M. Hulot.
But there is a worse, lingering harm done by those World Cup playoffs last week. There is the continuing soured relationship between the governments and the peoples of Algeria and Egypt that escalated into diplomatic rows and international accusations.
It started when hoodlums threw rocks through the windows of the Algerian team bus as it arrived in Cairo. Three players and the team doctor were injured, others were undoubtedly unnerved. Yet while FIFA’s man in Cairo confirmed that the wounds were not superficial and the distress real, FIFA ruled that the game must be played.
Egypt won, but lost a playoff in Sudan four days later that required an army of 15,000 security men to stage. Violence both in Egypt and Algeria continued. Two Arabic governments continued to use a sporting conflict as an excuse for disturbing rhetoric about each other.
Sport, in this case, is used as a catalyst for international disharmony. At its extraordinary meeting on Dec. 2, FIFA should examine its own failure to ensure the safety of players in its tournament — not the least with South Africa 2010 in mind.
TAPPED Archive | The American Prospect
Best. Presidential. Quote. Ever.