The Press and Journal (Inverness, Highlands, and Islands)
No end to Wembley squabble
FA boss Glenn looks afresh at issue after £900m sale to Khan collapses
Football Association boss Martin Glenn has expressed his doubts that a tax on agents’ fees, transfers or Premier League revenues is the answer to English football’s grassroots funding problem.
Glenn had hoped to transform community projects in England over the next 20 years by selling Wembley to Fulham owner Shahid Khan, but Khan withdrew his £900 million offer for the stadium on Wednesday when it became clear there was not enough support for the idea within the game.
The FA’s chief executive had championed the deal but said he has no intention of quitting, saying he is proud of what he has achieved during his four years in charge, which includes cutting costs, signing record broadcast deals and hiring dozens of coaches and support staff to work with England’s national sides.
Glenn also denied the suggestion there was a “plot” within the FA Council to block the stadium’s sale to Khan. For him it was simply a case of a “conservative group of people wary of change” and there was “nothing concerted about it”.
The collapse of the deal has reopened the debate about how best to fund grassroots infrastructure, with the Football Supporters’ Federation (FSF) and ex-England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville suggesting a levy on agents’ fees is the answer, while others want the Premier League to share more of its broadcast income.
“Good luck with that,” said Glenn.
“But the value of where we are is that the whole thing is now a wider debate among politicians and other people who can make a difference.”
News of Khan’s decision was greeted with disappointment by the Football Foundation, the charity that would have channelled the money to community projects, Sport England and the sports minister Tracey Crouch, all of whom described it as a missed opportunity to address football’s most important issue.
In a statement, the DCMS said: “We are completely committed to playing our part in strengthening grassroots football in this country.
“Over four years almost £100m of public money is being used to help build and upgrade artificial and grass pitches, encourage greater participation and enhance coaching programmes.”