"Broadcast was in the public interest," declares SKY
Monday, November 29, 2010 at 12:49PM Football pundits and journalists were up in arms this morning after SKY Sports 'carelessly and irresponsibly jeopardised the World Cup bid' by broadcasting Liverpool losing 2-1 to Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The 18 time league winners and holders of 5 European cups have recently fallen from grace, having their Champions League place usurped by a resurgent Spurs and suffering a poor run of form that sees them struggling to maintain a place in the top 10 of the Premier League and playing Paul Konchesky at left back.
However, many feel that their dreadful form should have been hidden from the prying eyes of FIFA and certainly not broadcast live only days before the World Cup vote.
Ian Ridley of the Mail on Sunday said, "Liverpool Football Club are a national treasure and their image as one of the best teams in the world ever is vital to England winning the rights to host the World Cup in 2018. FIFA don't care about small clubs like Spurs, Everton and Aston Villa. They want to see the usual top 4 winning all the time just like they do in other European countries. SKY have shown a blatant disregard for football fans all over the country by airing this defeat."
Phil Thompson, a SKY pundit who happens to also support Liverpool, added, "I have handed in my resignation to SKY. The World Cup is far more important that their petty agenda to increase viewing figures. By all means show the game, but at least edit out the last 5 minutes and any footage of Paul Konchesky. Or just arrange the fixture for after the vote. Any FIFA executives that saw that on Sunday will be outraged."
SKY's actions have even prompted Prime Minister David Cameron to issue an apology to FIFA via the Downing Street Twitter feed. The PM wrote:
@FIFA_Committee Because we support free media we could not prevent this broadcast. However if you re-watch the game you will see that Spurs got lucky lmao. Everyone in England is working hard to make sure Liverpool are back in the top 4 by 2018 #youllneverwalkalone
In order to limit the damage caused by the broadcast the FA have dispatched an envoy to FIFA HQ led by Prince William and Gerry and the Pacemakers who will be handing out signed Liverpool shirts DVDs of 'that' European Cup Final in 2005.
by guest-blogger, Fox Mulder
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For the Spurs v Liverpool match report 'So how do you beat Spurs exactly?', please click here.
Reader Comments (120)
Excellent. Phil Big Nose is gone. Happy days.
lol
I'm just glad the manufacturing of those red banners with funny one liners will slowly cease to appear in terraces over the next few years.
So does that mean we should have rolled over to appease FIFA? Us being a small club and all?
Christ Harry ...you've wrecked the bid!! They'll have to give to us in Australia now! LOL
Andy Gray' s butt licking of Liverpool was laughable yesterday. i have never heard such bias in my life.... he was worse than Alan Smith commentating on Spurs vs anyone.
As a Liverpool fan, I did find this funny. Genuinely made me giggle, especially the part about Konchesky.
You were lucky to come away with 3 points tough.
Liverpool for top half Y.N.W.A
who cares, watching england play football is like watching strictly come dancing and the x-factor. England would go in to even more debt if they host the world cup. England would be out of the group stages.
haha top blog again spooky....funnier thing is it appears certain peoples comments show they believe this is real :)
"Andy Gray' s butt licking of Liverpool was laughable yesterday" - You joking?! What game were you watching?
Listened to 606 on the way home...Liverpool fans predictably bashing Hodgson...mostly it seems for buying Konchesky and for not having a great away record. When are they going to wake up? The bloke had approximately a handful of magic beans to buy a LB with, Konchesky is hardly awful. As for his away record, exactly how good do they think Fulham are? He performed wonders with them and wonders with his previous clubs, making quality teams on a low budget. Never disliked Liverpool more than now, but I feel sorry for Hodgson.
Now now spurs fans don't get carried away! Only takes a big club with some money to come along, take a couple of your better players for you o be back where yu belong...mid table. enjoy this brief hiatus.
Steve, it was an open game and maybe in parts we were lucky, but is almost ironic to see us steal three points off the scousers!!! well done Spurs, love the never say die spirit and again i would like to thank Wenger for this, Gallas is the signing of the season he is has the winning mentality and leadership skills we have needed to years.....COYS
Not sure I agree that Alan Smith is biased against us. He's even fallen foul of Wenger because of some of his criticisms of Arsenal. But Andy Gray is a Big Four anal lubricator par excellence and definitely not a fan of the Lillywhites. Who can ever forget, as Stalteri - yes, Stalteri - turned the ball into the Spammers net a few years back and it looked like they were down, Gray's immortal comment: "Oh no, oh no." And this bloke's meant to be impartial.
@steve - for example.... the game where in the last 10 mins Andy was going on about and praising Liverpool keeping up their attacking intent after they had brought on a defender for a striker and Roy was obviously playing for the draw.
SKY are completely and utterly Liverpool biased. I wish i could remember the other things he was saying that made me laugh
ALSO....Redmist, we are not getting carried away, we are consistent have a decent squad and if we have a team of great players where you boys have er..........two? and one of them looks pretty average at the mo!! Enjoy being the best team in Liverpool....for now!!
beautifully left field as usual Spooky.
Glory Glory Tottingham Hotspur.
appologies to Fox, I missed your "guest blogger" tag. Carrying on the Spooky way. NICE.
Here we go, those witty cockneys again making references to the scouse stealing. Originality at its best!
What next, references about Afros and Taches?!
I'm off to 'Calm down calm down'
If there are set of fans who have learnt the hard way, it's us. I doubt we'll ever get carried away. Last season the amount of times I read/heard a Spurs fan claim our season was now over...countless.
Feet as ever, always firmly on the ground.
Hey Steve, we're North Londoners. Not cockneys.
Do you see what you've done there mate? You've validated the article. Good lad.
What?!?! What's this all about? What did Paul Konchesky do?
Spooky,
On reading the early paragraphs I started to believe the authenticity of the article. Then the penny dropped and the smile turned into a laugh.
Very witty stuff. Who is Fox Mulder?
Andy Gray was probably shocked as the rest of us that Hodgons Liverpool were actually attacking away from home. We play like that and we may win some.
Sky biased towards Liverpool?! Not with Andy Gray and our old chum (and complete tosser) Jamie Redknapp at the helm.
Cracking wife though
Abu Dhabi Sport love Tottenham. You should have heard Andy Townsend and Alan Curbishley go on about us yesterday. Screw SKY... if you live in England, just go to the games!
Spooky,
On reading the early paragraphs I started to believe the authenticity of the article. Then the penny dropped and the smile turned into a laugh.
Very witty stuff. Who is Fox Mulder?
Steve, i think my point was, with 10 mins to go Roy wanted to shut up shop and did so by swapping the invisible ngog for a defender, yet still Gray did his best to try and heap praise on Liverpool when, at that particular point, they were doing the opposite to what he was saying.
If you play like that away from then i can you see guys picking up more points. You also need a striker who cares and some kind of defenders..... as without JC i can see you guys struggling.
Brilliant, Spurs finish above Liverpool and have the better side for the 1st time in about 30 years and you lot start writing articles like this. Maybe if you ever actually win anything that isnt the Carling Cup, your arrogance will be slightly justified. Spurs wont win a bean this season, not a bean, and while we wont win anything either, we at least know it.
Liverpool fans and their brilliant sense of humour on show for the world to see. You lot need to calm down, calm down.
Spurs won't win a bean. Neither will Liverpool but guess what, Spurs are getting better Liverpool are on the slide. But don't worry you've won it 5 times, you've won it 5 times etc sing to infinity
Anything south of the Watford gap is a cockney to us dinner plate
Two minutes silence.
lol @ Steve
We all live in Walford too.
Fox Mulder, cracker mate.
It is funny when you go to Liverpool, everyone in the car starts saying 'calm down, calm down'... and its like - yeah, alright, lets get it out of our systems before we get there :D
@ Greg Meyer I am Fox Mulder. I am a guest blogger on DML. I'm not surprised you don't know though as I haven't contributed for a few months and this site pick ups new readers all the time (if you are new?)
To our liverpool friends. This wasn't really aimed at you. More at the debate currently raging about the Panorama programme on BBC using Spurs vs Liverpool as a satirical backdrop. Seeing as most of your fans are from Asia you might not have heard about this.
What was it with all those wasted free kicks yesterday... if Kaboul ever knocks one in from that range I'll eat my hat.
I'm a Liverpool fan and in all honesty, looking past the result, I have to say what a great game it was. Spurs have come on in leaps and bounds over recent years and have assembled a very strong squad. We were unlucky in the fact Maxi Rodriguez couldn't hit a barn door and Fernando was eyeing up his ticket to Chelsea. But what a spectacle for English football and I think both teams can be proud of the way they performed. Now would you be interested in taking our left-back on a free transfer???
Fox - Greg guest blogs over at Musings. Worth a butchers.
Ah damn, I went all cockney in that last post.
Some of the most passionate fans are in Asia, Fox... they're nutters, and it'll kick off during a derby.
As a Spurs supporter, I like us to bag three points as many times as possible, whoever we play against. I thought it was only Arsenal supporters that could not stomach to see Spurs making progress, but i was wrong.It seems to me that just about everybody, is waiting for Spurs to falter, and who can blame them, when that's what we've been doing all these years.Just hope that we wont see anything like that for a very long time if ever again! Hope that my beloved team keeps making progress for the benefit of not just Spurs supporters, but all football fans everyware, since we are a delight to watch! COYS!!
Some cracking references to "Calm down calm down" as I stated there would be.
Those bloody north londeners/ cockneys/ watfordians!! Whatever next!
Hey Trader. Your Reds will win something in a couple of years..fear not. It will be called the Championship!
Top stuff Mr Mulder
A statement from LFC reads "We will now not allow Sky access to Liverpool Football Club. We will now not accept their money and our management, players and staff have been instructed not to co-operate in any way"
I can understand Liverpool fans being bitter towards Spurs. The team that takes your place in the Top 4 and then starts to be talked about in the glowing terms habitually reserved for your team over the years in always going to be a cause of tension.
I agree machine, we should all be wearing a blak armband these days as an RIP for Liverpool of yesteryear.
Brilliant article Spooky - cracked me up.
You spurs fans are so bitter.
Yes you're better than us now, very well done. 4th place last year was deserved. (However your victory with 12 men yesterday wasn't!)
Why not gain a bit of class and recognise that Liverpool are still a massive club, far bigger than spurs (a selling club) will ever be. How can spurs be a big club when they sell their big players to Man Utd (Gareth Bale & VDV next)
Man United for example, hate us. Just like we hate them. Regardless of this both clubs have a mutual respect for each others acheivements. Spurs and their fans need to show a bit more respect to all.
I was looking for some kind of disclaimer there. Great fun blog
I am beginning to get the feeling that spurs are going behind every game just to test themselves, and keep it exciting, who like a winning machine with no funk eh?
Liverpool gave us a good game for a few 2-3minute periods in the game. Hodgson is not a bad manager, he is great, but he will take a season to get used to his new team, and then he will get them back on thier feet. May have to be without torres mind you. He doesnt look as hungry, and plenty of suitors
Also can someone tell the FA not to hire Harry? spooky, pull some strings.
Yes we are a national treasure with everything we've won, but Sky has the right to show what they like even though i don't like Rupert Murdochs empire. Besides im sure Phil Thommo was watching the coverage on Sky as was all the Liverpool fans and Spurs. Maybe its a blessing in disquise and may show NESV what a laughing stock we've become and sack that bafoon Roy.
On the WC bid i don't think this will really matter the people voting will have already made up their minds. I think England is still favourite and has the best bid, league and fans. Even though im not an England fan I would love to see the WC coming to England just to see the worlds best in our home......YNWA......SACK ROY, BRING BACK THE JOY......
i thought scousers were meant to have a famous sense of humour. Or is it only when it's at the expense of others?
Come on chicken pies, why is there so much negativity towards the reds? We are just a club in transition like spurs have been since 1882.
Can't we all get a-donkey kong?