Why change is required to footballing authorities
Football fans rarely feel the bodies that run the beautiful game have their interests or that of the clubs at heart. Be it FIFA, the Premier League, or the English Football League (EFL), the feeling is that these bodies seem more interested in securing their longterm existence. The perception seems to be they are more focused on keeping sponsors happy, than on the very people who ensure the games go ahead. Clubs like AFC Wimbledon know only too well about the injustice that the footballing authorities can heap on clubs and fans. After all it was nearly 20 years ago that the EFL allowed Wimbledon FC to up sticks from London and create a franchised version of the club 70 miles away. To quote the EFL, it was a decision “In the wider interests of football”. In other words it is OK to see a club fans and community to disappear overnight if it ensures the survival of the game itself. The demands of a global pandemic don’t help, but the underlying feeling is that the priority is in the wrong