Boyce to be FIFA Vice President?

[Chrisowc]

a) the existence of four so called British Associations (that are after all under one political constitutional entity)

This is neither confrontational nor sectarian and in no way does it contravene the agreement I reached with the OWC Contributor

So no need for the 'so called' I would have thought.

[blasmere]

On a point of clarification, I did have a meeting with an OWC Contributor which was highly amiable and cordial. I agreed to end permanently my spurious and admiitedly at times over the top attacks. However, just as many things within the GAA continue to concern the OWC Contributor, many things about the IFA continue to concern me and therefore I feel I have a right to air these in a logical and respectful manner (as the OWC member continues to do about the GAA on the OWC site).

I feel this appoinment is a joke and disagree with

a) the existence of four so called British Associations (that are after all under one political constitutional entity)

b) the perpetutal right of those four so called Britsh Associations to nominate a Vice President.

This is neither confrontational nor sectarian and in no way does it contravene the agreement I reached with the OWC Contributor

The four UK associations are among the oldest in the world, each one older than the GAA.

WTF has that got to with anything?

[saffron sam2]

I bet you're glad you asked...

Funnily enough I am.  Thanks very much for taking the time to post what was a very detailed and informative contribution.  I genuinely didn't know much about (or indeed any) of what you wrote about.

For example,

As for the four British Associations having an automatic Vice Presidency at FIFA, the rationale is quite clear. They had established the rules of soccer and were playing internationals long before FIFA was even heard of. Not only that, but the home countries had originally fostered the game, both Officially and unofficially, in countries all around the world.
Consequently, when other countries formed their own Associations, then banded together to form FIFA, the home countries were suspicious, seeing this as a threat to their own hitherto domination of the game. I've no doubt there was no shortage of snobbery towards, and suspicion of, the efforts of "Johnny Foreigner", as well. AFAIK, relations between the home countries and FIFA were cool enough in the beginning, with the British Associations declining to enter the early World Cups etc and even withdrawing from FIFA for a period in a dispute over amateurism.
However, the Second World War changed things drastically. Soccer in Europe was decimated, many countries were refusing to have anything to do with their former enemies, plus Cold War enmities added to the problems. And FIFA was flat broke.
Therefore, in 1947, we staged a match between "Great Britain" (including NI) and "The Rest of the World" at Hampden Park, with the entire proceeds of the 135,000 crowd going to FIFA. In return for being baled out, a number of arrangements were reached, including the provision that the four Home Countries could maintain their separate identities, and also nominate a Vice President to FIFA in perpetuity.
The fact that the arrangements put in place then remain broadly unchanged today suggests to me that they were successful and valuable (but feel free to disagree).

All of this is new to me and certainly the scenario of the 1947 game would justify (imo) the arrangements reached.

Many thanks again.