Exclusive: Radical overhaul needed to improve FA standing in world football claims Mike Lee

By Tom Degun

June 3 – Mike Lee, the former communications director of London 2012, has written a letter to a Parliamentary inquiry making a series of key recommendations on how the Football Association in England can improve their impoverished international standing in world football.

The FA, who were embarrassed in their attempt to bring the 2018 World Cup to England last year when the country went out in the first round after gaining just two votes from the FIFA Executive Committee, were left largely isolated earlier this week when their last minute call to postpone the FIFA Presidential election in Zurich earlier this week was ignored by the majority of the other national football federations.

Lee, who was not part of the team that led England’s failed £15 million ($25 million) bid but played a significant role in Qatar’s shock landslide 2022 victory, was last month asked to give evidence in the on-going Parliamentary inquiry into football governance at a one-off session on why England performed so poorly in their 2018 World Cup bid.

Following the hearing, he was encouraged to submit formally his thoughts on the FA’s international work for likely inclusion in the final report.

In his letter to John Whittingdale, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee, seen in full by insidethegames, Lee suggests that “it is probably not productive to spend more time on how the 2018 bid was incorrectly set up” and instead proposes five point plan to help the FA move forward internationally.

Lee’s first point is that: “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.”

The second point is that: “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.”

The third point states: “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 out-dated positions of privilege and largely, as recent events, eg 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.

The fourth point is that: “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.

Lee’s fifth and final point is that: “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.”

Lee, who also worked on Rio’s campaign which saw them awarded the 2016 Olympics and Paralympics, wrote the letter before FIFA became embroiled in the recent corruption scandal around key Executive Committee members came to light and threw the future football’s world governing body in to doubt.

It has since become abundantly clear that FIFA have to reform but it remains obvious that the FA must still to design a relevant strategy as part of that meaning that Lee’s letter is likely to be a highly important part of the final report published by the Culture, Media and Sport Select Committee.

Contact the writer of this story at zib.l1734800870lbato1734800870ofdlr1734800870owedi1734800870sni@n1734800870uged.1734800870mot1734800870