Not fit for purpose? Questions for football’s governing body

Q Who is responsible for governance in English football?

A The Football Association is the governing body of English football and has jurisdiction over the Premier League and Football League, which are merely competition organisers. However, the Premier League and Football League also have their own rulebooks their participants must adhere to.

Q What powers do these bodies have?

A All three have the ability to investigate and punish breaches of their rules, call witnesses and request documents and other materials. They can even punish those who refuse to provide them. But they can do little when a suspect denies being in possession of such documents or materials as they have no power to raid private premises. Former FA figures have also raised concerns over its lack of resource allocated to the governance side of the organisation. The majority of the FA’s revenue comes from broadcast and sponsorship contracts for the England team, FA Cup and other competitions. It gets most of the rest of its money from staging events at Wembley, and from the Government, Fifa and Uefa. Q And how often do they use their powers?

A All three bodies claim a zerotolerance approach to corruption and have acted in the past when enough evidence has been uncovered to prove wrongdoing. Former Arsenal manager George Graham, below, is the most high-profile example. But investigations have too often foundered on a lack of evidence.

Q Is there appetite for a tougher system? A It is sometimes said the FA is a 19th-century organisation in a 21stcentury world and it is ill-equipped to regulate a game that has grown into a multi-billion-pound business since the advent of the Premier League. It is now so big that quasi-judicial powers may be required to keep it in check.

Q What form could that take?

A It could be a Governmentapproved regulator like Ofcom or an independent body like the Financial Conduct Authority. The FA could do the job itself but only with the buy-in of other stakeholders, especially the Premier League, which generates almost all of the English game’s revenue. The key would be for any body to have the kind of funding and powers to snoop on suspects and conduct raids on private premises.