About time that the government is forcing the issue, and even going to legislate if debts are not sorted out in the game, clubs are businesses first and foremost, and must pay their way, and make profits to be sustainable. Something that Huw Jenkins has been banging on bout for years! http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15275218.stm
Well, mixed reaction to this. While I applaud the effort in general, all this is going to do is bring in a different bunch of suits. One thing that really, really bugs me though is the increasing comments about lack of diversity at a senior level. There's even been talk of a "Rooney style law" (in reference to a rule in American NFL which states any job vacancy has to have x amount of ethnic minority background applicants). This is ridiculous. I'm the least racist person ever, but the reason for a lack of ethnic minorities at a high level in sport is simply because until recently (the last 25 years, say) sport in Britain has been dominated by white people. Big surprise there! Give it 10 years and this trend will start to disappear, I'm sure. Managers are, as a rule, people who have been involved in sport all their lives, and it won't be long until we see more and more British managers with ethnic minority backgrounds, but to say you HAVE to employ someone because of his genetic background is completely ******ed, and symptomatic of how much trouble any "Westernised developed" country is in if we're not careful. Lunatics running the asylum, as it were...
I would hazard a guess that the average age for a new first time manger is 40 to 45 perhaps. As such, you have to admit that the proportion of black managers is disproportionate to the number of black players that came through the game in last 30 years. The representation in the administrative side of the game is even less. Read into that what you wish. Anyway, back to the thread... the magic word is used in the article of idle threat and false promises. I quote... ..If football proves unable to sort this out itself then the government may have to legislate. I am afraid it's toothless talk from a toothless government. The big business that is the Premier League will run rings round them I fear.
I dont want this goverment anywhere near football....they are ruining this country and peoples lives as it is......
At the risk of the thread going all political I think you'll find that we're all to blame for the current problems. Most people gorged on the amount of credit they were allowed during the 90s and naughties by the reckless banks and the last labour government did nothing to stop this. In fact they joined in and borrowed more than the country could afford. This has left an enormous problem for the current lot to sort out, not only here but worldwide. You can't blame the cleaners for the mess, so that's my two penneth. And I'm one of those who has lost out considerably by the cutbacks. As for the government pushing the issue of debt in football, they are absolutely right. Imo if this isn't sorted out then some time soon a 'big' club is going to go under. The level of debt in clubs like Man United is staggering and it would be irresponsible for the government to sit back and say nothing. Whereas Man U would say their level of debt is sustainable, you have to question how any club, big or small can allow itself to end up in that financial state. Just shows that the Swansea way of doing things is the blueprint for the future. Jenkins was right all along, right, Dai?
