Kashiwa Reysol are top of the J.League after a last-gasp 1-0 victory over Vegalta Sendai on Saturday.At the Kashiwa Hitachi Stadium, two of the competition’s top four sides clashed in one of the most exciting matches of the round.
But the contest failed to deliver goals, until the very last moment as Masakatsu Sawa hit a 94th minute winner for the leaders.
Yokohama F. Marinos remain a point behind Kashiwa in second after a 2-1 win at Jubilo Iwata.
Daisuke Nasu scored a 17th minute opener for the hosts, but they could not maintain that lead for long as Kazuma Watanabe struck with 10 minutes of the first half remaining to level proceedings.
Shunsuke Nakamura scored the winner six minutes into the second half from the penalty spot as Yokohama F. Marinos recorded their fourth win in a row.
In other matches, Kawasaki Frontale avoided a scare in their 3-2 home win over bottom-side Avispa Fukuoka.
Goals to Junichi Inamoto, Kengo Nakamura and Juninho looked to have given Kawasaki an easy victory but two goals in six minutes from Hideya Okamoto set up a nervous finale.
Genki Omae’s first-half injury time strike proved to be the winner in Shimizu S-Pulse’s 2-1 away win at Ventforet Kofu while Naoshi Nakamura scored with six minutes remaining to give Nagoya Grampus a 1-0 victory at Vissel Kobe.
Full participatory involvement in the running and managing of the club by the fans, it sounds like an ideal situation for every football fan. But this level of direct democracy in a football club is not without its drawbacks.
Ebbsfleet United Football Club from the Conference South has formed the prototype for this kind of experiment. In 2008 the website MyFootballClub bought a majority share in the club becoming the first online community to own a sports club. Yet the dream of an egalitarian club being created through fan involvement does not appear to have materialised.
20,000 members of the online community paid £35 each to gain control of the club and as such, by electronic vote, have control over the side selected as opposed to manager Liam Daish. Involvement has dwindled as the novelty of making decisions for a football club has worn off; now down to 4,000 members only 15% vote on team selection.
Having been around fans and being one myself, I think generally we’re a bit too fickle inpatient and sentimental to have the responsibility of taking a club forward so directly. Indeed it is one of the few instances where football is different to politics and mass participation isn’t really desired.
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Football, and in particular deciding of a team and tactics and therefore transfer policy are all interconnected and require a degree of football knowledge and application. This is why decisions made by the masses could not work. Even if say everyone voting on the possible transfer targets and team selection, was reasonably knowledgeable and engaged with football and the club and not susceptible to voting on a whim then the end result would still be chaotic and not work. As it needs to be a sole mind (the manager) who decides how the team plays, and how can he know how to train them or what tactics to employ if he doesn’t know what eleven is taking the field?
All those who vote could have different desires on how the team should play, one person might be visualising a fluid passing team that press the opposition and maintain possession, another a team that sits deep enticing the team forward before breaking away with pace on the counter. One voter might build his team around congesting the midfield, where as another sees tricky wing play as the way forward. But all these systems can’t be employed at the same time and with it not being one man’s decision you’ll end up with a mishmash that falls far short of playing how anyone desired.
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No the best way to keep fans involved is a system similar to Barcelona’s or St Pauli where fans have a say over the general trend of the club and the way it is going, have a voice on ticket prices and club initiatives. And decide on the major aspects like who leads the club, for a fixed term, but leave the team selection, day to day running of the club and transfer policy to an individual or small team whose job it is to train and assess the playing staff.
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In his response to questions put forward by Liverpool fans site Red and White Kop, John W Henry once again highlighted the importance of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play which will come into effect next year:
“We don’t know English football, but we do know the sports business and what it takes to be successful. You must first of all have the right people in place and you must be able to give them the resources they need to be successful. With the new Financial Fair Play Rules coming into effect next year, we know that we need to emphasize revenue growth. That is an area we feel we are very strong. And LFC already has a strong commercial team.”
As Henry says, NESV have been experts in increasing revenue growth at the Boston Red Sox to the point they are now second only to the New York Yankees in Baseball in regards to turnover. Despite having a small Ballpark at Fenway, they have managed through corporate sponsorship, improved marketing and increased ticket prices to make the Red Sox into a profitable, sustainable business model, crucially helped by the team’s success on the Baseball field. Success on the field has led to increasing profits off the field, making the Red Sox a franchise to compete with the best without NESV pumping money into the team.
The ability to replicate this success with Liverpool was crucial to NESV’s decision to buy Liverpool. Currently, as for things stand, this could prove to be difficult with “Sugar Daddy” owners such as Sheikh Mansour and Roman Abramovich ploughing money into their clubs without a care for profit, making it difficult for others to compete. What will be changing in the not too distant future though, is the introduction of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play laws.
It will require clubs to break even over a continuous three-year period within the next ten years if they want to play in European competitions. The UEFA rules state that clubs will only be allowed losses of 45m between 2012-2015 (meaning owners can pump in 15m per season in exchange for shares), and this will be reduced to 30m between 2015-2018 (10m per season) . The figures will be reduced even further still by 2019 until a point when European clubs will have to break even if they want to play in Europe. It is an initiative put forward by UEFA president Michel Platini to encourage clubs to spend wisely, and to prevent clubs spending their way to success despite accruing mountains of debt. It is designed to increase competition in Europe and prevent what UEFA sees as not playing by the rules of “fair competition.”
It effectively means that wage bills exceeding revenues will be a thing of the past, and this was crucial in attracting the interest of NESV to Liverpool. Former Reds Chairman Martin Broughton commented before the takeover by NESV was completed:
“We weren’t looking for an Abramovich or Sheikh Mansour, because we understand a rational commercial approach is the way forward in football now. . . A hugely important aspect for Liverpool is [Uefa’s] financial fair play rules. They come into effect pretty damn soon, and will have a massive effect on many, many clubs. I couldn’t help notice that Manchester City’s wage bill for last year was exceeding its revenue. That is going to be very difficult under financial fair play.”
You could certainly describe Henry’s business model at Boston Red Sox as a “rational commercial approach.” The Financial Fair Play rules are also why Henry & Co have been looking so closely at Arsenal’s business model and footballing philosophy. It is a sustainable profitable enterprise but also develops young players that are capable of competing at the top level in the Premier League. Henry’s three visits to the Kirkby Academy and his appointment of Damien Comolli are strong indications that he is already focused on preparing Liverpool for these new Financial Fair Play rules. It also tallies with his philosophy of developing youngsters with the values of the team; something they are developing at the Boston Red Sox.
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Overall then, it looks as if John W Henry has a pretty coherent long term strategy for the club but it is predicated on UEFA’s Financial Fair Play laws being a success. Whether UEFA’s guidelines work, could be crucial to how successful Liverpool are in the next ten years.
Read more excellent Liverpool blogs at the ‘Live4Liverpool’ website
Manchester City defender Micah Richards has backed Carlos Tevez to return to first-team action, and help the club in the race for the Premier League title.
The controversial Argentine forward has been on the sidelines this season at the Etihad Stadium, with his refusal to come off the bench against Bayern Munich compounded by his decision to go AWOL.
However, with Tevez returning to fitness and City struggling to find the net of late, Richards wants the South American back in contention.
“I’m a big fan of Tevez. I’ve always said that I love him,” the England international told reporters, published by The Daily Mail.
“There were games last season when he carried us on his own; games like this where he would get a 1-0 win for us.
“Ultimately, it’s up to the manager but I’d love to see him back.
“We need to go back and see where we’re going wrong, and why we’re not scoring as many goals as we used to.
“Teams seem to be defending better against us. We were scoring four, fives and sixes and now we’ve gone through a spell where we’ve been struggling to score,” the full back admitted.
Despite slipping down to second in the standings at the weekend, Richards is still confident over City’s silverware charge, and knows that the race will go down to the wire.
“It’s not over but with United it’s always going to be hard to pip them. That’s the most disappointing thing. Having been first for so long, we’ve now slipped down to second.
“The result against Swansea has made that game even more massive now. But Chelsea is the next one and that will be tough – it’s a game we have to win now.
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“We won’t give up until the end of the season. Everyone was saying last year when we got to the FA Cup Final that we wouldn’t win and it would be 20 years before we won a trophy, yet we did it. I still think we can do it again,” he concluded.
Former England captain David Beckham says he would love to be part of a Great Britain football team at the 2012 Olympics.No official announcement has been made about the inclusion of a British side in next summer’s London Games – but the Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder would be happy to play any part.
“So far I’ve heard I’m going to be managing, coaching, playing, so we’ll see,” Beckham said.
“But I would like to be part of it in some way, I’d love to be a player in it of course, but to be just part of that team would be pretty incredible.”
“You know for a football team to go into the Olympics in England, you know it’s a huge thing, so yeah I would love to be part of it in some way and playing would be a bonus.”
Beckham is back in action for LA Galaxy against New York Red Bulls on Sunday.
Arsenal fans are currently in jubilant mood following the Gunners’ 2-1 victory over La Liga champions Barcelona at the Emirates Stadium last night in the first leg of the last 16 of the Champions League. The performance from Arsene Wenger’s men certainly impressed a lot of fans, including Arsenal’s rivals for the Premier League title: Manchester United. Here is the match from the perspective of a Man United fan…
Preamble
So the first leg of a potentially pulsating 2-legged knockout tie lived up to the hype and some, proof that maybe Tyldesley isn’t as bad as his Sky counterparts when it comes to over hyping games that inevitably result in drab affairs with barely a sniff of regular goal-scoring opportunities. That said after reflecting on the game, one can’t help but feel a little smug that Barcelona .. the prophets of football were brought down to earth by what many consider the false prophets, a brief playing out of the reformation if you like.. mighty infallible Catholics, found fallible by the Protestants who themselves were just as full of shit as their predecessors.
Anyway a brief recap of both sides tactical set up before we delve into the nitty gritty… Both sides were typical 4-3-3 with interchangeable forwards and scoring on the counter-attack after winning the ball high up the pitch was the name of the game. After a frantic opening exchange in which Arsenal briefly had the upper hand it soon settled into a rather predictable one sided rampage with Barcelona threatening to deflower the Gunners in a brutal manner reminiscent of last years showdown… thankfully for the Arse, they improved in the second half, displaying a hitherto not seen resolve and they took it to the superstars of Catalonia, grabbing two well-deserved goals, the latter which will live long in the memory. Without further ado, here are 5 Things I Noticed…
1. Predictable Walcott
After all the talk about how Barcelona feared the searing speed of ‘THE One’, and were soiling their pants at the thought of how to shackle him, one would not have been blamed for thinking in the summer Arsenal would be more worried about losing Walcott to the Nou Camp Necromancers, rather than their much sought after Captain.
Despite a promising opening in which he showed pretty nifty close control, taking on a few defenders before laying it off to Fabregas who proceeded to lift it over the Barcelona back line locating Van Persie, who was then thwarted by Valdes, Walcott soon lost his lustre and was met with the usual tactic utilised by opponents intent on snuffing him out… sitting back and cutting off the space he can run in behind, and forcing him to be more cute and clever. Its the sort of tactic that has been employed by the likes of Patrice Evra, one which nearly always works and one that Theo has not really showed any signs of overcoming.
What Walcott lacks is quality footwork, more precisely a few tricks in his locker and furthermore he doesn’t utilise his weaker foot enough which renders him rather predictable and devoid of ideas when robbed of his usual tactic of kicking it past a defender and running fast into the space in behind. If Arsenal had Nani in their side tonight on the right wing, the score could’ve been even more devastating in Arsenal’s favour.
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2. Wizardly Wilshere
An excellent display last night, in a role which was more befitting of his talent and experience than the one he was told to take up for England the other night against markedly inferior opponents than Barcelona. Alongside a more mobile defensive midfielder, Wilshere was given licence to break free when in possession instead of having to be careful, conservative and playing the easy pass backwards.
Last night his excellent first touch, brilliant one touch passing, vision and ability to run with the ball all caught the eye, not to mention his quality turns in tight spaces under pressure, reminiscent of another Englishman Paul Scholes. To put in such a beguiling effortless display in such a heated atmosphere (by Emirates standards) and to even stick the foot in with precise tackling when required to, was simply put.. magical.
3. Colossus Koscielny
It is a rare sight to see Arsenal win a game of consequence, a rarer sight still to witness an Arsenal defender garner a great deal of plaudits for his tough no-nonsense defensive display. On a CL week of firsts, (Tottenham showing tactical astuteness and a great deal of grit & determination) Koscielny proved himself to be money well spent earlier in the summer and the wall which Barcelona struggled to climb over.
He possesses a fair bit of pace, a decent amount of strength and is very much Wenger’s version of Vidic-lite to Vermaleans ‘Rio’ impression. That said he has struggled over the course of the season which is fair enough considering its his début season, Gunners fans will hope this coming of age display will settle him down and make him feel like he’s an integral part of the first team for this season and beyond.
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4. The Barcelona Triumvirate
We are constantly told by certain footballing aficionados that without Xavi/Iniesta.. Messi would be found wanting and that the recent World Cup was proof of that particular axiom, I on the other hand thought the Argentine was rather impressive despite not hitting the unrealistic heights expected of him by the majority of the footballing world.
Last night despite a 25 min spell in the first half where Xavi and Iniesta pulled the strings with consummate ease, the majority of the game was about Arsenal shackling the all-powerful Messi and creating their own havoc, having successfully subdued the illustrious midfield duo who are usually responsible for providing the foundations behind most of Barcelona’s victories.
It’s not hyperbole to claim that Fabregas and Wilshere outplayed their World-Class counterparts tonight, pressing them if not into mistakes, than more conservative passes than they would usually make and preventing them from recieving as much possession as they would usually be accustomed to. Messi on the other hand, remained Barcelona’s ‘Go To’ player, constantly on the ball, running in between defenders and if not racking up efforts on goal then he was at least slotting team mates in with numerous well-disguised through passes and was unfortunate to have bagged himself a brace.. a brace which would’ve ended that wretched run of having scored no goals in England. He’ll be back in the return leg though, don’t you worry about that.
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5. The Arsenal Triumvirate
In the first half I tweeted, ‘Van Persie, Fabregas, Nasri need to up their game #Arsenal’… little did I know Wenger used my Twitter as a motivational tool at half time.
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In the initial 45 minutes, we were subjected to a out of sorts, still injured Nasri.. not really running directly at the opposition as we know he can, and reluctant to put the ball into the box, likewise Van Persie was also very cumbersome and the pace of the game seemed like it was too much for him and his usually assured touch and underrated heading ability seemed to have deserted him… there were calls in some corners for the introduction of Bendtner.. which would sum up his first half display.
As for Fabregas, whilst he was still pretty influential he was guilty of being caught on the ball in dangerous areas and not the sharpest of players in the final third. He like the aforementioned players, was a man transformed in the second half and if the likes of Wilshere came of age.. the same could be said for this particular trio of players, all of whom are considered very talented yet still to break through into the elite category of the Worlds leading footballers.
Van Persies finish past Valdes was fortunate but also intelligent, in that he seized onto the fact that Valdes had anticipated a cross and left his near post gaping wide… Fabregas’ through ball to unleash Nasri was mesmeric and typically Cesc… and Nasri topped it off with a composed pass across the box, perfectly weighted for Arshavin to expertly tuck away into the right hand corner.
Conclusion (looking towards the 2nd Leg..):
So a gutsy, one of those magical ‘I was there’ nights for the Arsenal. The question is… was this a one off Arsenal flukey display or a genuine coming of age performance which will mark a watershed for the gunners and propel them to the next level.
The answer in my opinion is that Arsenal have undoubtedly progressed in comparison to last season, Wilshere gives their Midfield a new dimension, Nasri likewise has developed into a pivotal figure, Szczesny looks the real deal so far in the problem area of goalkeeper and Koscielny might finally settle down and become the perfect partner for Vermalean if he ever overcomes injury. That said.. the Nou Camp might prove a step too far and one can’t see Barcelona struggling to score goals. The return of Puyol could go one of two ways, one outcome could be that they could tad tighter at the back, but on the other hand will their lack of pace defensively come back to haunt them and will this win give Arsenal the confidence to see it out and expose Barcelona’s shortcomings. The Stage is set for a quite wondrous finale….
Christmas can be a stressful and tense time for everybody, not just those involved in football. How you react under these conditions depends on your character. For example, Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath threatened to cancel his squad’s Christmas if they failed to overcome Stuttgart at home on the Saturday. You’ll be glad to know (unless you’re a sadist) that there’ll be celebrations in Lower Saxony after they edged out Bruno Labbadia’s side 1-0 at the VW Arena. One man though didn’t seem to coping so well with added pressure.
Bayern Munich’s Franck Ribery would have been angered by events earlier on Friday where he was ordered to pay €2.66 million to his former agent. The former Marseille man appeared to let his frustration spill onto the pitch. After a fairly innocuous tangle with Cologne’s Henrique Sereno, Ribery earned himself a pair of yellow cards in under a minute as the Frenchman failed to control his emotions.
The Bavarians needn’t have worried as Stale Solbakken’s Cologne were insipid despite being handed a fantastic opportunity at the Allianz Arena. The game was goalless but the Billy Goats seemed content enough with the score line.
In hindsight, a big mistake as Heynckes side effortlessly cruised past the visitors with three second half goals. This epitomised Bayern’s season to date. At times, there have been some shaky moments both at home (Dortmund and Gladbach) and away (Hannover and Mainz). However, otherwise they’ve been ruthless as their impressive goal difference suggests. Mario Gomez’ remarkable knack of being in the right place at the right time has helped contribute to this significantly.
Nevertheless, just three points behind the leaders are fierce Ruhr rivals Borussia Dortmund and Schalke who both grabbed convincing victories on the weekend. The Black and Yellows made the long trip south to Freiburg who were dispatched 4-1. Despite being beaten in the derby three weeks ago, Schalke had the upper hand result wise this time round. The Royal Blues thrashed a hapless Werder Bremen 5-0 including a hat trick from Raul. Both Jurgen Klopp and Huub Stevens will be confident of challenging their Bavarian rivals in the new year.
Will either be able to catch Germany’s most successful club in 2012? The statistics would argue against it. This is the 17th time Bayern have been top at the halfway stage of the season. Only twice before have they failed to go on to become champions. It would certainly be a major shock should they not win with the players they have available to them.
Their mettle will be tested immediately in January with a trip to old adversaries Borussia Monchengladbach. The Foals ensured they’re still in the title shake-up sneaking past Mainz. Marco Reus, a man who will move to either Dortmund or Munich come the end of the season, returned from injury. He broke his toe in their derby victory against Cologne but Reus limped off towards the end after catching his foot in the turf.
This could be what decides the destination of the title – injuries. Three of the top four have certainly had key players missing recently and strength in depth is not abundant amongst the top teams in the Bundesliga. Of the title chasers though, Bayern Munich look best set, especially with Bastian Schweinsteiger returning. The winter break will ease any stress and tension amongst Jupp Heynckes’ ranks however, they should be warned. This is the Bundesliga and Bayern Munich have looked susceptible to the occasional implosion, even if it looks unlikely in 2012.
If you’d like to read more Bundesliga musings, then why not follow me on Twitter – @arhindtutt
Matchday 17 Results:
Bayern Munich 3-0 Cologne
Bayer Leverkusen 0-3 Nuremberg
Freiburg 1-4 Borussia Dortmund
Hamburg 1-1 Augsburg
Hoffenheim 1-1 Hertha Berlin
Wolfsburg 1-0 Stuttgart
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Harry Redknapp has suggested in the past that the level of abuse players are now receiving in the game is vicious and has begun to step over the line. Players like Emmanuel Adebayor are the constant subject of vile chants and abuse from ‘fans’ and it appears that although supporters should be entitled to express themselves, many are simply going too far.
Hurling abuse in football has long been considered acceptable as a form of passion. There has always been pretty shocking stuff chanted at football grounds, but of late the issue has come into the spotlight, with constant abuse and heckling of players in the most disgusting fashion. A few months back we saw the youtube video of the ‘fan’ teaching their four-year old to sing the crudest song about the Munich air crash emerged, highlighting the appalling behaviour that has become second nature to a lot of football ‘fans’. Of course not everybody goes about acting like this, and it is probably just a minority that are acting so atrociously, but it needs to be stopped, and clubs and the powers that be need to do more to cut stuff like this out of the game. Football is a beautiful game, but elements like this take the shine off and show its ugly side.
I’m not suggesting that fans shouldn’t be allowed to express themselves, booing an opposition team or player on the field is fair enough, it is part of the theatrical nature of the game, but the constant taunting and negative chanting is embarrassing for football, as well as clubs, and the areas the fans represent.
The constant ferocious stick that some players receive from supporters is simply too much. The level of abuse shown is simply pure hatred and footballers, as human beings, shouldn’t have to take some of the disgusting abuse hurled their way. How can you insult someone that you don’t even know?
It is difficult for players not to react to abuse, but it is a long established part of the game so they must try to ignore it. A player must be sensible in the situation and the worst thing they can do is react and incite it. We have seen players in the past, like Emmanuel Adebayor and Gary Neville, running the length of the pitch to celebrate in front of the opposition fans after receiving abuse. Sure they had been getting horrendous stick all afternoon, but they have a role to play in the game and should have reacted with sensitivity, instead of further inciting the fans.
It has now become common for supporters not just to vent fury at the opposition, but also their own side. Alex McLeish and Arsene Wenger have taken the full brunt of fans criticism so far this season, with boos often ringing out around their respective stadiums. Having spent their hard earned money to watch the game, fans are perfectly entitled to express themselves and perhaps it is the only way they can get their voices heard, although I don’t see how it can be anything other than self-destructive.
Football is passionate, and displays of emotion are a vital part of the game we all love, but some of the abuse these days has stepped over the mark and the game doesn’t need to be ruined by this kind of behaviour. Booing is fine, but the kind of personal insults we often hear nowadays are too much.
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It can be difficult for players not to react when they are getting outrageous stick, human nature will scream at them to give a bit back to the supporters who are taunting them, but common sense must prevail, and they must continue to go about their game professionally and try and shut the fans up with their actions on the field. Supporters are perfectly entitled to vent their opinion and their frustrations, but it needs to be within reason. Some of the abuse currently hurled at players is disgusting and there is simply no place for it in the game.
Inter Milan defender Cristian Chivu is facing a length ban for punching Bari’s Marco Rossi in the 3-0 win on Thursday.
Chivu lashed out in Inter’s easy win, which came thanks to goals from Houssine Kharja, Wesley Sneijder and the in-form Giampaolo Pazzini.
The 30-year-old Romanian defender was quick to apologise for the incident, which was not seen by referee Andrea Romeo but caught on video.
“It is difficult to explain,” Chivu told Sky Sport Italia.
“I am here because I want to apologise to Rossi, with all the dignity that I have left.”
“I apologise to everyone, above all my two children who one day will watch this clip.”
Replays showed when a free kick was cleared that Chivu lashed out, punching Rossi in the face.
Bari coach Giampiero Ventura forgave Romeo for missing Chivu’s punch.
“I went to speak to the referee after the final whistle and told him he had done well. He simply didn’t see this incident, as it was off the ball,” Ventura said.
“The situation was in the balance until the 90th minute,” he said of the defeat.
Inter scored with their first genuine shot on target and once again Bari played well but failed to finish.
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“This is the biggest problem we have. We took the initiative and created some important scoring opportunities, but nothing seems to go our way and it was a repeat of what happened against Juventus and Cagliari.”
Bari are rooted to the foot of the table and now nine points adrift of the safety zone.
“Clearly the situation is difficult, but if we get two wins then we can close in on safety. I don’t believe in proclamations, but I must praise these lads for fighting so hard despite the difficulties,” Ventura said.
Ian Wright thinks it is time for England to make a stand against FIFA in order to save football. Ian Wright refers to the issues facing FIFA right now, which includes corruption, bribery, backhanders and now a presidential election where Sepp Blatter is the only choice. Wright goes on to compare the situation at FIFA at the moment to the Mafia.
Ian Wright’s suggestion is the FA leading national associations with a boycott of FIFA until this mess is sorted out a drastic step indeed – but a move the former Arsenal and England striker feels is necessary to force FIFA into change. Wright has concerns about the possibility of England pulling out of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup – but feels there are bigger issues at play here and safeguarding the way football is run being the most important thing.
The recent suspensions of Jack Warner and Mohamed Bin Hammam support the theory of corruption at FIFA. Wright feels that even if Blatter wasn’t involved in the corruption himself that doesn’t mean that he is innocent; surely Blatter must be questioned for failing to realise what was going on. As well as all of this is the continued questions on the Qatar World Cup bid and exactly what went on there. Of immediate concern is the fact that Blatter is the lone running for re-election.
We know that the FA had wanted the election to be postponed until someone to challenge Blatter can be found – but despite these calls it appears the election will still go ahead on Wednesday as planned. Wright suggested that Blatter has too much power for one man and treats world football like his own personal play thing. National associations must pull out of FIFA events and take the power of football back from one man and given back to the world.
It appears that Wright may have a point and pulling out of the FA may be the only way for FIFA to sit up and take notice. But surely it is only going to work if other Nations follow from the example in England. However, FIFA will want England at the World Cup and if other top Nations such as Spain, France, Germany…also pulled out then surely FIFA would have to act, wouldn’t they?
FIFA may also have other problems with the news that major sponsors Coca-Cola and Adidas are growing concerns – if either or both were to pull out it would be interesting to see what sort of impact that would have. But I think Ian Wright is right in order to reform FIFA someone needs to take drastic action, I have my doubts if that someone will be the English FA. But I would be reasonably confident that if someone else was to pull out – the FA would also do so.
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Should the FA pull out of FIFA? Follow me on Twitter and debate this issue.