Charm offensive by the ‘English FA’
THE FA hierarchy in Russia are introducing themselves as representing the ‘English FA’ to help rid the country of its arrogant reputation around global football.
Numerous countries have been upset down the years with the Football Association calling themselves ‘The FA’ — which smacks of privilege, superiority and arrogance.
FA chief executive Martin Glenn has called it the ‘ultimate expression of arrogance’.
So to present a more friendly face, FA chairman Greg Clarke, Glenn and manager Gareth Southgate always say now that they come from the English FA, which they see as being far more courteous.
The tactic seems to be working with UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin announcing after the FIFA Congress: ‘Greg Clarke has changed that image very much. He’s travelling around and showing a different face. The English FA, as I call it, is doing well.’
And Ceferin always introduces Clarke to people as the man who calls it the English FA. However, despite the big change of tone from the top brass, there are no current plans to alter the FA title itself, although Glenn said ‘it was possible it could be changed’ at a football conference in 2015.
EXCLUDING Three Lions (iconic), Vindaloo (catchy tune), Ally’s Tartan Army (ridiculous), most football songs are either naff in the extreme or instantly forgettable. However it’s worth going online to listen to Harry & Chris’s World Cup song. The cult west London music comedy pair of musician Chris Read and poet Harry Baker (right) are at least realistic about England’s chances in Russia. THE England players’ bizarre unwillingness at Euro 2016, encouraged by goalkeeper Joe Hart, to reveal anything to the media about their in-house darts competition has since become a notable example of what went wrong on and off the field.
So fair play to a far more progressive FA media team in Russia for setting up a three-shot darts competition between the press and the players before every press conference at the England media centre in Repino. Unfortunately your
Sports Agenda columnist, who at least looks like a darts player, badly let the side down by narrowly losing to Gary Cahill in the first tie for what surely has to be called the Joe Hart Memorial Cup.
ALL of the best-laid plans over the considerable security at the England training centre at Repino have been rather undone by the resident of a house adjoining the complex being able to watch all the proceedings in comfort from her second-floor balcony, as she was with her dog in her arms on England’s first day there.