English FA Gets Governmental Kick

• The Guardian, Thursday, September 24, 2009 4:15 PM

The British government has told the English FA that the status quo isn't good enough. Sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe demanded that the FA work more harmoniously with the Premier League and Football League to make proper progress on issues like youth development and the delayed National Football Center in Burton. Many of these recommendations fall under the proposal Lord Burns gave the FA four years ago. Sutcliffe said the government would cut about $40 million in funding if the FA doesn't respond to the challenge.

"Funding is one lever we've got. It would be a last resort. But there has to be, and there already is, a recognition that the status quo is not good enough," said Sutcliffe. "[The FA must] use this opportunity - where good progress has been made - to put their house in order. If that doesn't happen the influence of the FA will diminish and football as a sport will suffer."

In a letter to the heads of various soccer bodies in England, such as the Football League and the Premier League, Sutcliffe called on them to work more closely while calling for the FA to establish itself as FA to establish itself as the main decision making national governing body for the game. Lastly, Sutcliffe offered a series of proposals for further discussion, such as re-distributing Champions League money more evenly throughout the league and ensuring a more thorough review of the owners of all 92 teams under the FA's umbrella.

 

Read the whole story at The Guardian »