Posted on 06/16/2006 9:09:41 AM PDT by Snickering Hound
June 15, 2006: Anti-Americanism has reached a new low. FIFA, the international sports organization for football (soccer to Americans) refused to allow U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan (and warships at sea) to view any of the current World Cup games being played in Germany. The U.S. AFN (Armed Forces Network) has no budget for sports programming, and usually gets a free feed for major sporting events, in the same spirit that movie studios and TV networks provide free access to their product for troops in combat zones. FIFA demanded money, and would not budge on that. While soccer is not a major sport in the United States, it's estimated that a quarter or more of the troops are fans, and would enjoy seeing some of the World Cup matches. However, once this situation became known, several wealthy Americans stepped forward to correct the situation. The first one to make a move was media magnate Robert Murdoch, who ordered his Fox Network to make arrangements, and pay whatever FIFA was demanding, to get the soccer games to the troops, as soon as possible. This was accomplished in 24 hours.
This makes me very VERY angry.
That's alright. Come this fall, they can watch REAL football.
This is an OUTRAGE! There are hundreds of thousands of football fans in the military, it may be a towering enclave of football fandom in the entire USA! I know when I was in the Navy, I used to wait outside the radio shack on the carrier waiting for the football results to be posted every Sunday night/Monday morning during football season!
These Men and Women FIGHT, BLEED and DIE, and we deny them FOOTBALL? THIS IS A CRIME! THIS IS...
What? They are referring to Soccer? Oh, man...I thought it was the NFL...
Your title is quite misleading. FIFA didn't "ban" US troops from watching the matches, they simply wouldn't provide the feeds for free. That's entirely different.
Thanks Rupert for stepping up.
Is this for real?
Thanks for the laugh!!!!!
(previous post was in jest...apologies to any TRUE, DEDICATED soccer fans out there...I was just trying to be humorous...:)
Seems to me it's more about $$$ than politics.
And the NFL supports the troops.
THE USO & NFL BRING FOOTBALL STARS TO VISIT TROOPS IN THE PERSIAN GULF
Good for Murdoch, BTW.
"The first one to make a move was media magnate Robert Murdoch, who ordered his Fox Network to make arrangements, and pay whatever FIFA was demanding, to get the soccer games to the troops, as soon as possible. This was accomplished in 24 hours."
Well, God bless good Mr. Murdoch for that!
Another reason to hate a lousy sport.
Football is what is played in Baton Rouge on Saturday nights in the fall.
Not a bunch of Euro-weenies running around in shorts.
No biggie, Soccer blows, and the majority of the Marines I talk to could give a rat's a$$ about the World Urine Sample Cup. The Euro trash can keep their gay game. Only 78 days, 10 hours, and 41 minutes(that's Mountain time zone) untill the College Football season kicks off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yeah. There's bound to be dozens of soccer fans in the US military.
Amen brother!
Good for Murdoch!
I'm OK with that if FIFA charges everbody.
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