Blazer’s global reach

A LASTING memory of FIFA arch rogue Chuck Blazer, who has died of cancer and other ailments at the age of 72, is of him occupying most of a sofa in the downstairs salon of the Baur Au Lac Hotel in Zurich as he held court to his agency reporter disciples on the eve of the elections for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts.

Upstairs Prince William, David Cameron and David Beckham were embarrassingly hustling for votes that had long gone.

Until turning FBI informer and being banned for life in 2015 for his ‘many acts of misconduct’ at FIFA, larger-than-life Blazer enjoyed the best press of all the FIFA crooks. A student of the media, he felt by favouring the agencies he would win wider global influence.

influence at Wimbledon is already considerable as the All England Club’s agents. And this week the son of their senior lawyer, John Loffhagen, promising youngster George, reached the boys’ singles third round.

THE All England Club sometimes seem to make up the rules as they go along — as looks to be the case with Wimbledon’s great entertainer Mansour Bahrami being called up as a late replacement after a withdrawal in the invitational doubles.

Bahrami had earlier voiced his great upset on social media about reaching the age limit of 60 he said Wimbledon have for their senior competitors. An AEC spokeswoman said it was an invitation event and there was no age limit written down.