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| Italian press surprised |
Everyone was surprised yesterday at the announcement of LIONEL MESSI as the 2010 FIFA GOLDEN BALL winner. The reactions have been "negative" from many local Spanish Football commentators as they believed the XAVI & INIESTA had more merit for their performance during the year. In fact, the World Cup victory was not given any real weight in the final result which again lifted eyebrows. This article even goes on to say that if the "traditional voting method" had been used, Wesley Sneijder would have won the title.
Many have analysed the situation & think that Xavi & Iniesta took votes away from each other while Messi scooped the votes in “marginal countries” like Fiji for example & Asian-Pacific region were he has a much bigger profile.
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| Messi with his 2010 Golden Ball Award |
The "doubts" grow with everything associated with FIFA – French press in reference to Spain. The Spain-Portugal lost its 2016 World Cup candidacy to Russia with the other losing candidacy England expressing out loud what we all suspected claiming financial interests ahead of rational arguments. Australia lost its “promised” 2020 World Cup candidacy to Qatar again a country claiming foul play. But we all should have seen the warning lights when Inter Milan midfielder WESLEY SNEIJDER wasn’t even chosen in the Top 3 candidates; this really smelled.
The controversy was thus served & yesterdays results have added “wood to the fire” of “fixing” & dominance of “economic interests”. Some add - without proof - that France Football sells magazines & thus Messi is a more appropriate "front cover" as a buying instrument, others add the big multi-national sponsors "pressure" to have an appropriate winner with a “global” profile & lastly some have gone so far to insinuate that Messi may have known beforehand simply because he was the only player with a tuxedo…perhaps a too far fetched observation however curious.
I personally would not have given Messi the Award. His two colleagues won the same titles as he did (excepting the individual Golden Boot) & went further by proclaiming themselves World Champions, something Messi failed to achieve with Argentina & whose performance was below the expected.
Having said all this, one does accept that Lionel Messi is definitely the “Best Player in the World”, but not the “Best Player in the World” for 2010. Another example of “grey” manoeuvring & suspicions movements at FIFA which only serve to lessen further their credibility.
As for Messi, congratulations!
The FIFA Best XI for 2010:
Casillas, Maicon, Lúcio, Piqué, Puyol, Xavi, Sneijder, Iniesta, Messi, Villa & Cristiano.
Here Spanish Football - Spanish League was outstanding with 6 Spanish players plus 2 more ( Ronaldo + Messi) playing in Spain. Tweet
