FIfa, Ronaldo is no demon

The football body has been accused of underplaying CR7's achievements in putting out biographies of contenders for the Ballon d'Or According to Pepe, there is a lack of respect for Ronaldo in the corridors of Fifa

 

Fifa president Sepp Blatter recently enraged Cristiano Ronaldo by mocking the Portuguese star's swagger on the field and vanity off it. The Real Madrid winger and his support ers didn't see the funny side in Blatter's comments. With no place to hide, the Fifa boss had to write an apology to Ronaldo and Real on Twitter. Blatter, who has a bit of Silvio Berlusconi in him, is no stranger to controversies. He once asked women to wear skimpi er dresses to make their football more popular.

 

On the eve of his country's 2014 World Cup playoff against Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Sweden, Portugal defender Pepe has stoked the fires of discord on behalf of his illustrious compatriot. Ronaldo's Real teammate sees some sinister plot in the attitude of Fifa. According to him, there is a lack of respect for Ronaldo in the corridors of Fifa. Pepe has alluded that there is a story behind Blatter's poor humour. With the announcement of the Ballon d'Or set for January 13, tongues have already started wagging.

 

British newspaper Independent has put out a story about Fifa's perceived bias in writing the biographies of leading contenders for the Ballon d'Or on its website. Football awards aren't given away on the basis of a bio written by someone on the rolls of the world governing body, but it's an indication that bias indeed exists against Ronaldo within Fifa. Statistics are twisted to show Lionel Messi, the winner of the prestigious award for the last four seasons in a favourable light.

 

This isn't an argument against Messi but only an attempt to show that sometimes friends can do more harm than good in their penchant to please. The world is full of Messi fans who love his otherworldly skills and boyish charm. At the same time, bestowing award after award on the Argentine even when numbers and performances don't add up is diffi cult to come to terms with.

 

Whoever watched the massacre of Barcelona by Bayern Munich in last year's Champions League semifinal would think twice about push ing the button in favour of Messi.

 

This year's Ballon d'Or faces a credibility test it hadn't been confronted with in recent times because there are pun dits who believe that Franck Ribery and Ibrahimovic may well be worthier winners.

 

It's easy to fathom why Messi has become the establishment's pet. Like Pele, there is no rebellious streak in the Argentine, who would prefer to remain invisible to the pub lic outside the football field. But Ronaldo's nature is different. Any judgment on his football shouldn't be clouded by his lifestyle. Expecting everyone to behave in a certain way is either snobbishness or slavery . Or both.