Channel 7 has enjoyed a fractious relationship with many Aussie football fans.Despite its widespread support in the community, Australian soccer remains in media oblivion. This is from my comment at FourFourTwo magazine's website:
This stems back to the network's coverage of the NSL at the turn of the century - a coverage that was widely panned by football fans as being half-hearted.
That contempt for the sport appeared to have been revealed during a court case at the turn of the century.
Seven took action against Foxtel partners over claims they conspired to drive its pay-TV sports channel C7 out of business by ensuring it did not win bids for the NRL or AFL rights in December 2000.
During the court case a C7 executive Steven Wise revealed in one email that the AFL was not giving Seven credit for virtually killing off football by buying the rights to NSL - and then keeping it off TV.
His email said: "We have secured the soccer rights and suffocated the sport, much to the chagrin of its supporters (by giving AFL games preference)".
Whatever happened to Frank Lowy's magic business touch, which was supposed to ensure that Big Media got behind soccer at last?Speaking of Frank Lowy, it seems a few other big Aussie businessmen will be named by the US Senate on Friday. Get yer popcorn ready.
Oh yeah, they pulled the game from SBS and sold the exclusive rights to Rupert Murdoch. Now even registered soccer clubs have to pay a fortune just to get a FAUX subscription.
Now we find out that Frank Lowy has been screwing us in both holes, giving millions of dollars or Aussie taxpayer money to Zionist "charities" in Israel.
Can we get a new King Of Soccer please???
Soccer is only ever going to enjoy the status it deserves (and enjoys in the community) when every A-League, Socceroos and Olyroos and Matildas game is on Free-to-air, just like the other codes.
Make it happen,SoccerFootball Australia, or resign.
UPDATE: Well, you gotta laugh! I have just been labeled an anti-Semite and then banned... from a SOCCER website!
DEAR GOD, TAKE YOUR CONSPIRACY CRAP ELSEWHERE.My crime, of course, was criticising the God of Australian Soccer, the Messiah himself, Frank Lowy. Who says soccer is not a religion???!
People's religion has nothing to do with football.
I'm going to make it very easy for you not be called a anti-Semite again. You're banned. Easy.
KA
Edited by Kevin Airs: 23/7/2008 11:39:56 AM
Here's a simple question: if Frank Lowy is not a Zionist, just a good Jew who gives millions to harmless charities, then why did he vigorously oppose moderate Palestinian Hanan Ashrawi's 2003 Sydney Peace Prize award (as detailed to death in Antony Loewenstein's My Israel Question)?
Why doesn't he name the "charities" to which he donated Australian taxpayer money? Was one of them perhaps the United Jewish Israel Appeal, which just happened to have Lord Levy (to whom he quietly gave $500,000) as its Honorary President at the time?
