Article Taxonomy: Football Governance

FA in a mess says sports minister

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Sports minister Tracey Crouch has called the situation surrounding the terminaton of Mark Sampson’s contract as women’s head coach by the FA a ‘mess’.  Crouch is a qualified football coach, manages a girls’ football team and is a keen Spurs supporter.  She was the first Conservative minister to take maternity leave.

Football and new technology

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Football has always been resistant to new technology.  The first, admittedly crude, experiments with flood lighting were carried out in the 19th century.  When more reliable methods became available, it was first seen as something of a novelty before being widely adopted with ever improving technology (although still vulnerable to a supply interruption at non-league level).

Redknapp gives it large on transfer window decision

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One of the rituals of transfer window day when Harry Redknapp was at Premier League clubs was him rolling down the car window as he left the training ground and giving it large on what he thought was happening.

Now supremo at Birmingham City, Redknapp was ready with his views for Radio 5 on the decision by the Premier League to close the transfer window before the start of next season.   Redknapp was all in favour, reckoning that it would stop players feigning injury while they waited for a move.  Who could he mean?

Tebas keeps up the heat on City

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Spanish league president Javier Tebas is keeping up the heat on Manchester City.  He has threatened to complain to the European Commission if Uefa do not take action against Manchester City as well as Paris Saint-Germain for an alleged breach of state aid rules.   If that complaint does not succeed, they will resort to the courts.

However, he has also opened a new front over five players loaned to Girona, which is part-owned by City. For their part, City have described some of Tebas’s comments as ‘pure fiction’ and they are taking legal advice.

Uefa launches investigation into PSG

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Uefa has launched a formal investigation into whether Paris Saint-Germain has breached financial fair play rules following ‘recent transfer activity’.   There has been concern that the effectively state-owned super club has taken financial competition in European football on to a new level.   

There are indications that Uefra president Aleksander Ceferin is inclined to take a harder line on such matters than his predecessor Michel Platini.

Football luxury tax could be blocked by EU

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Uefa is becoming increasingly concerned about competitive imbalance in European football with the emergence of super clubs, state surrogates in the case of Paris Saint-Germain.   They think that a situation in which only a small number of clubs could win the Champions League could reduce the appeal of the game and hence broadcast income.

Bolton should escape points deduction

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Bolton Wanderers should escape a points deduction after Sports Shield, the company that owned 37.5 per cent of the club, entered voluntary liquidation.

The EFL have announced that they will ‘review’ the situation with an announcement expected in September. However, it would be a great shock if they took any action against Bolton.  If a club appoints receivers, a ten point deduction is automatic.  If the parent company (in this case not even a majority one) appoints receivers, it becomes a matter for discretion.

Transfer window likely to close earlier

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It looks likely that Premier League clubs will vote by the necessary two-thirds majority to bring the transfer window forward by two to three weeks to the start of the season.  They meet on September 7th when 14 clubs have to vote in favour of the move.  

The change would come into effect before the start of the 2018-19 season.  The transfer window in January would be unaffected.