Lord Triesman, the former chairman of the Football Association, gave evidence to MPs at the first public session of the Select Committee’s enquiry into football governance. He launched a scathing attack on the FA, accusing it of ‘systematic failure’ and ‘subcontracting out the running of the game’ to the Premier League. He called for direct intervention by government into the running of English football”
Whilst transfer fees spiral out of control and more and more clubs go further into the red , the FA has stated that aggregate debt in the game is ‘not necessarily a problem that needs addressing’.
That the FA should fail to acknowledge the crisis in English Football or recognise the need for legislation to protect the interests of fans and the local community is disappointing if not surprising.
The FA accepts that Supporters Trusts have a role to play within the game but believe that direct involvement by a Supporters Trust in the governance of a Football Club should be purely on a voluntary basis. Rather the FA thinks the focus should be “on the importance of improving communication and information sharing between supporters and clubs” without making any specific recommendations about how this will be achieved or what will happen if Clubs refuse to liase with supporters trusts and other independent fans groups.
That the FA should fail to acknowledge the crisis in English Football or recognise the need for legislation to protect the interests of fans and the local community is disappointing if not surprising.