Post by QPR Report on Feb 17, 2009 7:31:59 GMT
* Matt Scott and David Conn
* The Guardian, Tuesday 17 February 2009
Uefa urges government to back FA in power struggle
• Uefa calls for 'single governing body' for the game in England
• 'Breakaway leagues do not help development of the sport'
Uefa has called on the government to introduce laws that would give the Football Association more power over how the Premier League is run and called for a "single governing body" to run the game in England.
In a submission to an all-party parliamentary football group, which is carrying out a consultation on football's governance, the European governing body challenges the political clout of the Premier League by referring to "pyrrhic turf wars" that have paralysed English football. Most significantly it points out that the UK is almost unique among European nations in failing to supply a "proper legislative framework" for sports bodies.
"Legislation can help to protect different sports from the unwanted side-effects of the haphazard way sport has developed – by helping to ensure sporting objectives are prioritised," says the report. "The overall framework and control of development policy and technical matters should be with the national association for all levels of football."
In what might be interpreted as a specific reference to the Premier League's break with the FA in 1992, the submission adds: "It is the experience across European football and sport that, almost without exception, breakaway leagues do not help the development of the sport as a whole (although they may benefit a small interest group)."
The government, which alongside the all-party group is also directly consulting with stakeholders over how they feel the game should be run, has traditionally resisted legislating in this area, believing in the autonomy of sports to run their own affairs.
The Premier League. "Football is best governed at a national level and any debate of how to do that should take place within that framework," a spokesman said last night.
Although Uefa's submission recognises the role of the Premier League as a competitions organiser, it adds: "The national association should retain overall control in order to ensure balanced development of the sport in question. Uefa is of the view that there is (and should be) a single governing body responsible for English football and that is the Football Association."
It said that a game run by the FA, the Premier League and the Football League had some pluses in organising excellent club competitions, "such benefits are relatively minor and the net effect of having competing regulators in the same territory is generally inefficient and detrimental to sport".
Uefa also expressed unease at the Premier League being the controlling body for top-flight referees in England.
The FA was most important, it was felt, in rejuvenating youth development. The paucity of talent available to the national coach, Fabio Capello, was again exposed in Seville last Wednesday, where England suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain and Uefa feels that the FA's lack of regulatory muscle, particularly over youth development, underlies England's anaemic international record. It is a battle that has for years raged between the Premier League, the Football League and the FA. The most recent attempt at reconciliation, a tripartite body chaired by Howard Wilkinson, has been disbanded without ever holding a meaningful meeting.
"Whilst it is clear that professional clubs are involved in youth development, the overall framework and control of development policy and technical matters should be with the national association for all levels of football," emphasises Uefa.
Along with making the case for the primacy of the FA, Uefa nevertheless expressed concern at the lack of representation on the governing body for the likes of managers, coaches, players, agents, supporters and referees. "The lack of such representatives in the relevant bodies in English football may, almost by definition, lead to discussions focused more on commercial and football-political issues and less on football issues," says the report. "For example, in some countries it would be difficult to imagine the national technical director not being on the board of the national football association."
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/feb/17/uefa-football-association-premier-league
Guardian/Matt Scott - England will win sweet FA while suits dominate Soho Square
Until 'football people' join the ranks at FA headquarters, the standard of English footballers will continue to decline
When England went down 2-0 to Spain last week the studio pundit Sam Allardyce provided the casual analysis that our nation will "never" produce players with the technical ability of David Villa, Fernando Torres or Xabi Alonso. That one of our foremost English managers, who was once shortlisted by the Football Association to coach our national team, should have reached this stark conclusion is, frankly, depressing. Why does a man who spends his life studying ProZone statistics in the pursuit of an extra percentage point of performance express such meek resignation at the state of the English game?
Talk to the league administrators and they will point the finger at the record of Sir Trevor Brooking. Indeed, it is five years since he took charge of the FA's football development. In that time the green shoots of progress should be seen but still the club academies complain about the ability of the youngsters being taken through the schools system.
But to blame Brooking — who had more natural talent in his forehead than Allardyce players such as Nicky Hunt, Kevin Davies and Gary Speed have ever possessed in their feet — is far too simplistic. The English disease may not germinate on the training grounds but in the boardroom of the FA itself.
That is the conclusion reached by Uefa mandarins, whose intimate knowledge of the rest of European football, where success is not all predicated on the pressing game, has given them a unique insight into where we are going wrong in this island. Look into the FA boardroom and you will see men in suits who owe their positions to their (mixed) record in balancing the books at professional clubs, alongside men who have devoted their lives in the service of the amateur game (with all the nice perks that can bring).
Where, asks Uefa, among the suits are the tracksuits? Where are the managers, the coaches, the referees, the supporters, or even the agents? Football is awash with stakeholders without a political stake, players and coaches' movements that have been hobbled into mere pressure groups. "In some countries it would be difficult to imagine the national technical director not being on the board of the national football association," say Uefa.
Instead David Gill is on the FA board. He runs a tremendously successful business at Manchester United, where he is the chief executive. But if Gill presumed to tell Sir Alex Ferguson how to manage the football team he would be subjected to a hairdryer as hot as that experienced by any wayward United pro. So why is his voice accorded such volume in the Soho Square boardroom, that policy cauldron for English football, where the players and coaches have none?
"The lack of [representation for technical staff] in the relevant bodies in English football may, almost by definition, lead to discussions focused more on commercial and football-political issues and less on football issues," Uefa adds. This August it will be four long years since the former permanent secretary to the Treasury, Terry Burns, was called upon to conduct a full structural review of the FA. Among his conclusions was that the appointment of an independent chairman would be vital to the FA as it sought to balance off the interests of the amateur game and the clubs. And so David Triesman was brought in from the world of politics.
But the momentum for reform ended there, paralysed by the interest groups who have for so long strangled progress in the game that means so much to so many. Burns's key recommendation for a streamlined board consisting of three representatives from the professional clubs or leagues, three from amateur football and three "independents" was kicked to the long grass.
Today the highest executive body in the English game still lacks any "football people". It is populated instead by those who refuse to relinquish their perks and privileges. That, frighteningly, is why Allardyce was right.
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/feb/17/england-fa-declining-standards-football-matt-scott-uefa
* The Guardian, Tuesday 17 February 2009
Uefa urges government to back FA in power struggle
• Uefa calls for 'single governing body' for the game in England
• 'Breakaway leagues do not help development of the sport'
Uefa has called on the government to introduce laws that would give the Football Association more power over how the Premier League is run and called for a "single governing body" to run the game in England.
In a submission to an all-party parliamentary football group, which is carrying out a consultation on football's governance, the European governing body challenges the political clout of the Premier League by referring to "pyrrhic turf wars" that have paralysed English football. Most significantly it points out that the UK is almost unique among European nations in failing to supply a "proper legislative framework" for sports bodies.
"Legislation can help to protect different sports from the unwanted side-effects of the haphazard way sport has developed – by helping to ensure sporting objectives are prioritised," says the report. "The overall framework and control of development policy and technical matters should be with the national association for all levels of football."
In what might be interpreted as a specific reference to the Premier League's break with the FA in 1992, the submission adds: "It is the experience across European football and sport that, almost without exception, breakaway leagues do not help the development of the sport as a whole (although they may benefit a small interest group)."
The government, which alongside the all-party group is also directly consulting with stakeholders over how they feel the game should be run, has traditionally resisted legislating in this area, believing in the autonomy of sports to run their own affairs.
The Premier League. "Football is best governed at a national level and any debate of how to do that should take place within that framework," a spokesman said last night.
Although Uefa's submission recognises the role of the Premier League as a competitions organiser, it adds: "The national association should retain overall control in order to ensure balanced development of the sport in question. Uefa is of the view that there is (and should be) a single governing body responsible for English football and that is the Football Association."
It said that a game run by the FA, the Premier League and the Football League had some pluses in organising excellent club competitions, "such benefits are relatively minor and the net effect of having competing regulators in the same territory is generally inefficient and detrimental to sport".
Uefa also expressed unease at the Premier League being the controlling body for top-flight referees in England.
The FA was most important, it was felt, in rejuvenating youth development. The paucity of talent available to the national coach, Fabio Capello, was again exposed in Seville last Wednesday, where England suffered a 2-0 defeat to Spain and Uefa feels that the FA's lack of regulatory muscle, particularly over youth development, underlies England's anaemic international record. It is a battle that has for years raged between the Premier League, the Football League and the FA. The most recent attempt at reconciliation, a tripartite body chaired by Howard Wilkinson, has been disbanded without ever holding a meaningful meeting.
"Whilst it is clear that professional clubs are involved in youth development, the overall framework and control of development policy and technical matters should be with the national association for all levels of football," emphasises Uefa.
Along with making the case for the primacy of the FA, Uefa nevertheless expressed concern at the lack of representation on the governing body for the likes of managers, coaches, players, agents, supporters and referees. "The lack of such representatives in the relevant bodies in English football may, almost by definition, lead to discussions focused more on commercial and football-political issues and less on football issues," says the report. "For example, in some countries it would be difficult to imagine the national technical director not being on the board of the national football association."
www.guardian.co.uk/football/2009/feb/17/uefa-football-association-premier-league
Guardian/Matt Scott - England will win sweet FA while suits dominate Soho Square
Until 'football people' join the ranks at FA headquarters, the standard of English footballers will continue to decline
When England went down 2-0 to Spain last week the studio pundit Sam Allardyce provided the casual analysis that our nation will "never" produce players with the technical ability of David Villa, Fernando Torres or Xabi Alonso. That one of our foremost English managers, who was once shortlisted by the Football Association to coach our national team, should have reached this stark conclusion is, frankly, depressing. Why does a man who spends his life studying ProZone statistics in the pursuit of an extra percentage point of performance express such meek resignation at the state of the English game?
Talk to the league administrators and they will point the finger at the record of Sir Trevor Brooking. Indeed, it is five years since he took charge of the FA's football development. In that time the green shoots of progress should be seen but still the club academies complain about the ability of the youngsters being taken through the schools system.
But to blame Brooking — who had more natural talent in his forehead than Allardyce players such as Nicky Hunt, Kevin Davies and Gary Speed have ever possessed in their feet — is far too simplistic. The English disease may not germinate on the training grounds but in the boardroom of the FA itself.
That is the conclusion reached by Uefa mandarins, whose intimate knowledge of the rest of European football, where success is not all predicated on the pressing game, has given them a unique insight into where we are going wrong in this island. Look into the FA boardroom and you will see men in suits who owe their positions to their (mixed) record in balancing the books at professional clubs, alongside men who have devoted their lives in the service of the amateur game (with all the nice perks that can bring).
Where, asks Uefa, among the suits are the tracksuits? Where are the managers, the coaches, the referees, the supporters, or even the agents? Football is awash with stakeholders without a political stake, players and coaches' movements that have been hobbled into mere pressure groups. "In some countries it would be difficult to imagine the national technical director not being on the board of the national football association," say Uefa.
Instead David Gill is on the FA board. He runs a tremendously successful business at Manchester United, where he is the chief executive. But if Gill presumed to tell Sir Alex Ferguson how to manage the football team he would be subjected to a hairdryer as hot as that experienced by any wayward United pro. So why is his voice accorded such volume in the Soho Square boardroom, that policy cauldron for English football, where the players and coaches have none?
"The lack of [representation for technical staff] in the relevant bodies in English football may, almost by definition, lead to discussions focused more on commercial and football-political issues and less on football issues," Uefa adds. This August it will be four long years since the former permanent secretary to the Treasury, Terry Burns, was called upon to conduct a full structural review of the FA. Among his conclusions was that the appointment of an independent chairman would be vital to the FA as it sought to balance off the interests of the amateur game and the clubs. And so David Triesman was brought in from the world of politics.
But the momentum for reform ended there, paralysed by the interest groups who have for so long strangled progress in the game that means so much to so many. Burns's key recommendation for a streamlined board consisting of three representatives from the professional clubs or leagues, three from amateur football and three "independents" was kicked to the long grass.
Today the highest executive body in the English game still lacks any "football people". It is populated instead by those who refuse to relinquish their perks and privileges. That, frighteningly, is why Allardyce was right.
www.guardian.co.uk/sport/blog/2009/feb/17/england-fa-declining-standards-football-matt-scott-uefa