PREMIER LEAGUE CHAIRMAN Dave Richards accused FIFA and UEFA of stealing soccer from the English during a conference Wednesday on sports and security.
With FIFA Vice President Prince Ali Bin Hussein of Jordan and International Cricket Council Chief Executive Haroon Lorgat looking on, Richards repeatedly reminded his audience that the world had England to thank for soccer.
“England gave the world football. It gave the best legacy anyone could give. We gave them the game,” said Richards, who is also a Football Association board member. “For 50 years, we owned the game … We were the governance of the game. We wrote the rules, designed the pitches and everything else.
“Then, 50 years later, some guy came along and said you’re liars and they actually stole it. It was called FIFA. Fifty years later, another gang came along called UEFA and stole a bit more.”
Hussein then reminded Richards that there was still a debate over whether the Chinese or the English invented the game, but Richards leapt to the defence of his country.
“It started in Sheffield 150 years ago …,” Richards said, his voice rising. “We started the game and wrote the rules and took it the world. The Chinese may say they own it but the British own it and we gave it to the rest of the world.”
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Hussein tried to diffuse the tension by saying the game now is owned by everyone, not just one country.
“The point I’m trying to make is the whole world loves the sport and it is the most popular sport,” Hussein said. “We have to continue to work on developing it and obviously competing and helping our youth.”
Richards attended the conference to share his Premier League experience with others at a round-table on new frontiers in sports. After the conference, Richards slipped and tumbled knee-deep into a museum fountain. He was rescued by Phil Gartside, the Bolton chairman and fellow FA board member.
“We were walking across to our table in a dark courtyard area,” Gartside told the BBC. “There were three fountain areas nearby, no pool. They had switched off the lights.
“He thought he was stepping on to flat marble, but his foot went down into the water, he fell over and hurt his leg quite badly.”
Richards comments could set back the FA’s attempts to rebuild relations with FIFA after chairman David Bernstein tried to block President Sepp Blatter’s re-election last year.
English soccer’s governing body quickly distanced itself from his remarks.
“Sir Dave Richards is not representing the FA at this conference and his personal views are in no way shared or endorsed by the FA,” a statement said. “The FA greatly values its relationships with FIFA and UEFA, which it is working hard to strengthen.”
The Premier League disassociated itself from its chairman’s comments, saying in a statement to The Association Press that, “Sir Dave is attending the conference in a private and personal capacity and his comments in no way reflect the views of the Premier League.”
Richards’ comments are not likely to go down well with Qatar, which won the bid to host the 2022 World Cup by suggesting it was time for the sport to move beyond traditional markets in Europe to new areas like the Middle East.
At a press conference later Wednesday, he raised concerns about cultural differences and the availability of alcohol in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup. The nation only allows it in some five-star hotels.
Richards was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2006 in recognition of his services to soccer, having assumed the chairmanship of the world’s richest league in 1999 after a decade at Sheffield Wednesday.
But Richards has been a divisive figure in English soccer.
He was accused of bullying tactics in his role as an FA board member by its former chairman David Triesman last year.
Richards had rocked England’s ultimately unsuccessful bid for the 2018 World Cup when he suddenly quit the board a year before the vote. He will have to leave his job as Premier League chairman at the end of next season when he is 70.
After this conference it has also been reported that richards went for a swim in a pool, got into trouble and had to be saved by the bolton wanderers chairman. I’d say he was probably on the sauce all day. He has also apoligised for his comments if people interpreted them wrong.
Sssh. Don’t let Dave Richards hear you. He’ll put his foot in it again and tell you that they own Scotland as well. For now, anyway. ;) Roll on their Referendum.
Being Irish it is normal to hear chairmen and people with titles talk rubbish when half pissed. Mary Harneys got 230,000 Euros when a paper called her an alcoholic. I would say most of them have a problem with gluttony is every sense of the word – just look at the fat lot. They also feast on money and some can’t get enough ink cartridges.
Oh yeah totally perhaps if Qatar had have shared it with Dubai and Bahrain… But for a tiny little country , not much bigger than Andorra to get to host the worlds largest tournament after the Olympics is insane.. I think we need a wiki leaks for what really was behind this decision, Qatar is just a sand box that’s sitting on some oil.. I can’t wait until all their oil runs dry :D
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After this conference it has also been reported that richards went for a swim in a pool, got into trouble and had to be saved by the bolton wanderers chairman. I’d say he was probably on the sauce all day. He has also apoligised for his comments if people interpreted them wrong.
He actually fell into a fountain on his way to dinner. Despite all his talk about it it looks like he can’t hold his beer.
Next he’ll be claiming that the English gave the world fountain diving.
The game started in Scotland…
Sssh. Don’t let Dave Richards hear you. He’ll put his foot in it again and tell you that they own Scotland as well. For now, anyway. ;) Roll on their Referendum.
Kicking shite out of a haggis is a response to having crap food, not a game
Being Irish it is normal to hear chairmen and people with titles talk rubbish when half pissed. Mary Harneys got 230,000 Euros when a paper called her an alcoholic. I would say most of them have a problem with gluttony is every sense of the word – just look at the fat lot. They also feast on money and some can’t get enough ink cartridges.
Well that didn’t take too long for a story about English football to be brought round to our government…
What a fool.
sounds like one sherry to many for poor Dave
FIFA are the plonkers who decided to hold a WCF’s in Qutar, in June 22, where temperatures can get to 140 degrees farenheit and more.
Any chance to give FIFA a good kicking should be taken gladly
Qatar like! What a load of shite!
Just saw him trip & fall into two inches of water on Sky sports! Comedy gold!! Should stay off the pims next time!
LMAO
There had to be a few back Handers involved in that decision there’s no way anyone would have chose Qutar if there wasn’t.
Oh yeah totally perhaps if Qatar had have shared it with Dubai and Bahrain… But for a tiny little country , not much bigger than Andorra to get to host the worlds largest tournament after the Olympics is insane.. I think we need a wiki leaks for what really was behind this decision, Qatar is just a sand box that’s sitting on some oil.. I can’t wait until all their oil runs dry :D
And with that note Dave Richards, You wonder why we call you lot the Englander, maybe he should lay of the sauce, have a bovril instead.
A little Englander. He meant every word he said.
And this from the man who nearly destroyed Sheffield United