Manchester City manager’s yellow-ribbon display of political affiliation sits uncomfortably with a readiness to front for QatarAs they consider the case of Pep Guardiola, who won his first medal in English football at Wembley on Sunday while semi-surreptitiously sporting a yellow ribbon in support of the jailed members of the Catalan independence movement, the leaders of the Football Association might look back at the record of their own predecessors, and in particular at the events of 1938, when they ordered the England football team to perform the Nazi salute in Berlin’s Olympic stadium.History tells they did so under instruction from the British ambassador to Germany, Sir Nevile Henderson, who was having a difficult year. On the morning of the match,...
Surprising frontrunner for the job of England women’s manager sums up the FA’s continuing bumbling approachWhat an amusing inevitability to learn that Phil Neville is the frontrunner for the job of managing the England women’s side. I very much enjoyed my colleague Louise Taylor’s report into the matter, which stated: “It is understood the 40-year-old’s name was initially suggested to the Football Association in a lighthearted manner by a well-known broadcaster at a drinks reception last month.”This is my favourite How Job Applications Work story since George Osborne’s friends asked the former chancellor for his advice on their pitches for the Evening Standard editorship. Sorry, guys – he had a look at your proposals, but in the end the opportunity...
How can the governing body expect behaviour to improve if it will not publish the fair-play table and allow us to see which clubs are punished in it for their treatment of officials?The news came via a press release from Burnley’s media department. “Burnley FC Tops FA Respect Table,” was the headline, announcing the award of a £20,000 prize for having the best record in the top division last season when it came to fair play and understanding, under the guidance of Sean Dyche, that influencing or deceiving the referee should not be thought of as just another skill or tactic.Nobody should be surprised when Dyche’s ethos is that his players give everything, tackle hard and never shirk a challenge,...
Society moves forward when brave individuals question the status quo – and now the FA has its own chance to be courageous by undergoing radical reformAs a mixed-heritage young Englishman, one of the best days of my life and proudest moments of my career was representing my country at under‑21 level, being a part of an occasion where we played in the first match at the newly built Wembley stadium.Stepping out on to the hallowed turf, wearing that white shirt and hearing the national anthem in front of my family, both black and white, still gives me goose bumps and fills me with pride at not only representing the country I am proud to be a citizen of but also...
Martin Glenn should be among the casualties after select committee inquiry shines light on shameful failings in handling discrimination allegationsGreg Clarke got his handshake from Eni Aluko in the end. After a devastating four‑hour parliamentary hearing that fully illuminated the Football Association’s shambolic handling of her allegations of discrimination, it was a confused gesture of goodwill. “I want to meet with you properly,” he said. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to try anything, it’ll all be above board.”That the chairman of the FA felt he had to give such assurances to a wronged party, particularly one who played for England 102 times over a glittering 11-year international career, shows what a miserable mess this saga has become. That meeting may...