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The Conservatives have dismissed Labour’s proposals to give fans a 25 per cent stake in clubs as a pre-election gimmick. This may well be the case, but a more serious objection is that there are significant company law problems with the proposal. The Conservative proposal to give supporters a seat on the board also faces such obstacles and clubs which did have such schemes such as Charlton Athletic ha
Labour plans to give fans a 25 per cent stake in clubs that are put up for sale if it is re-elected. Fans would also be given a window to put together their own bids when takeovers occurred. Legislation would also give the FA a deadline to sort out its governance issues.
The idea of a football regulator is back on the agenda, and from a rather unlikely source, Conservative shadow culture minister Hugh Robertson. He advanced the idea on a ‘sports ministers special’ on Radio 5, citing problems such as the burden of debt and the inadequacies of the fit and proper person test. The idea was originally advanced by the Football Task Force set up by New Labour when it came into office, but was not taken any further.
The FA has been plunged into crisis as it lost its sixth chief executive in eleven years with the resignation of Ian Watmore after only nine months in the post. Failure to make progress on disciplinary issues was one of his concerns and there were also tensions with the chairman of the Premier Leahue. The straw that broke the camel’s back appears to have been the leak at the weekend of an E-mail to a national newspaper.
Manchester United fans want to make their dispute with the Glazers and similar situations at other clubs across football a general election issue. They are also placing increasing hopes on the so-called Red Knights being able to buy out the Glazers.
Can Portsmouth’s case be regarded as a one off or does it form part of a wider set of financial problems likely to affect Premiership clubs? Portsmouth’s financial crisis is the first test of new Premier League rules agreed last September to ensure clubs paid creditors promptly, submitted independently audited accounts and kept the league informed of financial issues.
Michael Platini’s ‘Financial Fair Play’ plan could threaten a number of top European clubs. The Uefa president believes that over a period clubs should not be able to spend more than they earn. Some of Europe’s leading clubs have built up big debts and could face exclusion from the Champions League. One could think that was a case of Uefa shooting itself in the foot, but that is not an unknown phenomenon.
Police in China have started a crackdown on corruption and match fixing. Police took in for questioning Nan Yong, the head of the country’s football federation; Yan Yimin, a vice-president of the football body; and Zhiang Jianqiang, head of the referees’ committee. It is difficult to fix matches without the compliance of referees. In the last three months at least 21 officials, players and club officials have been arrested on allegations of match fixing, or of gambling in matches which is illegal in China.
It’s nothing like the cold weather events of 1946-7 or 1962-3, but freezing weather in Britain has already had its effect on football. Fixture congestion looms and there are concerns about the possible effect on England’s World Cup preparations if the cold weather persists. However, there are also substantial financial implications, particularly for lower league clubs where, as in all smaller businesses, cash flow is king and gate money is a big source of it. League rules also require the home club to pay a visiting club’s travel expenses when a game is postponed or abandoned.
There has been considerable internet speculation about the possible identity of a Premiership football manager who was reported by the Sun to have been identified visiting a brothel. Described as a ‘Thai vice den’ located on an industrial estate, it might at first appear that the premises offer facilities such as Jacuzzis and saunas. However, what is on offer amounts to more than an opportunity for exiled Finns to enjoy a social activity from their homeland. A Sun reporter who visited the premises alleges that he was offered sexual services in return for