The sad and cringe-worthy end to Sam Allardyce’s short time as England football manager after just over 2 months in charge has pushed national pride to new depths. Even though it looks like Sam Allardyce is facing a ban from all things football, it could possibly represent a hidden victory in the future integrity of English football. As a Schools Plus employee we have integrity as a core value and I believe that the business of football could learn a lot from us in that respect.
The last few years has shown a bleak picture of the so-called “beautiful game”. Away from what went on with Sam Allardyce, allegations of match-fixing, the massive corruption crises at FIFA; and reports of child exploitation have sent shock waves through football’s global governance. There is so much money in the sport it has to breed corruption as money usually does.
Any football fan could be forgiven for reading the Telegraph’s concise article on Allardyce’s “alleged” naughty behaviour as further evidence of football’s lack of integrity and accountability, another of our core values. The ‘sting’ showed the England manager apparently requesting a £400,000 fee to offer advice on how to circumnavigate FA and FIFA rulings on something called “third-party ownership”; a practice that came to global prominence in 2006 after West Ham United agreed the unusual transfer of two Argentinian players (Carlos Tevez and Javier Mascherano) from top Brazilian side Corinthians. The media quickly disclosed to the world that a third-party investment firm “owned” both players. The Premier League fined West Ham United millions of pounds for “acting improperly and withholding vital documentation”. Soon after the Premier League and FA announced a total ban on any new third-party involvement in player transfers.
Leeds fans are still suffering from “third party ownership” which sent the club from a top European club to a club at the brink of extinction in a few short years. Without boring you with the facts, 3rd party ownership is an evil the world of football can do without. These players are people after all, even if they can be valued in the millions of pounds. All is not lost however. Recent sanctions imposed by FIFA on clubs in around the world for breaching third-party regulations might even signal a turning point. When players don’t hold their own futures in their hands where is the commitment going to come from. Players are now just chasing the ca$h rather than committing to a club. I appreciate that I too would move job for a hefty pay rise but for fans and supporters it’s demoralising to see your best player move away to a bigger club because they have a bigger bank balance.
English national embarrassment aside, the sacking of Allardyce for “falling below the standards expected” should be read as another step in the right direction. I see it as a strict lesson to any future England (and all other) managers to look at the values we impose on ourselves at Schools Plus. Accountability, Integrity, Commitment and being good with people, although perhaps Allardyce had the last one?