I know. I know. Here we are again. It's quite difficult to move on from such a ridiculous situation in which you've been outrageously treated. My attitude towards the Football Association is that of contempt and digust. I do not see how they can get away with some of the things they do, and then why people don't question it.
So here I am, questioning it. A few hours after the John Terry racism decision, I started a letter. This letter will probably make no difference to anything, but I feel I can't just sit back and watch. I had my customary Twitter rant on the situation, and now I'm trying to do something about it. I'm trying to back it up. Yes, I may sound like an old man, who complains way too much, but I feel it's important to stick up for what you believe in. And this is me, sticking up.
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Dear Mr.Bernstein,
I am a football fan like any other. I’ve been
involved in every aspect of football since the age of 6, (I am now 21), and
this sport has been around me for as long as I can remember. I played for 10
years, refereed for 7 years, and was briefly involved in coaching. I never
reached any sort of top-class level, but played, officiated and coached at
grass roots level because I loved the game. Football is a universal
language. It brings people together like
nothing else can. Millions of people have the same passion for the game as I
do, but the game as we know it is slowly becoming a joke.
I am writing this letter then to let you know, the chairman of the FA, that I
am no longer in love with the game. And unfortunately, although I cannot speak
for others, I fear others are getting fed up of what our sport of football has
become in the UK. The same people I played with as a child, officiated games
with and even the children I coached are growing into people who view the FA as
an overpowering, inconsistent, disrespectful and frankly nonsensical
organisation. I may not be Sir Alex Ferguson, Wayne Rooney or Howard Webb, but
what I am is a lover of football like many people in this country. I implore
you to listen and take in what I am about to say. I fully expect the result of
this letter to amount to nothing, but I feel I cannot sit back and watch our
beautiful game become more and more poisoned.
There have been too many examples, in
the past couple of years especially, where decisions by “independent panels”
have been completely inconsistent with the messages that the FA are trying to
communicate. The most important, and arguably most sensitive issue, is racism.
I am typing this letter a few days after news reached me that John Terry had
been found guilty of “using abusive and/or insulting words and/or behaviour”
towards Anton Ferdinand, and there are three main questions that us, the
British public, the majority of football fans, would like answers to:
1) Why, if the FA are attempting to “kick out” racism, are players receiving inconsistent
bans and fines? In my eyes, and many other people’s eyes, racism is racism. So
why has John Terry received a 4-game ban while Luis Suarez received an 8-game
ban?
2) If a priority of the FA is to get racism out of our beautiful game, why are
charges such as those brought on Joey Barton last year resulting in larger
penalties than charges relating to racism? The message you are trying to convey
is that “racism is our main focus”, yet you are handing out lower penalties for
incidents involving it? Surely the only way to kick racism out is by punishing
those responsible for being racist the most severely? By not doing so, you are
simply contradicting your own views.
3) Given that the FA are trying to rid
racism from the game, shouldn’t the organisation begin by getting rid of
racists from within your own organisation? Although I understand he has now
retired, I am of course talking of Peter Brown, who was allowed to determine
his own future at the FA despite sending racist images involving a black
Scottish dog in September 2011, adorned with the FA badge. Am I the only person
who thinks this is hugely hypocritical?
The anger from normal supporters and fans of the game is palpable and forever
growing, yet the FA continues to ignore lovers of the game in pursuit of its
own agenda of looking after themselves and no one else.
Another issue I would like to ask the FA about is their own system when it
comes to discipline. Why is there no independent regulatory commission when it
comes to discipline? By independent, I mean people who are not involved with
the FA in any capacity. Before the John Terry case, 471 out of 473 cases ended
in a prosecution in the last 12 months, meaning just 0.5% of cases have
finished with a verdict of ‘Not Guilty’. As for the John Terry case
specifically, why has the FA taken it upon themselves to undermine the judicial
system of our country and hand John Terry a guilty verdict, despite being found
not guilty in a court of law? I am as confused as every other fan in this country,
and the FA are not doing themselves any favours in trying to build
relationships with the British public when they ignore the ruling of a court of
law.
- Does the FA think that if they find someone not guilty of something, they
will be criticised for being too soft?
- Why does the FA not need “proof beyond reasonable doubt” when a court of law
does?
-Criminal and civil courts make rigorous demands of their prosecutors. It seems
FA hearings don’t even require any proof. Why?
I am quite confident in saying that the
FA merely goes by balance of probability on deciding a verdict. This is what
happens when the people doing the prosecuting, get to appoint the judge. I do
not see how the FA can expect people to just sit down and accept judgements that
finish with a guilty verdict 99.5% of the time, and then not be regulated in
any way shape or form by anyone independent. Do you not see the problem?
I would like to draw your attention to a quote from the General Secretary of
the FA, Alex Horne:
“It’s something that happened in a match
between QPR and Chelsea. ‘That’s a very different process, from my perspective,
from our England procedures.”
Why then, did the FA go on to strip John Terry of the England captaincy? If
you are trying to be consistent, at least pretend you are trying to be instead
of trying to cover your own backs. By doing so, you are beginning to draw
mounting criticisms from the people in this sport who matter the most. The fans
and the normal, everyday people in this country who love the game.
This is before we reach the highly hypocritical practices that the FA completes
in regards to bringing their own staff to task. As a referee, I was highly
critical of my Chief Executive at my County FA, Peter Brown, when it came to
light that he had been highly offensive whilst in a position at the FA. To let
him decide his own future, after sending out racist messages the day before the
FA complained to UEFA in regards to being the victims of racism in Bulgaria is
just outrageous. I could not believe the hypocrisy involved. To then be fined
and banned myself for criticising this on Twitter was the last straw for me
personally. Since then, I have read story after story of inconsistencies from
the FA and its “independent panels” in regards to issues involving racism, and
I, along with many others, have simply had enough.
I do not expect to receive a reply to this letter, as I am led to understand
that my views simply don’t matter. If you have it in your heart to stand up and
be counted over these issues, providing at least a few answers to my
grievances, my own personal view of the FA will not be forever tarnished.
However, I cannot just sit back and ignore these problems any longer. For the
sake of the sport, I urge you to at least provide answers to the millions of
people who are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the management of the sport we love.
Regards,
Tom Carr
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