The Football Association

The Football Association – controllers of the FA Cup, the operators of the England football team.  They really ought to know what’s what.  

So let’s see how they have been doing..

In 2001 Barrow and Chester were drawn against each other in the 4th qualifying round of the FA Cup.  However both were owned by Stephen Vaughan.  This was not against the rules, but it did mean that the teams could not play each other.

Vaughan then sold his share holding to Mr Brown – a painter working on the Chester stadium.  The FA held a full and detailed enquiry, declared themselves totally satisfied, and  allowed the match to go ahead.   Two days after the game Mr Brown sold his shares back to Mr Vaughan.  The FA took no further action at all.

In 2001 and 2002 the FA allowed the retailers who sold England replica shirts to engage in a form of price fixing over the shirts, and were subsequently found guilty

The OFT published its decision on Price Fixing of Replica Kit on 1 August 2003.   The decision found that a number of sportswear retailers (including but not limited to Allsports Ltd and JJB Sports plc), Manchester United plc, the Football Association Ltd and Umbro Holdings Ltd had entered into price fixing agreements in relation to replica football kit infringing the Chapter I prohibition contained in section 2 of the Competition Act 1998.  Financial penalties totalling £18.6 million were imposed in respect of the infringements.  A copy of the full decision is available on the CA98 Public Register section of the OFT.

Appeals against the OFT decision were brought by Umbro Holdings Ltd, Manchester United plc, Allsports Ltd, and JJB Sports plc.  JJB Sports plc and Allsports Ltd appealed against both the findings of liability (i.e. the issue of whether they were party to the price fixing agreements) and the imposition and the levels of penalties imposed.  The appeals brought by Umbro Holdings Ltd and Manchester United plc were confined to the issue of the imposition and the levels of penalties imposed. The OFT rulings were upheld.

We need to pause for a second in relation to this.  The FA – the body that makes so much of its ability to look after the grass roots, the ordinary punter, was involved in a price fixing scam which had no purpose but to rip off ordinary, grass roots, fans.   And they had to be taken to a price fixing court in order to be persuaded to stop.

Now having paused, let’s move on to remember Wembley.  Started way before the Wengerdrome, far less ambitious than the Wengerdrome in terms of innovative design, and built on land already used for other purposes, Wembley had it easy – it was after all a football ground.  All you had to do was knock it down and build it again.

Arsenal got their ground done in 2 years.  And Wembley?  It was closed in 2001, and not re-opened until 2007.  

Multiplex, which has lost more than £200m on the delayed project, accused Wembley National Stadium Ltd of delaying completion of the project and warned it would be seeking legal redress.

Wembley’s owners responded by accusing Multiplex of missing crucial deadlines and of making “deliberately confusing” statements – but the Football Association said it was confident the £757m stadium would be ready for next year’s Cup final.

Multiplex agreed to build Wembley on a fixed price contract of £450m and has faced penalty charges of £120,000 a day since January 31, 2006. It is understood the penalties will be capped at £38m although the final sum is likely to be determined in court. Multiplex is understood to be seeking compensation of up to £150m, arguing that delays were caused by design changes instigated by WNSL. 

And let us remember that the people who organised this utter fiasco are the people who appointed a certain Swede as England manager, and then a certain Middlesbrough manager.