Starling on Sport: FIFA doesn’t just need ripping up – it needs a total rebrand

This content was originally posted in 7DAYS UAE website at: Starling on Sport: FIFA doesn’t just need ripping up – it needs a total rebrand It’s come to the point that there are so many bad stories coming out about FIFA that we may just have to do a daily ‘FIFA scandal’ column in the 7DAYS sports pages. We’ve come to the conclusion that this is the easiest way to fit in all the news about the latest arrests and indictments of former and current executives. This column will appear next to the athletics corruption update, obviously. FIFA is a mess. We know it, they know it and most importantly you – the football fans – know it. Just yesterday a BBC investigation discovered that our favourite FIFA cronie, Sepp Blatter, was being investigated by the FBI for his role played in a $100 million bribes scandal. Oh yes, bribery and scandal – two perfect buzzwords for football’s organising body. So many people have said it, but FIFA needs ripping up and starting again. Doing this is the only way any credibility can be restored at ‘Football HQ’. If this does not happen, the sport can never be taken seriously again and supporters (both corporate and fans) will walk away. Football is a money-maker, but this week it was revealed that FIFA has not signed any new sponsors since the World Cup in 2014 – meaning a loss of more than $100 million in the previous financial year. Without the sponsors, there’s no big tournaments; and there’s also no dough to line the pockets of the crooks. And we can’t have that now can we folks? Blatter is stepping down as president so there will be an election next year to vote in his replacement. But this is not the only vacant role at the moment. FIFA are currently seeking a corporate communications manager and in the job description applicants must be “open minded and stress tolerant”. That’s got to be the biggest understatement ever. Even if you were a top comms pro, surely the FIFA job would be a step too far? What FIFA needs is not just a spin doctor, but a world-class agency stepping in and doing a full rebrand. New name, new mission statement, new values, new staff. It will take a long time and a lot of money to get it done, but it’s not like FIFA is short of cash is it? Pep to United? He isn’t that crazy With Pep Guardiola out of contract at Bayern Munich in the summer there will be many top clubs trying to court the master tactician. If you read the rumours, Manchester United, Manchester City and even his deadliest rivals, Real Madrid, are in the running. Obviously he won’t go to Madrid – Catalonia and Spain don’t need any more reasons to disagree – so maybe one of the Manchester clubs could be Señor Pep’s next destination? But would he really go to United? After managing Barca and Bayern you would think that he would go to a big club with a squad full of top-class players. That pretty much rules United out then. My shout is that he will end up at the Emirates… 25,300 tweets – a minute! When Lionel Messi scored his wonder goal for Barcelona against Bayern Munich in May it not only broke German hearts but it also nearly broke Twitter. The social network revealed that Messi’s goal was the most tweeted-about moment this year with 25,300 tweets-per-minute recorded in the UK alone. Worldwide the most tweeted-about sporting event in 2015 was the Copa America with 14 billion impressions. Three things that caught my eye in the past sevens days Lost and found at the Dubai Rugby 7s @Dubai7s tweeted that any lost and found items will be at Al Faqa Police Station. Perhaps the chap that decided to run naked across the pitch will also be there? He presumably lost his mind and found himself on the wrong side of the law. Title talk? Klopp is keeping it realistic Jurgen Klopp says no one at Liverpool was talking about a possible Premier League title bid – even before their defeat against Newcastle. That’s a good job then, because the Reds have no chance of winning the title. No point wasting your breath, Jurgen. Very sad times for a golfing superstar In an interview with ‘Time’ magazine, Tiger Woods spoke about the possibility of never playing golf again. For someone who is not even 40 until December, it’s sad to see a man of his talent struggling so badly with injuries. Read the original story at: Starling on Sport: FIFA doesn’t just need ripping up – it needs a total rebrand