RFU butter up press
THE RFU were seemingly shamed enough by Sports Agenda’s strong criticism of their woeful media facilities at Pennyhill Park to lay on surprise bacon rolls yesterday.
This prompted wacky England World Cup squad member Joe Marler, who actively dislikes the media, to tweet mockingly: ‘U right Charles my bread wasn’t even buttered 4 my bacon roll and no one was there to uncap the ketchup.’
However, Marler, given the RFU’s heavy investment in marginal nutritional gains, salivating at the rare food rations is a worrying development — especially as England team-mates Ben Morgan, Jack Nowell, James Haskell, Ben Youngs, Mako Vinupola and Anthony Watson all retweeted his crass comment.
Meanwhile, the comparison between the excellent three-storey forensically planned facilities laid on for the media by England Rugby 2015 at Twickenham and the RFU’s ill-considered tent at Pennyhill Park couldn’t be greater.
THE
Wembley and FA communications teams, two front-of-house departments, especially during an international week with home and away England fixtures, are among those in the organisation being hit by the jobs cull that will see between 100 and 150 staff leave the organisation. Yet, they are expected to keep working at full tilt during a high-profile period despite knowing that a number of them will soon be on the way out following the consultancy period. THE gloves are off in the FiFA presidential election even though UEFA’s Michel Platini has delayed publicising his blueprint. Nevertheless, South Korea’s Chung Mong-joon, his main rival to succeed Sepp Blatter, has reported Platini and Bahrain’s Asian Football Confederation president Sheik Salman to the FiFA ethics committee for breach of election regulations.
Salman has sent a template letter to many of the 46 AFC countries which just requires them to add their name to back Platini’s bid.
The English FA have already announced their support for Platini but have informed his camp that they want him to publicise his manifesto quickly so they know what they’re backing.