John Sweeney's summer brake?

Which was the most significant of the footballing stories this summer? Not, I think, except for Spain and South Africa, one concerning the FIFA World Cup. It is true that there were other countries such as England, France and Holland who made the headlines but not, I fear, for their skills on the pitch.

No, my vote would go to an unlikely source - a Panorama television programme shown on BBC1 on Tuesday 8 July at the unpromising hour of 10.35 pm, just three days before the start of the World Cup.

John Sweeney, a reporter and Tranmere Rovers fan, had prepared a devastating indictment of English football, particularly of the Premier League where the total debt is now £3.4 billion. This is greater than the total for the rest of European football.

Supporters of Sweeney's case included:

Dave Boyle, Chief Executive of Supporters Direct, 'English football (is) groaning under the weight of unsustainable debt';
Andy Green, financial analyst, 'Glazer core business in USA got it absolutely wrong';
Dave Wheelan, Chairman, Wigan Athletic FC, 'Got to stop. Debt in Premiership is unsustainable. Wigan next season will break even. No more debt; what goes out must come in'.

Among the people and organisations who declined to appear (no great surprise!) were:

The Football Association, the Premier League, David Gill (Chief Executive, Manchester United), the Glazer family (father and six children), and Hugh Robertson (Minister for Sport) who was concentrating on our 2018 bid for the World Cup!

Football would probably not be top of the list of concerns for the politicians at the moment. But in the end, the solution to football's woes will probably have to be political. Most clubs are unlikely to volunteer to change. Few executives and directors are natural democrats. But change is needed if a financial catastrophe is to be avoided.

Next time
A political solution for football?