Malta Day 3

Day -797. ‪WorldCup2018‬.

This is what we call "just keeping it going". The "we" being just me because I'm not quite sure in what category I can classify myself, what group I fit into: "World Cup Blogger", "Amateur football writer", "Daily Facebooker", "time waster", "time waster, hoping it becomes time well spent". I'm still in sort of holiday mode (more of a forced holiday from the wonderful world of internet), so the days keep counting down but I don't have much more.

Except for this. Come September this view will be very different as it will be Scottish supporters headquarters for their qualifier against Malta. Merriment will be had by this bay. Hopefully Malta can put a bit of a damper on the celebrations.

Malta Day 2

Day -798. ‪WorldCup2018‬

What did James Lawton do when he didn't have wifi?

Malta Day 1

Day - 799. ‪WorldCup2018‬
 
I feel like I've reached a milestone, under 800 days to go. I will keep going....but for today that's all I've got. Blame it on technology issues affecting a necessary writing environment

Malta time

Day -800. ‪#‎WorldCup2018‬.

Off to where it all started for a few days. Spain (1982)? No. Malta, the venue of many "please have mercy on us" in World Cup qualifiers. Hopefully this round of qualifying when England come to visit we"ll have moved on quite a bit.

Panama Papers

Day -801. ‪#‎WorldCup2018‬.

Panama Leaks and Fifa, a connection. Surprised? Irony is that it involves a member of Fifa's Ethics Committee.

 

Leaked papers give Fifa ethics committee new credibility crisis

The exertion of the 1000 day countdown

Day -802. ‪WorldCup2018‬.

Did James Lawton, former Chief Sports Writer at The Daily Express and the Independent, ever, I wonder, tell his editor that he was a bit tired and needed another day to gather his thoughts before he could write his column/report? Probably not, or he wouldn't have been Chief Sports Writer for so long. But did James Lawton ever cover different angles of the same story continuously for 198 days, and counting? Maybe he did, I don't know. But, me, not chief sports writer do need another day to gather my thoughts. Roll on day -801.
(With apologies to James Lawton, for any unintended, subconscious criticism. Regular readers will now know it's actually praise of a former writing idol)

Construction safety: Russia

Day -803. ‪‎WorldCup2018‬.

Real journalists don't write an award winning column everyday, do they? I haven't written one yet, but I think I can still give myself the odd slower day.

So here today is a story from Fifa on the topic of safe working conditions at the construction sites of the stadiums for Russia 2018. It was on Fifa's website yesterday, a day after Amnesty International released their damming report on the conditions of construction workers hired for Qatar 2022. It is Fifa's staged feel good story, with unfortunate timing. Or is it Fifa irony?

http://m.fifa.com/worldcup/news/y=2016/m=3/news=decent-working-conditions-key-to-stadium-construction-in-russia-2773549.html