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Peter FitzSimons writes along the lines that FIFA awarding Donald Trump a peace prize is the worst thing that a sporting organisation has done (“Even by FIFA’s standards, Trump’s award is a new low”, December 14). Yet I suggest this is mild in comparison to FIFA’s previous scandals. The alleged corruption within the organisation, particularly concerning the allocation of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, has been officially documented and led to significant legal action. The widespread 2015 FIFA corruption scandal resulted in US Department of Justice indictments charging numerous high-ranking officials with wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering. These indictments alleged that FIFA executive committee members received millions of dollars in bribes for their votes on both the 2022 Qatar and 2018 Russia World Cup bids. Bribery accusations and investigations resulted in the downfall of many top football figures, including former FIFA president Sepp Blatter. Today, FIFA continues to court controversy: it has set official ticket prices for World Cup 2026 in the US which range up to over $10,000 (and more in secondary market), meaning that only the wealthy can attend. A lottery would have been more equitable.
John Kempler, Rose Bay
President Donald Trump receives the FIFA Peace Prize from FIFA President Gianni Infantino during the draw for the 2026 soccer World Cup earlier this month. Credit: AP
Ticket prices for the World Cup are outrageous. The majority of devoted fans could not afford these tickets, accommodation and travel expenses to experience this spectacular event. The world game will only be accessible to the wealthy, not the supporters who contribute to the code throughout the year. Combined with Donald Trump’s visa restrictions, hopefully fans will show their displeasure by staying away and send a strong message to FIFA.
Denis Suttling, Newport Beach
Help for haemophilia sufferers
I read with interest your article on gene therapy for haemophilia B (aka Christmas Disease) (“This gene therapy costs $5 million a dose. Is it worth the price?”, December 14). Over the past 50 years I witnessed the revolutionary changes to treatment for haemophilia as my husband had haemophilia A ( factor 8 deficiency). When I first met my husband in the 1960s the only treatment was fresh frozen plasma, which was a huge advance from full blood transfusions. This was then replaced by cryoprecipitate (concentrated plasma) and then a freeze- dried version of the same. The ’90s saw the development of recombinant (synthetically manufactured) factor 8. To say I am grateful to these scientists for the scientific breakthroughs is an enormous understatement, as it transformed our lives and thousands of others afflicted with the disease.
Elizabeth Maher, Gordon
Too much pressure
I had a wonderful time at North Sydney Boys High School from 1966 to 1971. The teachers seemed good but unexceptional. The value for me was in the immense stimulation of being surrounded by smart kids who challenged the teachers and each other (“No boy is an island: HSC camp extols we”, December 14). I recall no sense of pressure or competition with other schools. We were vaguely aware that our school was at or near the top of the state in its HSC results (aware enough to be briefly piqued if North Sydney Girls ranked ahead of us). The contrast with the pressure and competition described in your article is striking. Based on my own experience of a selective school I used to be a strong supporter of that system. After reading your article I’m not so sure.
Peter Tuft, Kettering (Tas)
Check out these claims
I reckon the comments of the spokespeople for poor old Woolies and Coles in response to the federal government’s new price gouging ban should be read out in every pub in the country (“Supermarkets hit back at ban on price gouging”, December 14). Or perhaps our hearts should go out to them as they “face a cost-of-doing business crisis”, “an uneven playing field” and make “less than three cents in the dollar” for every $100 customers spend (anyone else think a fact check is appropriate for this particular claim?). Can’t you just hear the violins in the distance as pub patrons everywhere give these supermarket giants, who are “among the most profitable in the world”, a big fat fail.
Kerrie Wehbe, Blacktown
Short attention span
I disagree completely with Parnell Palme McGuinnes’s opinion piece (“Thanks Daddy Albo, but we’ve got this parenting thing covered”, December 13). Unfortunately, she just can’t win. The Coalition and One Nation just won’t listen to her, and the prime minister is doing what none of them would. So she pretends it his fault that parents can’t parent. The children in Australia (even in private schools) have no attention span because of their devices and the Albanese government has done something about it.
Tad Dufelmeier, Gordon
I agree entirely with Parnell Palme McGuinness. The government should not be putting discriminatory restrictions on under-16s. While they are at it, let’s get rid of unfair laws that stop them from smoking or buying alcohol. Our kids have the right to get legless just like the rest of us. We let them ride electric motorbikes, so why constrain their expanding brains with helmets? Abolish compulsory schooling, too. If they can’t read, what good is social media to them anyway?
Neville Turbit, Russell Lea
Silence is golden
Over-60s diners might not be fond of “medical food” or meals tagged as being “for seniors” (“‘Sixty is the new forty’: Food businesses pivot to silver economy”, December 14). They also don’t much like noisy restaurants, especially if, as is common, they are beginning to have hearing problems. So if “oldies” are an increasingly lucrative group of customers, restaurant owners would be well-advised to do much more to manage the acoustics in their establishments, including turning the music down (it’s a restaurant, not a disco), and telling unnecessarily loud tables to keep it down.
Ross Duncan, Potts Point
