Football pundits: better or worse than racing pundits?

[Andrew Hughes]

Alsace-Lorraine v Mecklenburg-Schwerin anyone

I’d watch it. But then I’d watch anything.

[Pompete]

Drone, to understand the politics of football we need to look beyond FIFA.
The real power base is the International Football Association Board (IFAB), these are the people that make the laws of the game and FIFA are a member.

However, guess who has four permanent seats on the eight person board of the IFAB?

You got it – The FA’s of England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland (formerly the Irish FA).

Sorry I didn’t answer the question….The IFAB is made up of eight members – one each from England, Scotland, Wales & NI and four chosen to represent FIFA. For any change in the Laws of Association Football to take place it requires 6 votes to 2 to carry a motion. Therefore, at least two of the ‘Home Nations’ have to agree and if three don’t there is no change. It is this perceived inbalance in the power of the ‘Home’ FA’s that most FIFA members object too.

Also, it is for this reason and no other (make no make on this) that the Scottish FA (quite right in my view) are so opposed to a British team at the 2012 Olympics.

[Drone]

Thanks Pompete

Having little interest in football, it will come as no surprise to learn that I’ve never heard of IFAB. Presumably the continuing presence of the four home ‘nations’ on the board is due solely to the historical precedent of ‘us’ having invented the game, and therefore are deemed to have the dubious privilege of exerting a cartel-like influence on the world game.

No doubt a similar bias in favour of the UK teams exists within the power-base of Rugby Union despite the welcome ever-increasing internationalism of it. Interestingly, that sport is represented by a united Ireland of course.

I may be wrong but if memory serves in the days when the Olympics were strictly amateur, a ‘Great Britain’ team competed in the rather jolly if piss-poor football competition.

[Author]

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