The Beautiful Game!

Author’s Note:  Swiss Police in conjunction with the FBI have arrested seven top FIFA
officials alleging bribery and corruption.

*****

We’ve seen the World Cup at its worst,
The tawdry ticket touts;
The xenophobic mania
From Zaire to Albania,
And liquored lager louts.
We’ve watched fouls blind side of the Ref,
And vicious shoulder bites;
The grabbing of the rival’s shirt
The acting injured on the dirt,
The spitting and the fights.

We’ve viewed the fans in every state,
Who came to see Brazil;
And sanitised Favelas where ((Slum areas, some of which were cleaned
up to promote Brazil’s World Cup image .))
Once Rio’s gangsters had a lair
And Drug Lords used to kill.
We’ve noticed many yellow cards,
And slightly fewer red;
The sneaky kicking off the ball
The dodgy trip and phony fall,
And punches to the head.

The object always is to score,
In ninety-minutes clash;
But goals today are just the means
To Bentley cars and Gucci jeans,
And a huge stash of cash.
But FIFA’s boss claims that the game, ((Sepp Blatter.))
Is straighter than a die;
But if you fall for that old spiel
It’s certain your bumps need a feel,
As you’ll swear pigs can fly!

Richard is a poet and amateur blues harmonica player who lives in the seaside town of Clacton on England's east coast. He's had approximately 70 poems published in England and Wales as well as a number of articles. He can be reached at: richard-layton@zen.co.uk. Read other articles by Richard.