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Thespence

by Thespence
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Dave

Dave

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One of the big stories today is that The Times have apologised for being “fooled” by their big exclusive last week.

 

Since the apology is behind a paywall, it is reproduced below via this source.

 

***

 

When we are wrong, we will hold our hands up. It’s the right thing to do (Tony Evans, The Times)

 

There are times when all you can do is admit you were wrong. Last week, Times football ran a story that we thought was a blockbuster. The state of Qatar was proposing a new summer tournament that would offer stunning financial rewards to the teams who participated.

 

It was a horrible prospect that threatened to transform the sport but appeared to be a brilliant story. The Dream Football League (DFL) would turn into a journalistic nightmare.

 

How it came about tells you something about the state of the game and the difficulties of football journalism. Oliver Kay developed a relationship with a contact who appeared to be connected with the Qatari ownership at Paris Saint-Germain.

 

Over the months, this contact provided information that subsequently turned out to be right. Kay did not use any of this knowledge because he could not back it up with secondary sources. However, each time a tip-off turned into a fact, an element of trust grew.

 

After the event, it is easy to look into the background of an individual and proclaim that minimal research would have unmasked an unreliable source. This is to misunderstand the world of football. All kinds of chancers attach themselves to the game. As the sport becomes ever more bloated by money, these dubious characters are drawn to the periphery of the game, attracted by the opportunity of a share of the cash.

 

It is not unusual for football journalists to have a contact whose past looks murky under close scrutiny. Some turn out to be useful sources of information, some to be not quite what they seem. Even then, it does not always mean that they are wrong. This means that every story needs checking. Much was plausible about the suggestions that Qatar was planning a new tournament. The Gulf state has become a serious player on the world scene over the past decade and is keen to continue developing its role in football. Plans to gather the game’s top teams in the Middle East have been mooted before. If any nation has the resources to pull off this sort of competition, it is Qatar.

 

Kay began to call some of Europe’s biggest clubs. The answers were off the record and fell into two categories. Some made it clear that they had no knowledge of the concept. The others said, yes, they had heard talk about such an idea, yes, £175 million was about the figure mentioned but, no, they did not think it was going to happen and could not see themselves being involved.

 

These secondary sources treated the questions seriously. And here is where The Times made a massive mistake. Because so many significant people in football did not laugh off the idea, it seemed that the story could be genuine.

 

The warning signs — that no one had heard specific details of the DFL or seen its plans — were missed. In principle, the idea was possible. There were plenty to attest to that.

 

In reality, the story appears to have been invented and had just enough plausibility to be seductive.

 

Initially, The Times launched a strong defence of the story and the reporter. However, the paper also launched an investigation by its internal ombudsman.

 

Over the three days that followed the publication of the story, it appeared increasingly clear that Kay and the paper had been duped. And that the checks from the office in London had not been stringent enough in the rush to publication.

 

This is an unusual situation. Normally, when a story is disputed, lawyers become involved. Individuals and organisations demand retractions and writs are issued. Here, it did not happen. It would have been possible to ride out the storm, tell the world that time would vindicate the newspaper and allow memories of the furore to fade away.

 

But that is not how The Times does things. We value our reputation. There will be changes now to the way we operate, and an extra level of scepticism will be incorporated into our working practices.

 

But one thing will not change. If we get it wrong, we will hold our hands up and admit it.

 

Oh dear.

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Guest icemanblue

Guest icemanblue

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:lol: Kay was defending himself on Twitter, over this, last week. Getting all snarky with the fake account that claimed it had duped him. Warra tit.
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Dave

Dave

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Completely garbled translation but still pretty interesting/embarrassing:

 

http://www.cahiersdufootball.net/article.php?id=4819&titre=rob-beal-le-roman-d-un-tricheur

When Robert Beal claims to be a source of Oliver Kay following the publication of the Times article and imbroglio, the man is completely unknown to us. He defends the veracity of the Dream League Football by private messages, before defending Oliver Kay in public tweets. Quickly it is retweeted by many journalists, both the Times and other English newspapers. Its popularity makes us doubt. Is there really a source? Doubts were quickly dispelled. Robert Beal, he has been right, has mostly been very often wrong. Logic, from a professional invention.

 

Rob Beal, Bad Deal

 

The first traces of a hustler Robert Beal back to 2007. Seeking "Rob Beal scam" Google responds in quantity. We find that between 2007 and 2008, Robert Beal says working for Global Security Risk Group, a Paris-based company offering security services. A company that provides jobs, especially. Across the Channel, the bait works especially well. Found on the forums here and there, discussions about it. Participants complain of an advance of one hundred pounds for the requested contract. In return, Robert Beal sends a wrong telephone number and a false address. In fact, never a company on behalf of Global Security Risk Group has officially existed in France. The name is based on that of a real company, Global Event Security, located near the Jaurès Metro in Paris.

 

On his LinkedIn profile that does not seem to have been updated, Robert Beal still working on Global Security Risk Group, as "Director Client Services". Trying to access the company website displayed on their profile, it falls on a page not found. Using the website archive.org which retrieves the status of a web page in the past, we discover a site summary in search of employees as bodyguards. Completely fabricated information about the history of the corporation (which it was created in 1999). Only means of contacting the box, an email address. Global Risk Security Group is a perfect example of his methods. A promise of money against a promise never kept.

 

Virage Sports

 

Robert Beal does not stop there. It multiplies the smallest and biggest hits. In 2010, he played the wrong way in an attempt to buy Sheffield Wednesday. Their proposes a partnership with PSG totally bogus. The beginnings of his interest in the sport, football, particularly the Parisian club. Before robbealparis @ on Twitter, @ rob10media he was in position to "10 SEO Media Management", sometimes called 10mm Media, another company based in Paris, in the middle of the music and sports. Another shell company whose name is again modeled on a real company - 10media, a creative agency in Canada.

 

In the summer of 2011, Robert Beal tackles Guardian. On the occasion of the resumption of European football, it offers site hosting a blog whose subject is the Ligue 1. 10mm Media comes into play. 10mm Through Media, he said mandated by the French Football Federation, which would promote football hexagonal. It offers 50,000 pounds for a season of articles published on the Guardian, together with the logo of the FFF, while leaving total editorial freedom to the author. Beal proposes to pay journalists to write on this blog Ligue 1 sponsored by the FFF. The newspaper accepts and publishes the first three articles, before finding that nobody gets paid. Neither the authors nor the site. The blog is stopped immediately. "It was a weird scam for many reasons, there was no direct financial benefit to Beal. I guess he used our networks and articles to build credibility elsewhere. But this is just a guess, "an employee told us the Guardian.

 

VIP scams

 

We have established that in the scam also gave the match tickets and collected detailed testimony of two of its French victims. His procedure was identical in twenty other approaches, six successful. He sympathizes on Twitter, make contacts by SMS or phone, and one day offers VIP seats free or cheap. For a match in Marseille, go collect the tickets at the counter, others at the Stade de France, receive a journalist at the stadium, taking care each time to pass for one of its employees. This first operation takes place well, beneficiaries are confident and are offered another deal: squares, yet very upscale at very attractive prices. This time, the "clients" are the gates of the stadium, and will never get a refund, despite promises, canceled appointments and other delays that Rob Beal their reserve thereafter. When it is not ... threatening remarks.

 

It may be noted that continuous contact with those he ripped insistence, less likely to defend his honor and to limit noise around negative reputation. We note in passing that his interpersonal skills is not just imaginary, since it is able to provide places for his "friends", without leaving Sheffield.

 

Wheeler-Bealer

 

Unclear how Robert Beal infiltrated behind the scenes world of journalism to become a source considered reliable by some. Its activity on social networks, however, gives an idea: he flatters girlfriend with journalists in order to get a way to contact them privately to sell their information, they are sometimes revealing true (or Alex Van der Wiel PSG, details of the contract). Going back some Twitter son, we read several journalists serve him speak in private messages or email. He even managed to have lunch with Darren Tulett in 2011 during one of his rare came to Paris. The journalist was soon realized that his compatriot was not trustworthy. Definitely when Beal told him he could bring in Bein ... while Tulett was on the verge of signing with the chain.

 

Beal has a lot of information, and it does not hesitate to Klitschko with great assurance, the majority being false (Drogba to Juventus Sneijder in Tottenham, the resumption of OM by investors from the Middle East, etc.) . Beal says the acquaintance of his information with his new job, he has held since 2010. "Chief of Sports Media," says his Viadeo profile. Head of the company "Euro Sports Media" more precisely, who work with "the BBC, Sky Sports, TF1, France Radio and TV (sic), Fox, ESPN" and others. A false company whose name is taken from a real? Course. Unlike the shortcut Euro Sports Media, European Sports Media does exist. The pattern is repeated and always comes out unscathed Beal, addressing threats to those regular cast doubt on his credibility. Lately, it's Nick Harris, aka @ sportingintel on Twitter, he left, obviously drunk, voicemail threats, supplemented by mail, just in case. The police investigated him in the past, seized his computers and phones where it really lives with her parents in Sheffield. Apparently without success.

 

Finished playing

 

Real rumor mill, Beal has also drummed that Margarita Louis-Dreyfus was negotiating with Abu Dhabi for a resumption of the OM. Found its mark in a considerable number of stories that reflect a sense of timing. Positioned as a source close to PSG and Qataris, it has fueled some essays, but often ended up discrediting. Richard Whittall has learned from an officer of QSI, the company had sent in late 2011 Beal an injunction to stop the dissemination of false information and false citations QSI and PSG. At that time, Beal had been very active in the issue of confidence on the transfer of Beckham. What wonder if the panel in which Team and Le Parisien fell, announcing at the time that the transfer was finalized English (read "lure Beckham"), resulting also works Beal. These days, the Team observed in any case the most complete silence on the whole case.

 

On March 13, Robert Beal knows the height of his career scammer. Its bullshit land in the Times. Betrayed by what had hitherto served, social networks led him to be unmasked: a crook amateur and clumsy. The story of a source of fresh water not really.

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The College Dropout

The College Dropout

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His team mates face :lol:

 

Not sure how you could see that salute somewhere but not know what it meant. Also the lad is 10 years younger than me so things may have changed but I am guessing the Nazis are still brought up in the odd history lesson these days? :dontknow:

 

The Greeks have a massive problem with Fascists at the moment too, Golden Dawn they're called. I find it hard to believe he didn't know what it meant :lol: although for some reason I do.

 

Well he's been handed a lifetime ban on international duty and he claims he was pointing at his mates in the stands  :laugh:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21822165

 

Seems to have a tattoo saying "Get Rich or Die Tryin'", a phrase from 50 cent. Just seems a thick lad.

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LRD

LRD

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Blatter backs FIFA over Barca youth bans

 

Sepp Blatter has backed the FIFA youth transfer regulations under which six Barcelona youth players are suspended from competitive action.

 

In late February, FIFA extended a ban on Korean Lee Seung Woo, of Barca's Cadete B side, to five other youngsters across the club's youth teams.

 

The decision means Koreans Paik Seung-Ho (Cadete A) and Jang Gyeolhee (Cadete B), French youngster Theo Chendri (Cadete A), Nigerian-Dutchman Bobby Adekanye (Infantil A) and Cameroonian Patrice Sousia (Infantil A) are training with their teams but unable to play in competitive games.

 

FIFA only sanctions international youth transfers when one of the three following situations apply: the player's parents have moved country for their own, non-related reasons; the move takes place within the European Union if a player is aged between 16 and 18; or the player's home is less than 50 kilometres from the national border being crossed.

 

FIFA president Blatter told AS the relevant committee was currently studying the case, but suggested no exceptions were likely to be made.

 

"The Barca case will be studied by FIFA's Players' Status Committee," Blatter said. "But the rules for the signing of minors are very clear."

 

Such rules would have stopped Barcelona signing Lionel Messi from Argentina aged 13, and the Catalan club have widened their scouting net in recent years to bring in potential stars from all over the world.

 

Mundo Deportivo reported that blaugrana director Raul Sanllehi was discussing the situation with FIFA.

 

Barca claim it is unfair to apply the regulations stringently across the board because all trainees at their La Masia facility are well looked after and guaranteed an overall education and football development up to the age of 18.

 

Blatter said the rules were in place to protect youngsters from unscrupulous clubs and agents and stressed that FIFA must be strong on the matter.

 

"The popularity of football also brings some dangers," he said. "The financial success of our sport makes it, unfortunately, of interest to international mafias, who get rich due to illicit activities like match-fixing or tricking underprivileged kids with false promises of a professional career in Europe."

 

Could well have strong implications for Barca and La Masia.

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Village Idiot

Village Idiot

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As the article says, we have only started signing foreign youth players very recently. Messi is the only foreign Masía product in our squad and he was a big exception to our policy at the time. I'm happy with that, I'm not too fond of uprooting young kids with vague dreams of a footballing career.

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