What happened to Fabrice Muamba was a tragedy but could save so many more in football from similar instances. Check ups and full body scans are without a doubt highly important but more can be done in game. The International Football Association Board (Ifab) will be considering a trial run of electronic chips within the players’ shirts to monitor their health.
This is again where the MLS are already ahead of the Premier League, with Adidas providing Smart soccer to the league. Whilst it is still in it’s youth, the system will eventually prolong players careers, as it ensures managers can see when a player is running on empty or is at risk of serious injury, and may save lives. This is a stepping stone towards the future use of technology in football and should be embraced.
In terms of an “Athletic Bilbao” rule, what is suggested is that every major league needs to have a side comprised of players from only the home country. This would alter the ratio of domestic:foreign players to a slightly more favourable level, which in turn could improve the players available to the national side and prevent the inflation of prices for domestic players (Stewart Downing, need I say more?). More on this here.
Finally, community ownership is becoming increasingly important in the eyes of fans across the country. The most notable attempt of community ownership of late is Portsmouth FC, who recently reached the 1st anniversary of the second administration (Happy Birthday Administration!).
The Portsmouth Supporters’ Trust are the most likely of the prospective suiters to obtain ownership of the fallen club and they will not be the last community trust to seek control of their respective club in the future. This rule is suggested to protect clubs from getting into the position that Pompey currently find themselves in.
Their sugar daddy abandoned them and they continue to fall after becoming dependent on the money pumped into the club. This will happen again to another side (my money is on QPR) soon enough. In Spain, Malaga have suffered a similar plight and it is no small shock to see the team still playing so well and competing in the Champions League. What is suggested is the adoption of a Bundesliga rule, the so called “50+1” ownership rule. This ownership rule prevents an outside investor taking control of more than 49% of any club and keeps the fans in control.
This does not prevent an outside investor coming in and ploughing money into the club. Instead it ensures that the fans have the final say on what can, and perhaps more importantly, cannot be done. The rule has worked well in Germany. It helps prevent teams from getting into huge debt, keeps the price of season tickets down, and still manages to keep the clubs and league competitive.
The Bundesliga is second only to the Premier League in terms of revenue and is much more stable financially. Maybe it is about time to risk upsetting the money men of the Premier League and return the clubs to the fans for the good of football in this country.
Whether you agree with all of these suggestions or not, there is sure to be something for everyone. Football needs to move forward and whilst goal line technology is definitely one step towards a better game it is not the be all and end all, despite what managers will sometimes have us believe. Each of these alternative suggestions can help move football on to a brighter future.
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