Letter from Mike Lee OBE

Letter from Mike Lee OBE

26th May 2011

In light of the fact that my evidence to the Select Committee was somewhat overtaken by more dramatic events, it has been suggested that I should write to the Committee to highlight some of the points made in that session which might be of interest for your Final Report, particularly given the initial intent of the session and your invitation for me to attend.

Thus the purpose of this letter is not to re-run the May 10th hearing but rather to provide a summary of what I believe The FA can learn from England’s failed bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup (and more recently for UEFA’s U21 Championships, where the English candidacy received no votes) and how the new leadership of The FA can take steps to improve its international standing and impact in the future.

It is probably not productive to spend more time on how the 2018 bid was incorrectly set up, how the lessons of the 2006 bid and London 2012’s victory were ignored nor on why the campaign lost momentum at crucial moments. All of this was covered to some extent in the evidence session.

Instead I thought it might be helpful to propose 5 action points (set out below) relating to the future of international relations at The FA which the Committee might find to be of interest as you consider recommendations for your Final Report.

1) The FA, in conjunction with the Premier League, should conduct a thorough review of their activities within UEFA and FIFA in order to clarify the most effective and strategic use of English football representatives within both organisations and perhaps seek to replicate the International Leadership Programme created by UK Sport to identify administrative and political talent to be coached and encouraged to fulfil international roles in the future.

2) This review should also identify the key Committees and Working Groups within both UEFA and FIFA where English football’s voice can be most usefully heard and agree a target list of UEFA and FIFA tournaments and events, including Congresses and seminars, that might be hosted in England over the next 10 years.

3) The FA should consider and open a debate on the future of the guaranteed places for the Home Countries on the International Football Association Board as well as the British Vice–Presidency of FIFA.

These are in truth outdated positions of privilege and largely, as recent events, e.g. goal line technology and the 2018 bid, have shown, without power. They are not utilised and yet are understandably a source of quiet resentment in many other parts of the world.

Even if The FA do not want to relinquish these positions at least they should be asked i) what is their real purpose in the years ahead and ii) what are the advantages that could be gained by volunteering to stand down and open them up as part of an overall FIFA reform process.

4) The FA should set out a 10 year plan for their international development programme. I understand that a review is underway and this may well include cutting budgets and closing down projects in Africa. This does not seem to fit with the progressive, long term approach to building friendships and alliances for the future that is sorely needed.

5) The FA should step up and lead efforts to ensure a genuine Team GB football team at the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The FA have always been very positive about this and it is, in my view, not only the right policy for our hosting of the 2012 Games, it is also a signal of a willingness to move beyond the apparent restrictions created by the positions of privilege enjoyed by the Home Countries as outlined earlier.

The FA should actively and openly campaign for their fellow FAs (Northern Ireland, Wales and Scotland) to support this popular and engaging idea.

I hope that these thoughts are helpful and I wish you well in the drafting of your Final Report, which I, and many others, hope will make a valuable contribution to the debate on how The FA and English football can improve its administrative and political effectiveness both nationally and internationally.

Yours sincerely,

Mike Lee OBE