England kids right to leave Home

THE Victory Shield has been going since 1925, but no more. England have withdrawn from what is, in essence, a Home International tournament for the under-16 age group, saying they wish their schoolboys to get experience against a wider range of opposition. There are now predictable accusations of arrogance from the other Home Nations. Notification happened by letter, without warning or consultation. Yet why should the Football Association play nice? When they announced a plan to send the England Under 21 team to the 2016 Olympics if they progressed via this summer’s European Championship tournament, the other Home Nations killed the idea in infancy. They wouldn’t countenance England appearing beneath the banner of Team GB, even though the same privilege could be extended to their own Under 21 teams in future. If the Home Nations do not care for the development of England’s footballers, why should the FA have to consult them on their fixture schedule? As ever, the real resentment is that Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland need England’s presence to make their competitions whole. Sky Sports have already withdrawn as title sponsors — there is a chicken-andegg row with the FA about who pulled out first — and despite plans to invite another European nation to fill in, the tournament’s worth will be diminished. Will any major European country wish to enter what is basically a parochial competition? Will any middling European country attract a sponsor or broadcaster of note? Yet after the Olympic debacle, what does the FA owe the Home Nations anyway? If Dan Ashworth, the FA’s director of elite development (below), feels the Victory Shield is no longer of benefit and opposition from beyond these shores would be tougher and more technically demanding, that is his call. Why should he offer consultation or give warning? Let’s not try to pretend we’re all pals. Ashworth may be wrong, of course. As Barry Horne, a former

Welsh captain, pointed out, the fearsome competition of a Victory Shield match in front of a significant crowd of fans, parents and mates may be better schooling than a friendly played in the insipid atmosphere of a Continental training ground, observed only by staff and scouts. Yet Ashworth will counter that England’s dominance of the competition — apart from recent wins by Wales and Scotland, England have won or shared every Victory Shield since 2001-02 — is proof a sterner test is required. Either way, what cannot be disputed is that the FA has the right to run their under-16 programme as they see fit. Certainly, they do not require permission from over the border, where the concern for England’s next generation has been made plain enough.