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Il governo britannico e la la “Football Association” sono in aperta polemica dopo una lettera scritta da esponenti dell’ esecutivo all’ organo che amministra il gioco del calcio. Nella lettera si parla apertamente di traguardi mancati e si mette in dubbio il sostegno economico alla Federazione, anche in vista della candidatura dell’ Inghilterra ad ospitare la Coppa del Mondo del 2018. Le critiche del governo “labourista” appaiono, invero, di difficile interpretazione, visto che il calcio inglese sta ottenendo ottimi risultati sia sportivi che in termini di partecipazione popoalre agli eventi. Alcuni tifosi dell’ Aston Villa sono comparsi davanti alle corti di giustizia per essersi riversati a bordo campo, in zona interdetta ai fans, per festeggiare la rete decisiva della propria squadra nel recente derby di Birmingham; alcuni di essi hanno negato gli addebiti e per loro l’ udienza è stata aggiornata mantre uno, incensurato, il quale si è dichiarato colpevole ,è stato multato, senza applicazione di provvedimenti di diffida. Per i ben più gravi incidenti dello scorso agosto fra tifosi del Sunderland ( foto ) in transito e la polizia ( con la partecipazione di un gruppetto di sostenitori del luogo in cerca di contatto con i rivali biancorossi ) le versioni degli inquirenti e dei supporters continuano ad essere diametralmente opposte. Una apposita Commissione sta valutando i fatti.
Government condemns FA ‘failings’
The FA is criticised for failing to properly advance the women’s game
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The Football Association has been strongly criticised by the government for failing to implement promised reforms, BBC Sport can reveal.
Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe has written to the heads of the FA, Premier League and Football League, questioning their ability to work together.Sutcliffe expresses disappointment at the FA’s apparent lack of development in crucial areas of the national game.The FA has said this response poses “important challenges to the game”.The government’s criticism stems in part from the FA’s lack of progress on implementing in full the recommendations of the 2005 Burns report.Lord Burns was asked to conduct a thorough review of English football’s governing body with the aim of making it a stronger, more transparent organisation.
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The issues raised by the original questions and the Minister’s response represent important challenges to the game at all levels
Football Association statement
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BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Gordon Farquhar said: “The message from government is the national team may be riding high, but English football’s governing body is not.”The letter describes the FA’s contribution to the recent government request for answers to seven challenges facing the game as disappointing and lacking substance.
“It says the FA must introduce two independent directors to their main board, and highlights shortcomings in advancing the women’s game, planning for youth development, coaching standards and leadership.”Any praise is largely reserved for the professional leagues, particularly over tougher rules for financial stability, and homegrown player quotas.”Asked for a response, the FA told the BBC: “We are looking forward to receiving the letter and studying it carefully.”The issues raised by the original questions and the Minister’s response represent important challenges to the game at all levels.”They merit careful thought and a proper response with football working together in partnership.Speaking on BBC Radio Four’s Today programme on Thursday, Sutcliffe said his letter to the FA, Premier League and Football League was prompted by an uncoordinated approach from the three bodies to answering a series of questions put to them last year by the-then Culture Secretary Andy Burnham.
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And he warned the government might consider withdrawing its £25m grassroots investment in football if the FA fails to address its concerns.“That’s one of the levers we have,” he admitted. “It would be a last resort, and we certainly wouldn’t want to do anything that would harm grassroots football.”We will wait to see what the FA’s response is to the letter”.
Sutcliffe denied the government’s criticisms could threaten the FA’s bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals.”No, definitely not. At the start of the letter it says English football is a success story,” he said,”But this is a conversation that has been had now for a number of years. It started off in 2005, all I’m doing is continuing the dialogue.”The problem was we had three individual responses to the questions Andy Burnham put last year. I think that in itself shows that there needs to be a coming together on the key issues.”In a separate interview with The Guardian newspaper, Sutcliffe added: “There has to be, and there already is, a recognition that the status quo is not good enough.”(The FA) must use this opportunity to put its house in order. If that doesn’t happen the influence of the FA will diminish and football as a sport will suffer.”
More witnesses sought to the police action which left Sunderland supporters injured
The Guardian
23 September 2009
Davis Conn
Police insist they were justified in drawing batons to defend themselves against fans’ ‘violence’
The Football Supporters Federation is stepping up its campaign on behalf of Sunderland fans injured allegedly by police officers in an operation at Newcastle Central Station on August 8. Thousands of leaflets have been printed to be handed out at Sunderland’s home match against Wolves on Sunday, calling for people to come forward who witnessed the incident, whose details are fiercely disputed between Northumbria Police and supporters.A number of fans who were returning on a train from Sunderland’s pre-match friendly at Hearts gave statements to the FSF claiming that, without provocation, they were attacked by police dogs and officers who drew batons. Several witnesses described one supporter having blood spurting from his head, then collapsing and lying on the station platform in a pool of blood. Two Sunderland fans are understood to have instructed solicitors to make a formal complaint against Northumbria Police because of serious head injuries they sustained which needed hospital treatment.The police, supported by the Independent Police Complaints Commission, claim its officers, and police dogs, only responded after they came under attack from around 40 Sunderland supporters. Three days after the incident, on August 11, the force issued a press release which said four police dogs, Earl, Cleo, Floyd and Diesel, had been “battered and bruised” after supporters attacked them and officers, and that the dogs “have never faced that level of assault before.”Six days later, on August 17, IPCC, to which the incident was automatically referred because fans were injured, completely exonerated the police. Gary Garland, IPCC commissioner for the north-east, said “conclusive” CCTV footage had been viewed showing that the police were subjected to “a high level of violence” from some supporters. He concluded that the police actions were “understandable, proportionate and justifiable,” and that the officers demonstrated “professionalism and courage.”The FSF responded to that by calling for a full investigation, independent of Garland, and for the CCTV footage to be released. Malcolm Clarke, the FSF chairman, made a formal complaint to the IPCC about Garland’s decision, saying it had “prejudged and tainted” the internal investigation which is now being conducted by Northumbria Police. Len Jackson, deputy chair of the IPCC, responded by supporting Garland’s decision, which, Jackson said, followed “a comprehensive assessment of the incident by one of our investigators including the extensive CCTV footage.”The FSF has also lodged a Freedom of Information request to Northumbria Police, asking how many officers were injured in the incident and whether the dogs required veterinary treatment. The police replied, saying that no officers were injured and none of the dogs needed medical attention, but “sustained tenderness to their bodies.”A Northumbria Police spokeswoman confirmed that police officers, including dog handlers, had drawn their batons in the incident, which she said was “to defend themselves against violence” from supporters.Malcolm Clarke, the FSF chairman, said today: “We are dissatisfied that the IPCC reached a decision without interviewing any witnesses, whose account differs so markedly from what the police have said. We have always opposed football-related disorder but in relation to this incident there are consistent statements that the police instigated the violence. We believe we should be shown the CCTV footage, and that there should be an independent investigation of this very serious incident as the only means of establishing the truth.”Northumbria Police said that the CCTV footage is not being made public because there is an ongoing criminal investigation into the incident. So far 31 fans have been arrested on suspicion of causing violent disorder, the spokeswoman said, and released on bail. Nobody has yet been charged with any offence.The solicitors instructed by the two fans to make formal complaints about their head injuries are expected to wait until the conclusion of any criminal proceedings before taking the matter further.It is, therefore, likely to be some months yet before the truth about this bitterly disputed incident is established, and available for the public to see.
Fan fined for invading pitch in Blues v Villa derby
Birmingham Mail
23 September 2009
By Ross McCarthy
AN “over-excited” football fan has been fined for invading the pitch during the recent local derby between Birmingham City and Aston Villa.
Marcus Brown, aged 24, of Canturbury Close, Erdington, admitted going on to the St Andrew’s playing area and was fined £65, ordered to pay a £15 victim surcharge and £50 costs.Magistrates said they were not imposing a football banning order because the incident had not involved any violence and because the defendant did not have any previous similar convictions.Angelique King, prosecuting, said it happened when an Aston Villa player scored the only goal of the game.She said the “elation” of the moment caused a number of Aston Villa fans, including Brown, to go on to the pitch.Miss King said Brown was detained by a security guard and later arrested.Brown said: “I do not think it warrants a banning order. I never went on the playing area fully.“I was sitting behind the goal. The game was not very good. It was a last minute goal and everybody got over-excited. It happened in the last three minutes of the game.”Three other fans also appeared before magistrates yesterday.Ian Parry, 20, of Renfrew Square, Castle Vale and David Maund, 23, of Croft Road, Yardley, both denied a charge of going on to the pitch. Their cases were adjourned for trial to take place.The prosecution withdrew the same charge against Christopher Jones, 18, of Callow Brook Lane, Rubery, so that he could be given a police caution.