MP’s ask Germans how to run football

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MP's ask Germans how to run football MP’s are going to Germany to find better ways to run the game of English football. The members of the Culture, Media, and Sport select committee are due in a couple of weeks to arrive in Munich and Frankfurt on a duty to discover facts,

The straw that broke the camel’s back for England was the loss of the World Cup in 2010 in South Africa to the German footballers. Since that loss the English are checking their motivation and technique. Following the bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and its subsequent loss at a very low vote of only two last month, the introspection has become severe.

The Germans have long been seen as the leader in developing youth into great footballers. They have set severe restrictions against foreign footballers in the Bundesliga. They forbid foreign ownership above 49% in the club’s shares, as well.

The best factor that allows the Germans to retain control of their football club is the  Deutscher Fussball Bund is constantly managing the entire game throughout their country, particularly the Bundesliga.

The Football Association in England has given way more and more over the past 20 years to the Premier League.

Hugh Robertson, Sports Minister, made statements last week that of all sports in Britain, football was the worst run. This has mounted pressure as well.

This temporary measure of a trip is now a nationally significant soul search.

Written evidence has the deadline of Wednesday, while verbal evidence will open in February.

Lord Terry Burns, who penned a special report regarding the management of football, that was cast aside without reading by the FA, is due to be a key witness.

Home nations championship in 2013

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Home nations championship in 2013 To mark the 150th anniversary of the English Football Association in 2013, home nations are talking about having a one-off tournament.  The last home international tournament took place in 1984, one hundred years after the very first championship.

The FA would like to make the tournament a one-time tournament and not revive the home internationals, which involved England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland on a regular basis.  Of course no one is saying what their plans are as far as the tournament goes and how many years it will go on for.

With the new sponsorship with Vauxhall, who are sponsoring all of the home nations, it might encourage England to enter yearly.  This year Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland and Wales will take part in the Carling Nations Cup in February and May.

General Secretary for the FA, Alex Horne, has stated that the tournament planning is still in the early stages and is not ruling a yearly tournament out in the future.  On March 26 England is due to face Wales twice in their first game in Cardiff.  The two games are part of the Euro 2012 qualification campaign.

Scottish Football Association delays appointment of performance director

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Scottish Football Association delays appointment of performance director Despite his continuous search for a performance director, Scottish Football Association Chief Executive, Stewart Regan, believes it could be next season before an appointment is made.

Last April, The SFA published Henry McLeish’s Review of Scottish Football report. One of the main recommendations of the report was to provision the role of SFA Performance Director.

Supervision of the new academy structure in order to elevate the standard of footballers, will be the main priority for the new performance director. Therefore, it is essential for the SFA to get this appointment right and find the right person for the job, According to Regan.

The former chief executive of Yorkshire Country Cricket Club revealed that the SFA are keeping an open mind in their current search for a performance directory. The SFA will not limit themselves to looking in the football community. The search will extend to sports community, not only in Scotland but in other countries as well.

Regan declined to comment on whether Walter Smith is a potential candidate for the job.  Notably, by the end of the season, Walter Smith is stepping down as Glasgow Rangers Managers.

‘Commenting on individuals is incongruous,’ said Regan. ‘We would like to see the position filled in time for the start of the new season.’

Football Association selects new chairman

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Football Association selects new chairman The unanimous vote by the eleven-member board to nominate David Bernstein as chairman of the Football Association heralds what many feel is a great new era for football in England.  Even the man who was really the only other candidate for the position, David Dein, said that he knows and likes Bernstein and wishes him all success.

Bernstein certainly has impressive qualifications for the job.  He took over the chairmanship of Wembley Stadium in 2008 at a time when the FA was at risk of defaulting on their £341.5 million bank loan.  Working with the FA’s general secretary, Alex Horne, and with Roger Maslin, Wembley’s chief executive, Bernstein helped to negotiate a refinanced loan that eased the pressure.

Bernstein has extensive experience at several levels of English league football.  He spent nine years as a Manchester City director, five of those years as chairman, and during his tenancy in that office the club regained Premier League status.  As a chartered accountant, he has also spent many years on the boards of large companies, so he knows how corporate governance should be implemented.

The expectation seems to be that Bernstein will rise admirably to the challenges he will face, not least the less-than-cordial relationship between FA and Fifa following the World Cup vote.  Bernstein, whose appointment may have been a surprise in Nyon and Zurich, said he knows he’ll have his job cut out for him trying to repair the rift, but he appears to be up to the task.  He said he intends to work very hard to get a good grasp of the most pressing issues in the FA and the best way to deal with them.

Though the council still has to approve Bernstein’s nomination at its meeting on January 25th, there is little doubt that he will be dealing with those issues as of that date.

Will there be a GB or multiple football teams at Olympics

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Will there be a GB or multiple football teams at Olympics The British Olympic Association (BOA) believes choosing an all English team to play at the London 2012 games then players that were not selected may press for legal action. Last year the Football Associations of England, Northern Ireland, Wales, and Scotland agreed that Great Britain would be represented by only English players.

Home nations are worried that by sending a combined team to the Olympics they would compromise their status as individual teams with Fifa.

However, although the four countries signed the deal the BOA is worried that players should be chosen based on their merit due to the potential for legal problems.

Chairman of the BOA, Lord Moynihan, warned that if only England players are selected legal challenges could ensue.

The BOA and the Football Association will meet at the beginning of next year to figure out a solution to the problem but given that many of the home nations refuse to back down it may not be quite so simple to find a compromise that everyone can agree on.

A spokesperson for the Scottish FA stated that while they are aware of the comments made by Lord Moynihn, they have not changed their position that only England players should be sent to the Olympics.  He added that the Irish GA, Scottish FA, and the FA of Wales have already made the agreement to play under the moniker Team GB.