Ken Bates wakes up this morning to find yet another group dedicating their time to his demise. This time however, it’s not a group of angry football fans or some investors he’s annoyed during his “colourful” career. Instead, his new opponents are the holier than thou people of Christian Aid!

Quite what Christian Aid is doing investigating the financial irregularities and secrecy in football is totally beyond me, but a report predictably titled ‘Blowing The Whistle’ has been compiled by the organisation, in which, Ken Bates is highlighted as one of footballs shadiest characters. They say our Kenneth “takes secrecy to a whole new level”.

At this point, before the hypocrisy of the church gets a little too overwhelming, we may have to take check of what we’ve read so far. Just to be clear, this is group of church-goers, criticising football for not being totally transparent! It really does make you laugh, doesn’t it? Without wanting to offend anyone of any religion out there, secrecy is pretty much indicative of every religion. The skeletons hanging in the closets of Vatican City alone are enough to make Bates’ personal collection look pathetic.

I don’t want to start a religious war because my parents are both believers. I never followed the same route because it didn’t appeal to me, but the good the church (and these groups) does should be commended.

However, where religious types continually annoy me, is when they put themselves above others, looking down and pointing fingers. Football is none of their business. How about we (the football fans) compile a report on all the churches of the world. How between them, they’ve started religious wars, lied to cover up advances in science that don’t fit in with their own views, actively suppressed scientific advancement through means which would make Jack the Ripper cringe, not to mention the recently exposed cover-ups by the Catholic Church (and Pope) into child molestation. I know I’m generalising all the religious groups of the world here as one, but how is that any different from them generalising all the football world as one?

My point here, is that it’s easy to look on from afar and criticise the goings on of others. It’ s easier still when you’re an organisation dedicated to doing good, which very few of these “bad men” will have the courage to publicly humiliate. But, this simply isn’t an area of concern for Christian Aid, and I’d thank them to return to helping out the needy, rather than irritating the football world. That’s not to say I don’t want to see transparency in football, because I do – I just don’t see what the benefit of Christian Aid’s report is to achieving that goal. Sadly, it just seems like a poor attempt to gain publicity.

The full report can be found here.