GERRY SUTCLIFFE

“Politicians are like children; you can’t just give them what they want - it only encourages them.” Yes Minister.

FOOTBALL will bare its teeth at Gerry Sutcliffe, because that’s what football does; if you’re not in the club, you’re viewed with scorn. And that’s part of the problem, whether we’re talking about England’s present difficulties or beyond. They say sport and politics shouldn’t mix, but when there’s a conspiracy of silence at the heart of the game, then we should be pleased – faintly - to hear people speaking out.

It helps when they get their facts right. Mr Sutcliffe provided free ammunition recently when he described John Terry’s salary as “obscene” and queried high ticket prices using faulty figures, but in an arena where money has stretched traditional bonds with supporters far beyond breaking point, the issues raised were still salient. There are connections with his latest intervention.

Calling for a public inquiry may be the stock response of a minister seeking to avoid a tricky question, but what will football give us if, as expected, England fail to qualify for the European Championships? A scapegoat and a bodyswerve. Steve McClaren will probably be sacked and the whole, interminable process will begin again. Little accountability, no solutions.

The head coach won’t leave with a parting shot at the clubs that leave him short of players and that squeeze the time he gets to work with them because, at some stage, he’ll be looking for a new job. The majority of clubs won’t fume at the loss of prestige to English football because they know where their bread is buttered and are too busy wallowing in their millions to notice.

Nobody at the Football Association will have the balls to stand up and say that maybe – just maybe – England aren’t as good as we’d like to think we are and the reasons for that are far more complicated than losing 2-0 in Croatia. Why? Because Soho Square is in thrall to the Premier League and there’s no one with the authority there prepared risk a confrontation.

So, roll on an inquiry. Summon the select committee. Get people without a vested interest to pose some tough questions. They may not always be the right questions, but at least it’s better than the status quo. If we’re serious about having a competitive England team then sacrifices have to be made. How do we get children playing the game again? Should the influx of foreign players be quelled?

It is the latter subject which the minister has highlighted. Individually, England have a fine first XI, but is the next wave of players good enough? If not, why not? Should some form of quota system be introduced? Voluntarily, clubs won’t do it – Middlesbrough is an obvious exception - because their outlook is driven by the short-term demand protect their position, to win something.

Which of the home countries has had the most obviously successful qualifying campaign? Scotland. Why? A young team, without stars, has developed and grown together. Why? Maybe it had something to do with the collapse in television revenue north of the border which obliged clubs to turn away from the quick-fix of importing players and look back towards their own

Football, unfortunately, is incapable of serious self-regulation, because greed and self-interest rule and the FA does not possess a personality to tackle the issue head on. I’m not suggesting for a moment that Gerry Sutcliffe is the answer, but at least he is stirring debate. It is worth the scorn, because someone has to.

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