England face being booted out of the World Cup over plans to reform the FA
Five former FA chiefs have written to the Government demanding immediate reform
ENGLAND could be kicked out of the World Cup over plans to shake up the FA.
Five former FA bigwigs have written to the Government demanding immediate reform.
Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee chairman Damian Collins told SunSport: “It is time to act. The FA will not change itself. I know new chairman Greg Clarke said, ‘Give me a year and see what progress is made’.
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“But the FA has been saying that for years and nothing has changed.”
Fifa forbids political interference in the running of federations and has suspended a number of nations recently.
But Collins wants a House of Commons vote of no confidence in the structure of English football’s governing body.
And he is helping prepare a Bill to strip the blazers and the Premier League of their power.
Collins added: “Time and again we see new scandals affecting football.
“There is a constant feeling the FA is a weak governing body which is not in control of the game, and that all it really is is a playground where the vested interests in football fight each other. That has to stop.”
Three former FA chairmen — Lord Triesman, David Bernstein and Greg Dyke — plus two ex-chief executives, David Davies and Alex Horne, penned the letter to the Government.
One of the main complaints is over the power exerted on the English game by the Premier League, mainly because of its huge wealth.
Collins wants to redraw the FA’s constitution by:
- Decreasing the power of its committees.
- Making the FA Board responsible for all important decisions.
- Changing the structure of the Board, with more independent members, so the Premier League cannot block policy.
Lord Triesman said: “The FA Council and committees consist mainly of elderly white guys who are not about to embrace change.
“We all think we are heading into a new period, with a new England manager and a new scandal, and have concluded that now is the time for change.”
Political interference contravenes Article 17 of the Fifa Statutes.
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Greece, Nigeria, Kuwait, Ethiopia, Iran and Iraq have all been suspended for breaching this rule. When asked about possible Fifa punishment, Collins added: “What we are not looking to do is for the Government to take control of the FA, to sack a chairman or impose someone to run it.
“We are just giving the FA Board the power to take responsibility for the governance of football.
“What the Bill would do is give the FA the authority, at last, to stand up and be a governing body, representing the interests of the whole of football, not a body that is beholden to the vested interests in the game, principally controlled by the Premier League.”
Any reform could lead to the Premier League being forced to give more of its TV billions to grass-roots football, either as part of the Bill or in follow-up negotiations.
The FA last night issued a bizarrely short statement insisting it was working on reforms to bring it in line with Sport England and UK Sport’s Governance Code.
But there was no comment on the political intervention being proposed.
The Premier League also issued a statement which read: “We have always supported FA’s governance reforms.
“We have kept patience when past FA chairmen and chief executives have failed to deliver, but will continue to work with the current leadership at the FA to progress their governance agenda.
“We will keep working hard to ensure standards are maintained and bettered. Others in the game have responsibility to do the same.”
Fans also backed calls for change.
Manchester United Supporters Trust CEO Duncan Drasdo said: “Reform of the FA is urgent and decades overdue. Supporters demand the Government step in and make this happen.
“For years the Government has said they will step in if football fails to reform itself. That failure to reform is now clear.
“In Damian Collins we have someone at the helm with determination to drive reform through.”