THE madness of Westminster politicians who think England should be winning every major tournament last night threw a very unlikely lifeline to Scotland’s hopes of qualifying for the 2018 World Cup, writes Martin Hannan.
For in direct contravention of the rules of world football’s governing body Fifa, the House of Commons passed a motion of no confidence in the Football Association and called on the rulers of the English game to reform themselves pronto or face laws to make them.
The Westminster Government announced a code for governance for sports governing bodies last year and the FA has simply failed to do much about it, which led to yesterday’s debate in the House of Commons.
MP’s concerns were very much heightened by England’s abject failure at the European Championships in France last year, and they are backing the reforming FA chairman Greg Dyke against the ‘blazers’ on the FA’s boards.
Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee chairman Damian Collins said: “No change is no option.”
He added: “The FA, to use a football analogy, are not only in extra time, they are at the end of extra time, in Fergie Time. They are 1-0 down and if they don’t pick up fairly quickly, reform will be delivered to them.”
Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has already said the FA could lose £30m-£40m of public funding if it does not modernise, and added that the government would be prepared to consider legislation if the FA fails to present plans for required reforms before April.
It is that open threat which could see England booted out of next year’s World Cup. Kuwait is already out due to government interference, and numerous other countries received Fifa’s ultimate sanction for similar interference in the past.
Article 19 states: “Each member association shall manage their affairs independently and without undue influence from third parties.”
Fifa spokesmen have been quietly suggesting that the governing body may be prepared to act ifr MPs carry out their threat of legislation.
Should England be expelled their results in Group F would be nullified, boosting the qualification chances of Gordon Strachan’s team. The only problem for that scenario is that the SFA has itself fallen out with Fifa after being fined for wearing poppy badge against England in November – a decision it yesterday said it would appeal.
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