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Blatter 'slave' row
Join the Sky Sports debate following the Fifa president's comments about "modern slavery" in football.
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Comments (76)
Tim Brown says...
To compare the situation of Ronaldo with that of slavery is a disgrace. The likes of Ronaldo are paid millions and are tied into short-term contracts of between 3 and 5 years... slaves lost everything; their families, their culture, their language, their names and very often their lives. It is time for this 'wind bag' to go...
Posted 08:36 10th July 2008
Dave O brien (Manchester United fan) says...
Blatter & Platini are hilarious....... they don't even make an attempt to hide their hatred for English football... I can't see how two supposedly unbiased organisations (Uefa + Fifa) can allow their presidents to continue these public attacks on Premiership football... It is deemed as the best league in the World so leave it the **** alone... So what if the English National team is crap. That has nothing to do with foreign players in the league. Individually the English team has easily some of the best players in the world.. the main problem is the FA kept picking bad managers... maybe Platini will try and push a new law allowing only English managers....
Posted 08:36 10th July 2008
Nick Mcdonald says...
That man should not be in charge of world football. He hasn't got a clue and lives in his own little fantasy world where he can play God with football. Stupid rules like the 'not interfering with play' offside rule would not be in force if it wasn't for that muppet. Contracts for footballers are essential to keep some kind of loyalty to clubs and for the Fifa president to ridicule them like this is damaging the game immensly. If players can just leave when they like the top clubs (one of which I support by the way - not Man U suprisingly) will just get all the best players and lower clubs will fall quickly. Blatter just hates England and I wish he'd just tell the truth instead of just trying to ruin our clubs.
Posted 08:36 10th July 2008
Bill Squires says...
I think Blatters comments are discraceful. To compare the lives of footballers to those that worked, were tortured and died under the oppression of european and american slave masters in absolutely disgusting. Also, why does Blatter think we have contract law. It is to protect the rights of both parties. In this case, that includes the player and the club. If FIFA told Blatter he had to leave his job immediately, he would be stragith round to his lawyers. It works both ways. And as for Ronaldo, if the stories are true, it just goes to show that the poor boy from Funchal the honour of whom Ferguson protected against Mourinho, lacks the loyalty, integrity and intelligence that Ferguson praised him for and is just in it for the money.
Posted 08:16 10th July 2008
Alex Scott (Newcastle United fan) says...
I think the whole contract idea makes sense, two years maximum contract, club can offer an extension after one year should the player commit more future time for the club. If he wants to leave the club before the 2 years then he can pay his own contract, or play out his contract for the following year he's signed up for previously then leave.
Posted 08:15 10th July 2008
Chris Ward (Manchester United fan) says...
How has this guy not been fired for Xenaphonbia yet! Every chance he gets he spouts anti-english rhetoric. Against our league, our national team, our leagues best teams etc.... I'd be suprised if anyone in this country thought him more than a very bad practical joke! Can someone explaion this to me?
Posted 08:15 10th July 2008
Peter Rolay says...
What chance do we have when the PRESIDENT of FIFA doesn't ant the players to honour their contracts?! Whats the point of having them?! He's an idiot who has neverbacked an english club. Probably frghtened of them, cos he's weak, and hides ehind his title. I'm an arsenal fan & what ronaldo is doing is childish ad wrong after all United have done for him!
Posted 08:07 10th July 2008
Steffen Rusten (Arsenal fan) says...
Ludicrous. How can anyone listen to this man? Players should be held to their contracts unless the club in question is willing to let the player go.
Posted 08:07 10th July 2008
Richard Exx (Manchester United fan) says...
I think this is outrageous. The player is under contract for a few more years. If players are free to leave whenever they want and wherever they want, what is the purpose of contracts?
Posted 08:06 10th July 2008
Alex Birchley says...
This guy is a 100% gold-plated stirrer He and the rest of the suits that run World Football are on some massive ego trip. For several years now this man and his protege Platini have waged a relentless campaign of constantly finding ways of dissing the English game. They are so partisan and never miss an opportunity to comment unfavourably on the the way thingsare done over here. This latest outburst comes hot on the heels of a other attempts to undermine the integrity of the transfer system the freedom of clubs to negotiate deals and incidently stymie the pulling power of the English clubs, whom they resent more than ever these days.
Posted 08:06 10th July 2008
Josh Bacciochi says...
Total tripe from a man who has no other interest than ruining the English game. Personally, I couldn't care less whether Ronaldo stays, but I'm tired of this clown sticking his snout in at every possible opportunity; always with a view to halting the progress of football in our country. Get a grip Sepp. Ronaldo is a professional who is CONTRACTED and payed a massive wage for plying his trade at United - and when somebody else flashes more money his eyes light up. Why don't you lend him your dummy so you don't have to keep throwing it out of your pram.
Posted 08:05 10th July 2008
Thomas Beddow says...
Sepp Blatter must be a Real Madrid fan !!! How long has the Barry saga been going on with Aston Villa, yet he has not come out and said Villa should not keep him against his will ( which is affectively what they are doing by asking a stupid price for him ). Leave Ronaldo where he is if he doesnt want to be at UTD anymore then he should not have signed a 5 year contract should he ? ...
Posted 08:04 10th July 2008
Liam Bolton says...
The bloke is off his rocker, how he is FIFA President still, i'll never know. Would he come out and say this if it was Barcelona or Madrid holding a player against his will? Not a chance, it's just another example of him trying to weaken English football. The guy should be arrested for crimes against football.
Posted 08:04 10th July 2008
Roger Mohr says...
Blatter shouldn't talk about this. He's not the president of Man United, he's the president of the FIFA. If he's not allowed to leave, than it's Ronaldo's problem, not Blatter's problem.
Posted 08:01 10th July 2008
Mark Williams (Liverpool fan) says...
Modern day slavery? £100,000+ a week? SLAVERY?! IS HE JOKING?! This just goes to show that contracts just mean nothing anymore. If a player signs to a club on a 4 year contract, he should honour that contract unless the two parties, club and player, come to an amicable agreement that is best for both parties. But seriously, calling it slavery is nothing short of ridiculous.
Posted 07:55 10th July 2008
Mike Arhurs says...
More total nonsense from Blatter. He just lives in cloud cuckoo land. The reason players sign a contract is to protect the clubs and to make sure they retain the players' value.
Posted 07:50 10th July 2008