Racism in football has been a topic of much debate lately, and in all truth it does not really matter if you agree or disagree with the idea of a black players’ football union because the fact that the topic has even come up shows that racism is alive and healthy.
Many former and current football players have spoken up in favour of the idea of creating a black players’ football union, but there is of course obvious opponents as well. After all, by simply dividing the players into a separate union you lay the groundwork for further problems between the races.
Arsene Wenger, the Arsenal manager, stated that he believes the creation of a new union would hurt the overall fight against racism in football, but Nathan Blake formally of Wales international believes the group would be able to have a larger impact.
Last weekend about thirty black players including Rio Ferdinand refused to wear the ‘kick-it-out’ shirts meant to inspire unity. A lawyer that represents black players interested in a union has stated that talks are starting but they are only in the preliminary stages. At the moment the group has titled themselves the ‘Black Players’ Association.’
The topic of support for black players really came into the lineup after the treatment of John Terry-Anton Ferdinand by the English Football Association. Many believe that the English Football Association did not deal with the situation properly.
Although the courts found Terry not guilty of using racist language on the field, the FA decided that he had and assigned him a whopping £200,000 fine along with a four game ban. After this type of situation it is easy to see how some players may truly feel as if their interests are not being represented correctly.
Manchester City announced that Txiki Begiristain will officially take over for the team as director of football in the place of Brian Marwood. The 48 year old Spaniard previously held the exact same position while in Barcelona and was chosen because Manchester feels he will be able to help the team become club world leaders.
Begristain was with Barcelona from 2008 until 2010 and City stated that he will step in and help shoulder some of the responsibility that first team manager Roberto Mancini has had to deal with when it comes to operations and first team recruitment.
Current football administrator for City, Brian Marwood, will not be moving far as he is slated to take the role of managing director when the City Football Academy opens up during the beginning of next football season (2013/2014). Marwood will then be responsible for the training, management, development, and recruitment of as many as 400 players.
Back in his active days, Begristain played for Barcelona and Real Sociedad. He stated that he is very happy to have such a thrilling opportunity in front of him and that with so many achievements at Manchester City already he is honored to be given the chance to help bring more success to the team. He added that he looks forward to building a strong future with Roberto Mancini, Brian Marwood, and chief executive of City Ferran Soriano.
Soriano also welcomed Begiristain aboard stating that sustainability has always been a top goal of Sheikh Mansour’s and therefore the long future of Manchester City is dependent on how well they develop and recruit new young players. Therefore, he is delighted that they have such caliber coaches that will bring leadership and skill to the club that will help to create a formidable team.
Dynamic pricing is used in many places – hotel rooms, train tickets, flights, theatres, etc. Everybody knows that you buy your ticket in the last moment it will be more expensive and this trend is set to take over football as well.
Some teams have already accepted this price model and the price of their tickets increases during match day. If you ever visit a match of Derby County, Bristol City or Cardiff, then you might sit next to a supporter who has paid less for his ticket. These three teams are the first to use the dynamic price model in Britain and if this turns out to be successful, many other clubs will follow their example.
Dynamic pricing is quite complex and the price of the tickets is based on the attractiveness of the game. A ticket to a single game is usually a bit more expensive than the season ticket, but with the most recent changes, the price of a single ticket may not have a maximum limit.
If there are only a few tickets left and the interest is high, then their price will quickly increase. Thanks to the dynamic pricing system clubs can increase their average attendance and bring more money to the club’s bank accounts.
Supporters will also be able to choose between paying less or more for a ticket. This choice can be quite important, especially now when the economy is failing. The vice-president of operations at Derby, John Vicars says: “This new price model will make tickets more affordable to the supports who buy them in advance.
You’ll just have to accept that if you show up at the stadium 30 minutes before the game, you’ll have to pay much more than the fan who bought his ticket few weeks ago.” Thanks to this system, regular supports who don’t own season tickets will pay less for a ticket and therefore the average match attendance should increase.
English football is well-known for its aggressiveness and attractiveness, but its good reputation may be ruined by the ongoing John Terry affair which has been dragging on for over a year now. This is the opinion of David Bernstein, chairman of the FA.
If you follow English football closely, then you are familiar with the John Terry and Anton Ferdinand racism affair which started last season during the match between Chelsea and QPR. John Terry was handed a four-game ban and surprisingly he didn’t appeal this decision.
This has brought an end of this shameful chapter of English football and shows that the FA will certainly review all racism cases. Terry has already apologised for his behaviour, but he stated that he is deeply disappointed by the FA’s decision.
According to Bernstein, football is not a game which should have anything in common with law suits and the Terry affair has certainly had a negative impact on the English game. The FA is doing its best to get rid of racism and through the years they’ve launched many anti-racism campaigns. The Terry affair had many consequences – the resignation of former England coach Fabio Capello is one of the most notable examples.
Bernstein says: “Terry has been sanctioned and I’m glad that this case is closed. The Chelsea player apologised for his behaviour and this should be the end of this matter. We have learned a lot from this case.”
The late decision was criticised by many people, but Bernstein rejected this notion, stating: “This was maybe one of the most important cases in the history of English football and we had to be certain that every evidence and opinion has been reviewed.
We could have finished the case much earlier, but considering the impact it can have on individuals and families, we decided to take the necessary time and carefully review the facts before coming up with a final decision.”
Jack Charlton, one of the winners of the World Cup in 1966, has recently taken part in a penalty event in order to encourage interest in football for the next generation. This is a particularly impressive achievement when you consider that the football player has recently had a hip operation, although it shows that it has been a great success by the fact that he could make the penalty. He took the shot against a junior keeper from Brandon United, and managed to get it in, despite being nearly 80 years old.
The former England international and Leeds United defender, part of Sir Alf Ramsey’s famous World Cup winning squad, was officially unveiling a new third generation (3G) artificial grass pitch at Meadowfield Leisure Centre in Durham that has been funded with the help of a £78,273 grant from the Football Foundation – the sports charity funded by the Premier League, The FA and the Government via Sport England.
Jack Charlton: “This is a fantastic surface that the Football Foundation has funded. I remember the old artificial pitches that were at QPR and Luton. The ball would bounce so high, you would think it was to take half an hour to come down again. Plus after the game the players would have grazes all over their legs.”
Jack also gave a special pep talk to the youngsters from Brandon FC, advising them: “If you want to make it, listen to your coach!”
Durham County Council worked with the Durham County FA to secure the funding from the Football Foundation. The new pitch is both full-size and floodlit, and can be used for full 11-a-side games, or divided into three to allow smaller teams to play, supporting The FA’s youth football development plan. The floodlights mean that football does not simply stop when it gets dark at around 4pm and the durable, all-weather surface will ensure that more people are able to access regular sport.
Young players from Brandon FC, one of the local clubs that will use the new pitch, showed off their skills on the new surface. The event was also attended by Football Foundation President, Lord Pendry, Durham FA Secretary, John Topping, Middlesbrough FC mascot Roary the Lion, and Durham County Council’s ‘On the Ball’ football coaches.
Brandon FC’s Under-13 captain, Cameron Allan, 12, from Bearpark, Durham, said: “It was an honour to meet someone like Jack Charlton. And I really enjoyed the night – especially playing on the new astro turf, which was the best pitch I have ever played on.”
David Barber, Chair of Brandon FC, said: “It was wonderful to have Jack Charlton come up and we are very grateful to the Football Foundation for their support in helping to build this new pitch. It is a great facility and a great opportunity for the youngsters of Brandon to stay healthy, have fun and to play football.”
Football Foundation President Lord Pendry said on the night: “It is a real honour to have World Cup winner Jack Charlton here to launch this first-class playing surface. Since its launch in 2000 the Football Foundation has helped to build nearly £1bn worth of facilities, such as this, thanks to the generosity of our funding partners – the Premier League, The FA, government and Sport England.
“This pitch may well help to produce more stars – more Jack Charltons, perhaps – of the future. But that is not why we do it. We fund the development of new facilities so that more people are able to get access to sport purely for the love playing it and to stay healthy. So congratulations to everyone involved in making this happen and, most importantly, enjoy your football!”
Maria Plews, Local Councillor and Cabinet member with responsibility for sport and leisure services at Durham County Council, said:“We are thrilled to have had this support from the Football Foundation and were delighted to welcome Jack Charlton to the official launch of these new facilities.
“This is such a welcome boost to grassroots football in County Durham and will provide high quality training facilities for young and older players alike.”
