The Professional Sepp/Fifa Basher

The Johannesburg Sunday Times has a story on Andrew Jennings, professional Fifa critic.

Sometimes an outsider has to wonder if Jennings has gone around the bend a bit, so uninterrupted and strident are his condemnations of Fifa and its president, Sepp Blatter.

The gist of his message?

That Fifa is out to shake down every country foolish enough to host the World Cup. And that South Africa's turn is almost done now.

Some highlights:

--On Sepp Blatter: "Well, it's not for nothing that he has been booed at the last two World Cups. Your country is being exploited. The profits of the World Cup won't trickle down - they won't go to anyone except Fifa."

--On Jack Warner, Fifa honcho from Trinidad: "He is a horrible, horrible thief."

--On the purveyor of tours, Match Hospitality: "It is too late, people decided last year that they weren't coming. Transport and hospitality got the shaft; these come before violence as a deterring factor. People just can't afford it. Not even the American wholesaler could sell the overpriced hospitality packages. For Match it's just greed, greed, greed."

--On tickets being nearly sold out: "Well, your municipalities are buying tickets. They tell you there are no empty seats because we have to believe there is a scarcity value; there has been a political move to cover up the scandal. Blatter is dishing out tickets to the unemployed -- you are going to get screwed."

--On what South Africa can expect when the event is over: "South Africa bent over and let Fifa have their way. Officials and the government have sold South Africa down the river: 'Bye Africa, bye suckers!' "

Jennings claims he is the only reporter in the world who is banned from Fifa press conferences. Don't know if it's true, but we can see why that might be.