By Tony Atttwod.
- UAE could hit the Premier League with a boycott… or might just let things roll on… And on…
- If a product you bought sponsored ManC would you stop buying?
Just imagine that one side of the ManC dispute actually wins in the sense that the Premier League, or maybe the FA, or come to that, anyone else, declares that this side did nothing wrong, while that side was the cause of the problems. What happens then?
It is a real and important question because the bitterness between the two parties in the current dispute is now so great it is difficult to imagine either side accepting the verdict, while the losing party agrees to whatever penalty the adjudicators say. “We believe the evidence presented by the Premier League, and Manchester City are guilty of having broken a vast array of PL finance rules” they say. Does everyone then applaud and say, “Jolly good. Glad that’s settled”?
Or consider it the other way round. “When Manchester City said they had broken no rules, they were completely correct, and they have been unreasonably hounded and prosecuted by the Premier League, who will now have to pay Manchester City compensation.”
Neither outcome seems likely to bring peace and settlement, as there have been too many accusations since the case began, and worse than that, there have been too many statements to the effect that the Premier League cannot operate if the finance rules mean what ManC say they mean. That, in short, any country can, if it wishes, have its own exchequer pay for the running of the national team.
But either way, and whoever wins, there will be appeals and counter-appeals – and with views so entrenched it is incredibly hard to see either party backing down and saying words along the lines of “It’s a fair copy, governor, I’ll go quietly.”
No, the much more likely approach is that the appeals will run on for a year or so, and at the end of that saga one group of countries or the other will claim the whole thing was a stitch-up and they will have no more of this. For them, there will have to be a new Fifa with new clear rules. In short, Fifa splits. And that is the end of the World Cup, and probably quite a few other worldwide events as well.
The only way around this is if one side in the present dispute finds some way to back out gracefully, and if you can see how that will happen, given what has been said and who has accused whom, please do write in because I can’t see anyone backing down.
But if the legal victory for Fifa is overwhelming, and the losing side represents just a tiny number of countries who are not considered by the majority of countries to be key to the continuance of Fifa as the single unified ruling body, then matters can continue; for we can say it is done and dusted. Fifa can reconstitute its legal framework to make the new row less messy, and on we go…
And really no one will worry too much. Worldwide ruling bodies have split before, and one side goes off with its coat tails between its legs, leaving the dominant force to march on.
In this case, I imagine the winners will rule that countries can set up a body to run football and oversee the operation of their national football team, and its participation in international tournaments, the financial rules of which are now clearly written down…
Those who object refuse to join in the fun, and they lose home-based support since obviously they can no longer be part of the annual or bi-annual regional competitions. Their players get a bit pissed off with that, the old brigade are thrown out, and finally a unified set of rules and regulations are set up which all countries abide by. There could be a few hiccups along the way, and a few nations will object, but as they see themselves left by the roadside, the new order comes into play. Until the next financial row
And there will be other financial rows because the idea of countries playing each other is, in essence, ludicrous. Russia v Haiti? Brazil v Honduras? Vatican City against United States?
So there we are. We have a natural solution, and those that don’t like it can toddle off and play in some other competitions. World associations have split in the past and will probably do so again, and I doubt that many will remember the last split, or the next one. Countries are unequal in size and power. Really having them play each other is a bit daft anyway. And as for ManC, well, we can sort that one out next week.
