidate the opposition, but not only that sir, during games, they decide who they support and who they boo. So if the club wants to get rid of a manager, they send the message to the boys on the stands and suddenly the headlines are that the supporters want the manager out!!!
Also these guys travel all over the world, to every competition to watch the national team. Who finances them? How do they get tickets when they are not easy to get?
AFA is the answer, Mr Obama.
Who are these people going to support, sir?
Who are the police going to owe favours sir in case he needs one?
Double question, single answer: Julio Humberto Grondona
So, he embroils on his negotiations all parties needed to guarantee his stay: Police, Players, their union, the fans, the clubs, Tv monies, referees.
Nothing happens in Argentinean football without his say so, and if anyone wants to uncover anything…well they can’t as they will be somehow involved in these dirty businesses.
And that is why he has just won his eights election by 46 votes for and……0 against.
Pleasure talking to you too, Mr President Obama.
Oooh. Did not expect to hear from you this soon Mr President.
Ah, I see, I did plant a seed of curiosity in your mind with the AFA story.
You did what? You followed the elections live on the internet?
I agree, it is like when NATO troops invaded Libya, two governments and only one that has power at the moment.
Don’t get me wrong I want changes there as much as the next man, but not the way it was done.
A great opportunity was missed to seriously challenge Grondona, who, in my opinion is the big winner now.
Yes, you are right again. He is always the winner, sir.
I don’t want to sound cheeky sir, but if you read my blogs I have been uncovering for a while now what this guy is like.
But I don’t want you thinking that I am anti Grondona because of personal interest or politic. I leave that to his political enemies.
I have no TV channels, don’t work for any media or financial groups, I don’t have ties with any football clubs, hell I am not interesting in running Argentinean football either.
I just want transparency, things done for the benefit of the game and fair play and democracy for all.
In order to hold this power, unequivocally, any man must think of every aspects of the game, and find a way to keep everyone happy.
Impossible? Well kind of but if you look at every area separately and treat it like a separate part of the whole picture it becomes easier.
Sorry, did not mean to confuse you.
Soccer= TV, Clubs, Players, Referees, Leagues, Security, Finances, National Teams, Managers, Conmebol matters, FIFA matters, etc.
It is a very complicated job. Most countries have commissions and sub commissions in order to delegate work loads and make it all come together at the general meetings.
Here those exist as well, but nothing, and I mean nothing, happens without JHG’s approval.
Let’s say the referees commission amongst other things, names who is going to be in charge of what games. On paper that is. Because before they can make it public, the big boss has to have his say.
Club presidents speak to him to “request” a certain referee or to ask him to veto a particular whistler from officiating their teams.
And like all, this becomes a business. If Independiente asks Grondona not to let xxx referee them against Banfield, he says, ok, but that means Banfield gets xx% of the tickets sales that day to compensate.
Do you think Banfield gets that full amount sir?
Same goes with finances (the other day sir I explained the TV contracts to you as an example)
The players have their Union. Called FAA. Now, there are a few laws there, for example the most current one causing headlines.
A player’s salary is paid monthly on the 10th of each month for the month that has just finished. Failure to pay any player for 2 months in a row can mean the involvement of the Union to intimate the club to pay.
Once intimated the club has 48 hours to pay its debt. If they don’t, legally the player or players are free agents.
Despite many recent cases when clubs have been intimated and still have not paid after 48 hours, never ever a player has become a free agent.
Yes, players have threatened with Strikes, or not starting a tournament if they don’t get paid.
What does Grondona have to do with this Sir?
Well the secretary of FAA, instead of dealing with the clubs goes to….AFA and negotiates. Then the players are pressurised to accept payments in instalments and end of story.
Then the clubs owe favours to Grondona (they did not need to pay all debts in one go), the union owes favours to him too (for negotiating on behalf of them) and the players also (if they do not accept terms, they know they will never play in any club or the national side)
I know it all sounds good actions Sir, but why does he negotiate? Because players in this situation in the country are in a very large number and could organise a strike at any point.
If there is a strike, there is no income from TV or sponsors to the AFA accounts.
Another thing that the FAA has decided via its members (the players) is that if there is any act of violence in a stadium before or during a match, that compromises the safety of the players, they can decide not to play or stop the game.
That, Mr President, has not happened.
No, I don’t mean that the acts of violence have not happen, they happen all the time.
Games have not been stopped because of them.
Why?
Because violence is overlooked by the clubs and AFA.
The clubs and AFA pay the police for security on all matches played.
A policeman gets paid 3 or 4 times more for that day, than the pay he receives the rest of the week.
Police need their officers to be happy, money makes people happy, then it is not in the interest of the police to stop the violence.
If they stop it, they will need fewer agents, who will get less money.
Don’t the police know who the hooligans are? Don’t the clubs know who they are?
These hooligans that “represent the clubs” only exchange their services for free tickets.
What services, sir?
At election time they come very handy to intimidate the opposition, but not only that sir, during games, they decide who they support and who they boo. So if the club wants to get rid of a manager, they send the message to the boys on the stands and suddenly the headlines are that the supporters want the manager out!!!
Also these guys travel all over the world, to every competition to watch the national team. Who finances them? How do they get tickets when they are not easy to get?
AFA is the answer, Mr Obama.
Who are these people going to support, sir?
Who are the police going to owe favours sir in case he needs one?
Double question, single answer: Julio Humberto Grondona
So, he embroils on his negotiations all parties needed to guarantee his stay: Police, Players, their union, the fans, the clubs, Tv monies, referees.
Nothing happens in Argentinean football without his say so, and if anyone wants to uncover anything…well they can’t as they will be somehow involved in these dirty businesses.
And that is why he has just won his eights election by 46 votes for and……0 against.
Pleasure talking to you too, Mr President Obama.