Sporting Chaos; The Summer Of 2016 Around The World

There’s a summer of sporting chaos ahead and if you’re planning on betting on sports events around the world this year you may need to take into account some of the local difficulties that are besetting some of the biggest sporting events in the world.

You can always bet on sports in the UK to produce some moments of strange silliness, sporting chaos theory in action if you will, and if the sight of Boris Johnson, famous mop-topped former Mayor of London and wannabe Prime Minister, stood around with Sir Ian Botham, famous English Cricketer, to garner support for the Vote Leave campaign in the EU Referendum wasn’t silly enough, there’s always the news that Manchester United have hired Jose Mourinho to really make you chuckle.

It’s not that he’ll be any worse than Louis Van Gaal, but more that with his history you just know he’ll lead Man U to a glorious next season, sort of go off the year after that and then completely implode in year three in a blaze of headlines, acrimony and bruised egos. Fortunately for the UK the rest of the world seems pretty intent on making itself look equally silly with piece of their own sporting chaos, not least amongst them the French who’ve not so much shot themselves in the foot as dipped themselves squarely in the merde.

Whilst not quite reaching the heights of organized violence that can be seen in South Korean industrial disputes, the French are no slouches on the picket line and recent governmental changes to employment laws have sparked a wave of strikes across France that are slowly strangling the country. Blockades of fuel depots and refineries have led to petrol shortages, with massive queues and rationing at the few stations still open, and now railway workers plan strikes too, and should the nuclear workers join in, France will be in the dark and sporting chaos may ensue.

Will Euro 2016 Finals Descend Into Sporting Chaos?

I’m gambling news that France is hosting the Euro 2016 Finals quite soon has already reached you and thus you will be unsurprised that the threat of some French Unions to disrupt some of the matches is worrying organizers and may create sporting chaos. Whilst there’s still time for things to calm down the protests have gone on for two months now and are just getting heated, and the fact that the hugely unpopular employment “reforms” still place much of the public support with the strikers means it may take a while.

Obviously the French hosting the Euro 2016 Finals tournament amid social conflict and strife is a tad embarrassing but no where near as embarrassing as completely throwing away an almost certain victory in the Monaco Grand Prix, as Red Bull did last Sunday when a distinct amount of confusion saw Daniel Ricciardo’s lead given away to the eventual winner Lewis Hamilton. Silly? Bloody stupid, but then what can one expect of garage mechanics and posh boys in romper suits?

However the prize for sporting chaos creation this summer really has to go to the city and people of Rio de Janeiro who are due to host the world’s largest sporting event in just a few short months and, instead of merely being a little behind in the construction of the Velodrome, and having a distinctly odd taste in Olympic Village architecture, the Brazilians are facing a multi-layered nightmare of circumstances that look set to make this Olympics somewhat of a touch-and-go affair.

Rio 2016; Olympic Success Or Sporting Chaos?

Naturally no one is blaming the Brazilians for the spread of the Zika Virus laden mosquitoes and the sporting chaos they’ll cause but the disease carrying insects do pose a risk to expectant mothers who have been warned to stay away from the games, and with Zika a sexually transmitted disease, the 10,500 athletes at the games will have access to a staggering 450,000 condoms (that’s over 42 each) however whilst a massive mobilization has been made to wipe out the offending blood suckers, 100 scientists wrote an open letter saying it was “unethical” to allow the games to continue.

The World Health Organization kicked that accusation into touch for the IOC, however Brazil’s problems aren’t all mosquito related with the water in the open-water swimming and sailing venue reported to be so polluted that it poses a significant health risk to competitors, with levels of raw sewage several thousand times that permitted in Europe or the USA. Still, perhaps the biggest risk to the creation of more sporting chaos lies a little further afield from the Olympics themselves, in the parliament.

President Dilma Rousseff was ousted in what amounts to a coup just recently as those implicated in the ongoing Petrobras scandal by those seeking to prevent the truth coming to light, however since this impeachment two of the new ministers have already had to resign putting the entire government at risk. Romero Juca was recorded discussing using the impeachment to derail the investigation and the anti-corruption minister Fabiano Silveira had to resign just this week for precisely the same thing. Public protests over this manifestly corrupt government may yet lead to sporting chaos in Rio this August.

So if you’re going to take advantage of UK gambling laws this summer, perhaps at Betfair or its ilk, might I suggest you consider your wagers carefully, and whilst form and experience, skill and competence should all play a part in the decisions you make and the bets you place, this year, above many others that have come before it, is a year for the outside bet, the long shot and the risky wager because this summer is the summer of sporting chaos.