Personal Reflections of the Tournament, So Far 到目前為止．我眼中的世界盃

Personal Reflections of the Tournament, So Far

 

I’m sure you will all agree that so far Brazil 2014 has been a fascinating tournament both on and off the pitch. Indeed I would contend that it has been a microcosm of the sport itself with the sublime skills of practitioners of the beautiful game contrasting spectacularly with the darker more malevolent aspects of football.

Negative ‘hype’ before the event – true or false?

As has become customary with major sports events, in the run up to the tournament there was huge negative publicity. In the case of Brazil 2014 the media focused on; the stadia, working conditions of builders, the infrastructure (or lack of it) and general public dissatisfaction with the costs as manifested in riots and unrest. Having been to Brazil for the first two weeks of the competition, in my opinion some of the criticism was indeed justified. It is clear that some of the venues were incomplete. Brazil and its main cities are difficult places to get around and levels of service leave a lot to be desired. Although I personally saw no rioters or public discontent, I was struck by a general apathy and lack of enthusiasm among the local people. When we arrived in Sao Paulo a few days before the event, it was as if the World Cup was not even taking place. I would describe the atmosphere as ‘sombre’ rather than ‘samba’. Admittedly this changed a little once the tournament got underway and there was certainly more of a carnival feeling in Rio than in Sao Paulo. I see England as the historical home of football and Brazil as the ‘spiritual’ home of football. I can tell you that at least initially, it didn’t feel like football was ‘coming home’.

The Business of Football

The 64^th FIFA Congress was an eye-opener and I got to see first-hand how the global ‘politics’ of football works – quite fascinating for me but probably boring for most people so I won’t dwell on it here. Suffice to say that Mr Blatter is very ‘hands on’, is likely to stand for another term, is likely to be elected and whilst not universally popular (especially within UEFA) is certainly an astute politician. The popularity of football generates enormous revenues for FIFA from TV. It is very good at using this wealth to cement its power, to use its influence and to be fair, to spread the benefit across the world.   

Delegates were treated to a Congress Opening Ceremony billed as ‘a dazzling celebration of Brazilian culture, its people and its natural environment’. It was indeed a kaleidoscope of colours, sounds, visuals, songs and dance. The undoubted highlight for me was a ‘parade’ of 209 children each carrying the flag of one of the Member Associations affiliated to FIFA. It was surprisingly moving to watch and it put into perspective just how huge and diverse our world is and how football transcends differences in race, colour, creed, religion and other perceived ‘barriers’ to togetherness. Some of the countries represented are in deep turmoil and it was a time to remember how lucky most of us are because we can easily sit back and enjoy a global sporting event rather than worrying about hunger, disease, war and other catastrophic events.

The flags of the 209 Member Associations are paraded by children – football is truly global

The Football

The ‘public’ opening ceremony was colourful and lively, if a little bizarre but it was a mere curtain raiser for the home team’s first match; Brazil V Croatia. What an atmosphere!

A giant electric football forms the centerpiece of the Opening Ceremony

The National Anthem before kick-off made the hairs stand up on the back of your neck. I knew I was very privileged to be there. Perhaps the expectations on the Brazilian players was too much however because they went a goal down early on and eventually won a scrappy nervous encounter. The 3:1 score was very flattering.

The wall of sound coming from the Brazilian crowd was literally awesome

Immediately after the match I headed to the airport and after a circuitous, expensive and decidedly uncomfortable night of travelling I finally arrived in Salvador for the Spain V Netherlands match. I, like people all over the world, watched in stunned disbelief as the match unfolded. We witnessed the end of an era as the ‘mighty’ Spain were literally humiliated by a very impressive Dutch team who played some of the best football I have ever seen. Scintillating, breathtaking stuff. As the match finished I realized that in my enthusiasm to get to the stadium I had not planned my return journey to my hotel. I ended up walking and walking and eventually getting lost in a seriously scary place.

The end of an era? – Spain V Holland, an unforgettable match

The next match I saw was in Rio at the amazing and iconic Estadio do Maracana (another lifetime ambition achieved). The atmosphere was again electric as Argentina took on minnows Bosnia-Herzegovina. In actual fact, it was a pretty dull game apart from one exquisite piece of skill by you know who, the inimitable Lionel Messi. As I watched his supreme goal I looked forward to seeing him again in Hong Kong in October. I thoroughly enjoyed my few days in Rio, the tournament was starting to come to life and it is a vibrant, exotic place.

But I had one more match to watch and so it was back to Sao Paulo to see my beloved England in a crucial encounter with Uruguay (another potential opponent of Hong Kong in September). Well what can I say? I know I should be used to it by now but defeat still hurts. Although after this second loss it was still mathematically possible to qualify, it was improbable and the England fans there, myself included, knew it. However, the squad is young and I am sure we will do better in 2018 (I thought I would get my unwavering but totally mis-placed and only to be disappointed optimism in early this time). Neither team played particularly well; the main difference was the finishing quality of Suarez (more about him later).

Post Visit Reflections

My time in Brazil had come to an end. I was sorry to be leaving just as the tournament was getting interesting. It had been a great experience and I know how lucky I am to have been to a World Cup in Brazil. My only regret is that I think it could have been a lot better as an event. I don’t see there being any real football or social legacy and the country doesn’t seem to have taken the opportunity to invest in much-needed infrastructure or raise the standard of service, which is frankly woeful at times.

But for now the focus is on the football and I have to say that it is an open and exciting competition. The South American teams were expected to do well including Brazil and Argentina. Whilst the ‘big two’ are somehow stumbling through, some of the lesser known Latin American teams are playing great football including Columbia and Costa Rica. The Europeans seem to be polarized into two main groups, namely disappointing and excellent with Spain, Portugal, England and Italy in the first group and Germany, Holland, France, and Belgium in the latter.

The Asian teams have had a very poor campaign and the difference in skill level, intensity and physicality has been exposed. This must be a worry to the AFC. Three points in total for the four teams is a poor return and ironically the team that didn’t gain a single point, Australia, actually played entertaining attacking football in a difficult group, scoring one of the best goals of the tournament.

I am troubled and disappointed by the performance and behaviour of some the African nations. There is no place at any level of football for match-manipulation, but for allegations to be made concerning two teams at the World Cup is astonishingly worrying. Nothing is proven yet and I sincerely hope that in this case there is smoke without fire. What I also find unfathomable is the Ghana bonus situation. It seems that players are holding Associations to ransom these days over bonus payments. Quite frankly I have never understood the concept of bonuses when playing for your country. Needing ‘additional’ financial incentive to try harder to win a football match at any level is an anathema to me but for your country at a World Cup, it’s unbelievable. What’s more Ghana didn’t win a single match so what exactly was the US$3m cash actually rewarding – one draw and failure to progress from the group stage? Talk about throwing good money after bad.

Obviously one of the saddest and most annoying incidents was the Luis Suarez bite. What I found most disturbing was not the bite itself, sickening as it is, but the people who have leapt to his defense in a pathetic attempt to condone the unforgivable. FIFA acted swiftly and decisively and I think the ban is about right, if not on the lenient side for a third offense.

Unfortunately for me there has also been too much simulation, diving, time-wasting and general histrionics by some of the players from some of the teams. I watched Robben take a blatant dive in the match against Spain and whilst there is no doubting his footballing brilliance, like Suarez he should know better. These people have the potential to be role-models for aspiring footballers and young people all over the world. Unfortunately they do not use their privileged position to become positive icons and it is their unacceptable behavior and lack of sportsmanship that will ultimately define them. The fact that their colleagues, peers, coaches, mentors and even politicians defend them simply reinforces their own sense of self-importance.

Summary

And so as I said at the start, for me this world cup (so far) has been a reflection of the good and the bad in our sport of football. There is no doubt that generally the quality of the football is incredibly high with technique, tactics and physical attributes on display that us mere mortals can only wonder at. Football is arguably the only truly global sport and therefore has a unique ability to bring all people together. The passion, friendliness and camaraderie of fans in Brazil was fantastic. I did not see one bit of aggression (off the pitch). I shared drinks, good times and bad times with people from myriad nations. That bit was great.

I won’t allow the negative aspects of the tournament to spoil it for me but neither should they be ignored or forgotten by me, by you the reader and more importantly by the football authorities. Those of us involved in the sport should never forget our responsibility to use football as a force for good, to bring people together to promote positive behaviour and enhance humanity. I fervently hope that the rest of the tournament will showcase what is good about football (fingers crossed).

Mark Sutcliffe July 2^nd 2014

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到目前為止，我眼中的世界盃

迄今為止，相信大家應該認同今屆在巴西所舉行的2014年世界盃，無論場內場外都成為茶餘飯後的話題。事實上，我會稱之為一個體育本身的微觀世界，一方是擁有精湛球技、以打出漂亮足球著稱的強隊，與另一方標榜帶有惡意的暗黑勢力相互周旋。

大賽前充斥負面的「廣泛宣傳」— 孰真？孰假？

每逢大型的體育盛事來臨前，慣性地都會伴隨著一大堆負面消息，以巴西世界盃為例，傳媒焦點都會集中於比賽場地、建築工人的待遇、基建設施(或缺乏基建項目)以及公眾普遍對政府開支不滿而引發的騷亂等。來到巴西的首兩個比賽週，個人認為部分批評恰如其分，部分場館尚未完工，而巴西及其主要城市並不容易四處遊逛，服務水平亦有很多地方有待改進。雖然本人並未遇見任何示威或對政府不滿之人士，但我卻對當地人民普遍冷漠及缺乏激情而留下深刻印象。當我們離大賽開幕的數天前抵達聖保羅時，縱使世界盃仍未正式舉行，當地的周遭氣氛卻給人一種「死氣沉沉」多於傳統的「森巴氣息」。誠然，隨著賽事揭開帷幕，里約的嘉年華氣氛會較聖保羅更加濃厚。我會將英格蘭視為「歷史上」的足球發源地，而巴西則會被視為「靈魂上」的足球發源地，但至少在此由一開始我認為足球並未真正的「歸家還鄉」。

足球的商業層面

被邀出席第六十四屆國際足協會議，真令本人受益匪淺，同時有幸窺探有關足球運動的最新國際「政策」—更令本人萬分興奮，惟大部分人士可能會覺得枯燥沉悶，恕不在此贅述。我只想說明白禮達先生是一名「務實派」，他有可能當選及蟬聯下屆會長，縱使他不是普遍受歡迎的人士(尤其在歐洲足協方面)，但他確實是一位精明的政客。足球是風靡全球的體育運動，從電視轉播上獲取了龐大的收益，進而運用財富來進一步鞏固其力量，並利用足球本身無遠弗屆的影響力，合理地將其優點向世界傳播。

眾代表成員觀賞了一場仍如置身「耀眼悅目的巴西文化、人民及其自然環境的大型慶典」的會議揭幕式，表演揉合了萬花筒般絢爛的不同顏色、音效、視覺、歌曲及舞蹈等不同元素，最令本人震撼的是當二百零九位小朋友各自手持代表一個國際足協屬會成員的國旗「進場」時，令我明白到面對浩瀚的世界、分離的國度，但足球卻可將不同種族、膚色、教條、宗教及其他認知「障礙」的人士凝聚在一起，部分國家仍身陷水深火熱之中，我們大部分未受威脅的人群應該慶幸自己的生活，因為我們可以並肩欣賞全球觸目的大型賽事，而不是終日為飢餓、疾病、戰爭及其他悲劇而憂心。

二百零九幅屬會成員的旗幟由小朋友手持列隊進場 – 足球是真正的全球運動

足球

全球觸目的世界盃揭幕禮帶有濃厚色彩和生活氣息，縱使表演缺少了創新的環節，但仍為今屆賽事的第一場賽事揭開序幕，巴西對克羅地亞大戰一觸即發！

 

一個巨型的電子足球是今次揭幕禮的中心裝飾品

在賽事鳴笛前的一刻，全場高唱國歌的場面多少令人毛骨悚然！我慶幸自己能夠親臨現場，或者大家對巴西的期望太高，因此當主隊在比賽早段落後而最終在驚濤駭浪下得以反敗為勝，3:1的比數實在教人驚喜萬分！

由巴西球迷傳出震耳欲聾的吶喊聲，現場氣氛感覺難以形容！

隨著比賽完結的哨聲響起，我立即飛奔直赴機場。經過了一段迂迴、昂貴兼不舒適的晚間旅程後，終於抵達了巴西薩爾瓦多，為的是觀看西班牙與荷蘭的世紀大戰。我，與全球球迷的心情一樣，對於賽果感到難以置信，大家共同見證著西班牙「強勢」時代的一個終結，如何被荷蘭的悅目足球徹底摧毀，而後者亦是本人有生以來觀看的最佳賽事之一， 真是妙不可言、令人窒息的感覺！賽事完結後，我驚覺自己的激情仍在場館上空縈繞，因此我放棄了折返酒店的念頭，而是不斷漫無目的地前行，最終迷失在一個極度心寒的陌生地方。

一個時代的終結？ – 西班牙與荷蘭一役，令人難以忘懷的大戰

我會親臨現場的另一場觸目之戰，將在里約的馬拉簡拿體育場上演(已達成另一個人生目標)，阿根廷對波斯尼亞一戰的氣氛同樣熾熱。隨著比賽的進行，場內的沉悶氣氛終於被一位天才球星所打破，他正是獨一無二的美斯，以一記精采入球回饋球迷，讓我對阿根廷十月訪港之行充滿期待。我在里約徹底享受著數天的歡樂時光，而比賽氣氛亦開始濃厚起來，這裡是一處充滿活力及異國情懷之地。

然而，我還有一場非看不可的賽事，因此我急不及待返回聖保羅，以支持我心愛的英格蘭出戰烏拉圭(另一支有機會在今年九月訪港的國家隊)。我還有甚麼話可說？雖則應該要對落敗一事坦然面對，但至今仍令人心痛不已。縱使從數據上英格蘭仍有出線的可能，但英格蘭球迷知道，包括本人在內，這是一個不可能的事實。然而，今次英軍陣容以年青小將為主，我深信他們在二○一八年能夠做得更好(我的信念堅定不移，但很遺憾地這次樂觀的看法未免太早了)。事實上，兩隊在場上的表現乏善可陳，唯一最大的分野在於蘇亞雷斯的把握能力(下文會有更多關於他的陳述)。

旅途後的感想

今次我的巴西之旅接近尾聲，當賽事開始變得有趣時，遺憾地我卻要選擇離開。今次是一次印象難忘之體驗，同時明白今次我有多幸運能夠親身感受世界盃的魅力。唯一痛惜的是主辦國可以透過今屆賽事做得更多更好，我在巴西並未親身目睹屬於巴西真正的足球或社會傳統文化，而國家領導者並沒有充分把握今次機會投資更多為市民而設的基建設施或提高整體的服務水平，這點實在教人遺憾！

目前全球焦點依然投放在足球賽事身上，我敢說世界盃仍是一個競爭激烈的大型比賽，南美洲球隊的表現令人引頸以待，當巴西和阿根廷兩支傳統熱門驚濤駭浪下出線，其他較少人關注的拉丁美洲球隊卻令人眼前一亮，如哥倫比亞和哥斯達黎加。另一邊的歐洲球隊可以用「強差人意」及「成績彪炳」來劃分兩組，西班牙、葡萄牙、英格蘭和意大利被編入一組，而德國、荷蘭、法國和比利時則屬於另一組。

今屆亞洲球隊的表現同樣教人失望，與世界列強的最大差異在於技術層面、球隊實力及體能狀況中完全顯露出來，這種情況將會令亞洲足協為之擔憂，四支球隊合共僅取得三分，而澳洲更在死亡之組中三戰全敗而遺憾告終，縱使他們射入大賽以來其中一個最佳入球，但他們的悅目進攻足球卻未能為球隊取得任何分數。

本人對於部分非洲球隊的行為和表現深感失望，在足球運動的任何領域中都必須嚴禁杜絕非法操控賽事的行為，對於參加今屆世界盃的兩支球隊的有關指控是令人憂慮的，但迄今沒有任何佐證，本人由衷希望這類事件純屬謠傳。另一個令我費解的是加納的獎金情況，似乎是球員脅持總會來要求贖金多於要領取獎金，坦白說我真不明白為國家而戰卻要求獎金的目的，我對任何需要在足球賽事中爭取更佳表現而要求額外財政鼓勵的行為深感痛恨，尤其是你的國家能夠參與世界盃賽事，此動機實在令人難以置信。試問加納在小組賽中僅取得一和二負、未能成功出線的尷尬戰績，在一場不勝的情況下有何顏面獲得三百萬美元的獎金？實在是花錢填補無底洞。

明顯地，其中一個令人嘆息又極度負面的事件非蘇亞雷斯的咬人行為莫屬。最令人困擾的並非咬人本身的情況，而是部分人士以憐憫的態度為他尋求開脫，從而為這項不可寬恕的行為獲得赦免。國際足協迅速作出裁決，在其觸犯三次同類的行為後，個人認為該判罰通情合理。

不幸的是，球場上亦有個別球隊的部分球員出現太多作狀、插水、浪費時間及個人表演的鏡頭。我曾目睹洛賓在對陣西班牙賽事中一次明顯的插水行為，無疑他擁有出眾的足球天賦，如蘇亞雷斯一樣，他應該深明不應如此。這類天才球星將會成為全球足球員及青年人的典範，但可惜的是他們沒有利用其尊貴的身份成為真正的楷模，相反其不可理喻的行為以及缺乏體育精神的表現將會令他們形象盡毀，事實證明他們的隊友、同輩、教練、導師以至政客們都會為他們極力辯護，從而助長他們狂妄自大的特性。

總結

在本文開首中提及，我認為今屆世界盃(目前為止)充分反映了足球運動的好與壞，無可否認，無論個人球技、戰術及體能各方面，各隊都為今屆賽事呈獻了高水準的比賽質素，足球佔據著全球運動的王者地位，它能令世界球迷為之瘋狂，因此足球有其獨特魅力能將所有人士凝聚在一起。巴西到處瀰漫著球迷的激情和友情，我從未見過一點的暴力行為(場外)，我可以與無數國家的球迷們開懷暢飲，互相分享彼此的美好和傷心時刻，這一點實在令人動容。

本人不會容許任何有關賽事的負面消息影響了我的心情，無論是我和你以至足球當局方面最終決定採取無視或忘記這類信息，以體育運動作為生活一部分的大家，都應該緊記我們有責任將足球作為一種推廣美好的原動力，將人類匯聚在一起，共同將正確的人生態度及博愛信息加以弘揚。本人熱烈盼望世界盃的餘下賽事，將會展示足球美好的一面(祈求一切順利)。

薛基輔

二○一四七月二日

中文譯本僅供參考，內容如與英文有歧異，概以英文原本為準。 

Aiming High – Together 力爭上游 萬眾一心

Aiming High – Together

I would like to start with an apology. It has been a while since I wrote a blog, for which I am sorry. As I’m sure you know there have been many time-consuming but important issues to deal with over the last few months.

It is difficult to overstate the importance of the next few months as far as the future of football in Hong Kong is concerned. The current three-year funding cycle linked to Project Phoenix comes to an end in October. In a previous blog I set out what I believe has been achieved so far on our long journey to transform football so I won’t go into detail again. Suffice to say I believe we have dramatically enhanced the governance, management and organization of the HKFA which has laid the foundation for positive benefits for the sport itself. There are plenty of signs of improvement. However, no-one would deny that progress has been slow in certain areas and that there is still a long way to go.

So this is crunch time. In May the Government’s Football Task Force will meet to consider whether it will recommend extending the funding given to football beyond October. Obviously this is a pretty fundamental decision. I personally do not want to consider what will happen if the answer is ‘no’. All of the good work we have been doing and the foundations we have laid for future improvements will have been in vain. I prefer to think positively and that the funding will be extended. In fact as has been quoted in the press, I believe we need even more funding if football is going to reach its potential.

The use of public money requires justification and accountability. Not only must we demonstrate that the money spent so far has been effective but more importantly we must set out very clearly what any future funding will be used for and what outcomes we would expect to deliver. In other words, we need a plan, a strategy, a document that states unambiguously where we are now, where we should be and how we are going to get there. This is where Aiming High – Together comes in. I attach to this blog the Executive Summary of our draft 5-year strategic plan. I will be presenting this together with a funding proposal to the Football Task Force. I hope to make the case for football and to persuade the powers that be that we need more funding for at least the next five years.

The strategy is called Aiming High – Together intentionally because it is a plan for football in Hong Kong and not just for the HKFA. We need all stakeholders to ‘buy-into’ this plan and to work together to deliver its objectives. It is not something that the HKFA should or can embark on in isolation. We do not expect the Government to pay for everything – that would be unrealistic. However we will be hoping to justify an increase in public funding commensurate with the aims of the strategy but we will also be seeking alternative additional funding from charitable and commercial sectors.

I hope you enjoy reading the Summary of Aiming High – Together and I am sorry that right now it is only available in English. It will be translated into Chinese now it has been agreed in a final draft form. As ever, I would welcome any comments and feedback and if anyone is interested, the full report can be made available on email but I must warn you it is 150 pages long!

I would like to thank my colleagues who have helped me prepare this strategy and I commend it to you. As I said at the start of this blog, the future of football in Hong Kong will be determined in the next few months. I would urge anyone who cares about football to read this strategy and to get involved in its delivery. Please get behind what we are trying to do and let’s all aim high, together.

Please click on the Summary of Aiming High – Together for more details.

Mark Sutcliffe CEO April 2014

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力爭上游 – 萬眾一心

首先要向大家說聲抱歉，過了一段時間才再次在這裡撰文，實在不好意思。我希望大家明白，在過去的數月間，有不易繁雜的重要大事需要解決。

涉及香港未來足球的發展，實在不得不進一步強調未來數月的重要性。整個為期三年、由香港特區政府撥款的「鳳凰計劃」，將於今年十月屆滿。在過去數篇的拙文中，本人深信我們在改革本地足球的長途旅程上已取得一定成效，在此不再贅述。我只想說，我們已經針對足總的機構管治、行政管理以及組織架構上銳意加強並取得顯著成果，從而對本地球壇的發展大有裨益。不少標誌性的轉變已經擺在眼前；然而，無可否認在某些領域上所取得的成效較慢，仍有一大段路要走。

因此，現在正面臨著一個關鍵時刻！今年五月，香港特區政府所委任的足球專責小組將開會考慮就今年十月是否延續資助本地足球發展的需要，顯然這是一個關乎本地足球命運的決定！在個人的立場上，假如所給予的答覆是「否」的話，本人不敢想像本地足壇的未來發展將會如何，為了針對未來足球事業的發展，我們在過去日子所作出的一切轉變，將會因這個決定而付諸流水！因此，我個人寧願從正面的思路出發，深信有關撥款將會延續下去。事實上，早前部分傳媒已經引述本人言論，若想本地足球事業得以騰飛，個人認為需要更多的撥款支援。

在公帑的運用上，受惠者必須講求公正和負責任，不但我們必須明確交待財務支出的所有細節，同時亦需要清楚列出未來撥款的去向以及所預期的成效；換句話說，我們需要一個計劃、一套策略、一份文件，它能夠毫不含糊地列明我們目前所身處的環境、應該往哪裡走以及如何抵達目的地，因此《力爭上游 — 萬眾一心》（中文譯名）才會面世！在此，本人將足總向足球專責小組匯報的五年策略計劃書的精華摘要附錄在本文中，並將會聯同申請撥款計劃書作一併呈交。本人希望能夠為本地足壇提出合理訴求，說服有關決策部門以證明在未來五年內，我們需要尋求更多撥款支持。

該份計劃書有意名為《力爭上游 — 萬眾一心》（中文譯名），全因這是一個關於香港足球發展的計劃，而非單純足總本身，我們需要所有球圈相關人士「認同」該計劃並共同攜手發放其概念。不要誤以為足總應該或能夠孤單作戰，亦不能冀望政府能夠為我們支付一切—這是不切實際的，然而我們仍盼望政府能夠因應該計劃的目標而公正地增加相應的撥款，當然我們亦需要進一步尋求從其他商業機構和慈善團體中的額外財政援助。

本人希望諸位能夠享受閱讀《力爭上游 — 萬眾一心》的精華摘要，惟目前暫時只有英文版本，而中文譯本將會在英文正式版落實後正式面世。一如以往，本人對任何意見及回饋無任歡迎；假若閣下願意，亦可以透過電子郵件方式索閱該計劃書的完整版本，惟篇幅達一百五十頁之多！

本人由衷感謝幫我預備該計劃書的足總同事，特此加以表揚。在本文開首經已提及，香港足球的未來將會在不久的數月內決定，本人希望各位關心本地足壇的朋友們細心閱讀該計劃書，並共同將其信念傳達開去，大家務必與足總攜手並肩，能夠實踐「力爭上游 ， 萬眾一心」的願景。

 

請按此瀏覽《力爭上游 — 萬眾一心》的精華摘要

香港足球總會行政總裁薛基輔

二○一四年四月

Why it’s not a good idea to ‘outsource’ the management of a football club 「外判」球會管理權非上策

Why it’s not a good idea to ‘outsource’ the management of a football club

Until I came to Hong Kong, I was not familiar with the concept of ‘outsourcing’ the management of a football club. By outsourcing I mean delegating the responsibility for all football matters to a third party, a so-called ‘sponsor’. In reality these third party organisations are not ‘sponsors’ in the true sense of the word. A sponsor is a partner that provides funds in return for marketing rights and benefits. What we are dealing with here are individuals or companies that provide money to the ‘parent’ club in return for the opportunity to actually operate and run the football club. 

If a Club owner or Sports Association wants to be involved in football they should want to take responsibility for recruiting players and coaches and for controlling what happens on the pitch. Why be involved if you have no interest in these issues? The Clubs themselves are the ‘Members’ of the Hong Kong FA and have the ultimate responsibility for every aspect of the club and its teams. There is nothing in our Rules at the moment to preclude an ‘outsourcing arrangement’ but if a Club intends to do so, there are some pitfalls to avoid:

• The Club should know who it is outsourcing to – it should do due diligence on the individual or organization and understand exactly who they are dealing with and the motivations of the organization for getting involved. Dare I say it, they should be particularly careful if the people come from outside Hong Kong or if the ‘sponsor’ enters into similar agreements with yet another individual or organization which renders the club even further removed from the day to day operation of the club. It is the clubs’ responsibility to know these things.
• The club should make sure that they are dealing with a bone fide organization and not simply a ‘shell’ company.
• The Club should have a bone fide contract with the individual or organization that clearly sets out the different roles and responsibilities and confirms that the Club has the ultimate responsibility. The contract should not contain provisions that are prohibited under HKFA, AFC or FIFA Regulations e.g. conveying third party rights on transfers to the ‘sponsor’.
• The contract should be properly executed and be specific about; the rights and benefits, where the money is coming from and what it is being used for. 
• The Club should not delegate the recruitment of players or coaches to the ‘sponsor’ or the team selection. At all times the club should be able to control the behaviour of the players both on and off the pitch. This is a fundamental requirement and the minimum expectation of fans, media and in fact everyone involved in football.
• If the sponsor shows any suspicious behaviour such as money laundering, late payment of players, match-fixing etc, the Club has an obligation to report such matters to the appropriate authorities. It should not simply turn a blind eye to these activities.
• The Club should have contingency plans in case the ‘sponsor’ disappears mid-season or in case the money that has been promised fails to materialize. It is the club that has an obligation to the HKFA to be able to demonstrate that it can meet its liabilities including paying the players, not the ‘sponsor’.
• The club should maintain timely and accurate management accounts at all times and records of the due diligence.

The criteria for the new Premier League include provisions that require transparency in governance and management. Under the new League the potential for Clubs to get into difficulty through outsourcing arrangements should be substantially reduced.

Mark Sutcliffe February 2014

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「外判」球會管理權非上策

本人赴港工作之前，一直不熟悉球會管理權容許「外判」之觀念。「外判」一詞，本人將它解作為球會的一切大小事務皆由第三方(被稱為「贊助商」)全權負責。在現實世界中，以「贊助商」作為第三方的定義並不恰當，一般贊助商主要以財政資助的合作方式作為換取市場利益為主導，但這裡所指的是個別人士或公司透過金錢資助予「母」球會，以獲得球會運作及經營權之機會。

倘若球會持有人或體育會想涉足足球事業，那麼他們理應負責教練、球員等招募工作，以及掌管球場上的一切事務。如果對這些事情不感興趣，為何又要從事其中？球會是香港足球總會的「屬會成員」，理應對球會本身以至旗下球隊的各方面負責。目前沒有現行條例阻止有關「外判之安排」，若然球會仍以此方式經營，那麼必須避免墜入以下陷阱：

• 球會應該了解「外判者」的底蘊 — 球會應該慎重調查其個人的身份或公司背景，了解他們跟誰人往來，以及了解他們的參與動機。恕我直言，倘若來自非香港人士或「贊助商」與其他個別人士或公司達成共識而進一步將球會的日常管理權「判上判」的話，球會必須加以提防和有責任了解事情的來龍去脈。
• 球會應當確保與他們合作的是一間實際存在的機構，而非純粹是一間「空殼」公司。
• 球會應當與個別人士或組織簽訂具有法律效力之合約，並清楚列明雙方之責任及所擔任之角色，而球會負有最終責任。該合約之條款不應與香港足球總會、亞洲足協或國際足協之條例相抵觸。如將將第三方之權利轉讓至「贊助商」中。
• 應當正確執行合約內容，並仔細列明當中涉及之權利和利益、財政來源以及開支用途等。 
• 球會應當避免將球員買賣、招聘教練或球隊陣容之重任交託予「贊助商」中，球會應當時刻約束球員在場內場外之操守，這是球迷、傳媒以及每一位從事足球事業的人士對球會的基本要求和期望。
• 倘若贊助商涉嫌從事任何不法行為，諸如洗黑錢、拖延球員薪酬、非法操控賽果等，球會有責任將有關事情向合適機關舉報，而非採取姑息或無視的態度。
• 假若「贊助商」在球季中途突然失蹤或承諾所支付之金額未能兌現，球會應有一套緊急應變方案。同時，球會亦有責任向足總展示他們有能力應付債務問題，包括支付球員薪酬，而非由「贊助商」代勞。
• 球會應當時刻查閱及管理會計帳項，保持準確委當，並仔細審核相關記錄。

全新的香港職業聯賽所要求的參賽準則，包括要求各方在管治和管理方面能夠做到更加公開透明。在新聯賽之監管下，球會透過安排外判而遇到困境之機會將會大幅降低。

薜基輔

二○一四年二月

The Phoenix is Rising 鳳凰展翅翱翔

The Phoenix is Rising

The debate about the efficacy of Project Phoenix seems to be ‘hotting up’. In my previous blog I explained why the project is in no way connected with the current match-fixing allegations. If anything, the allegations reinforce the importance of Project Phoenix which is about improving the quality of football and ‘professionalising’ the 1st Division by introducing a new league based on a licence system. The licence criteria will demand transparency in; governance, management and financial arrangements. Ultimately, the Premier League should result in more money coming into the sport through increased gate receipts, sponsorship etc and as this cascades down to player wages, they will hopefully be less susceptible to corruption. So rather than saying ‘the sport is corrupt in Hong Kong and this proves Project Phoenix is not working’, people should be saying ‘football has a world-wide problem with corruption, Hong Kong is no different, but if we are to limit and reduce the problem, Project Phoenix and the new Premier League are essential’.

There are many other misconceptions about Project Phoenix and I hope through this blog to dispel some of them.

 

Please click on the full report for more details.

Mark Sutcliffe, CEO, January 2014

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鳳凰展翅翱翔

有關「鳳凰計劃」的議論，最近似乎變得日趨激烈。在早前的博客中，本人解釋了該計劃與目前所涉及的非法操控球賽指控上毫無關連。相反，如果情況屬實的話，有關指控將會增強了「鳳凰計劃」的重要性。在建基於牌照架構模式下的新聯賽，將會進一步提升球賽水平以及令本地甲組球會邁向「專業化」，而牌照準則將會要求球會在其管治、管理及財務安排上做到公開透明，最終在新職業聯賽的帶動下增加了門票收益和贊助費用，從而將所得款項用於改善球員待遇方面，這樣有助減低他們遭受貪污的影響。與其嚷著「香港的運動事業已受貪污所累，證明『鳳凰計劃』一無是處。」，大家不如說出「貪污罪行是全球性足球運動所共同面對的難題，香港亦無可避免，但我們可以遏止及杜絕惡行，而『鳳凰計劃』和新職業聯賽的出現正好解決當務之急。」

不少人士對於「鳳凰計劃」仍持有不少誤解，因此本人希望透過今次撰文能夠將相關疑慮一掃而空。

如欲瀏覽完整內容，請看這裡。

薜基輔, 行政總裁, 二○一四年一月

註：由於文中涉及大量專有名詞，敬請以英文版本為準！

Now more than ever, Football Stakeholders need to work together 從今開始 足球相關人士必須團結一致

Now more than ever, Football Stakeholders need to work together

As you can imagine, since my return from the UK most of my time has been taken up dealing with the well-publicised match-fixing allegations. I am not going to talk about the cases that are currently being investigated by the ICAC because it is an on-going situation. Suffice to say we have worked closely with the ICAC, not just in relation to the current allegations but on an on-going basis. There is a regular dialogue and sharing of information. This is always on a strict confidential basis. I applaud their diligence and am grateful for their determination to prevent corruption in all its forms.

It is important to note that in relation to these latest allegations, although arrests have been made, no-one has been found guilty of an offence. So my comments below are general remarks and do not relate to any individuals or clubs. However the fact that this has happened disappoints and frustrates me on many levels.

Firstly on a personal level, I detest cheats. Sport has been a constant and dominating force throughout my life. I have been a player, a coach, a manager and more recently an administrator. The majority of the positive things that have happened to me are a direct result of sport whether it is personal achievement, friendships, cultural understanding or the shear pleasure of competition. If you play sport for its intrinsic value you learn to win with humility and to lose graciously. You accept pleasure, pain, anger, elation, humiliation, respect and just about every other human emotion. Therefore I find it totally abominable that some people seek to abuse the purity of competition for personal greed and gain. They destroy the very essence of sport. 

That is why I am glad that this investigation is taking place. It is time to do whatever we can to clean up our sport. The HKFA will cooperate fully with the investigation and adopt a zero-tolerance approach to anyone found guilty. Our resolve to sort this out should not be doubted.

Secondly I am disappointed that some people are using this unfortunate incident to denigrate Project Phoenix. The undeniable fact is that match-fixing is a global sports issue. It is not restricted to football or Hong Kong. There are cheats in every sport and there have been since sport was first created. Cricket, cycling, tennis even snooker to name a few have all had problems recently. It is particularly prevalent and high profile in football because it is a global sport that attracts huge betting and media interest. There have been allegations of match-manipulation investigated in over 60 countries in the last two years. So why should Hong Kong be any different? Since I started work here I have been consistent in saying that corruption is a threat and that there are certain characteristics of the local game that make it more susceptible. It is a fact that players, coaches, referees and club officials are paid relatively badly compared to other countries and professions. Furthermore we are in a part of Asia where this kind of corruption is rife. Betting on local football is not legal within our own territory and is therefore difficult to monitor.

So no-one should be surprised that these allegations have come to light, (indeed it has happened here before) but to link it to the Government funded project to transform football and to say that that initiative is not working, is both unjust and missing the point.

Project Phoenix is about improving the whole sport including the governance, administration, partnerships, activities and programmes, structures, systems, facilities etc. It is a roots and branches transformation process. Professional football is only one component of the plan. Whilst the Clubs are Members of the Association, they are independent entities and most of what they do currently falls outside the remit of the HKFA.

If anything, these allegations reinforce the need for Project Phoenix. The whole point of the project is to enhance the quality of football being played in Hong Kong through the systematic development of players. Better quality on the pitch should over time make the local game a product that people will want to watch and this will bring back the crowds and commercial income streams. As the money in the sport increases people should be less vulnerable to corruption.

The other important part of Project Phoenix that this incident strengthens the need for, is of course the establishment of a new Premier League. As I have previously stated, the rationale for this initiative is to ‘professionalise’ the top tier of football in Hong Kong. It is to be based on a Licence system and as part of the Licence application process, clubs will need to explain their ownership, governance and management arrangements. They will also have to demonstrate financial transparency and submit audited accounts.

During the establishment of the new League, the HKFA will continue to work with the ICAC and we will be educating players, coaches, referees and officials on match-fixing, corruption, doping and discrimination. We will implement a Fraud Prevention system because we want the league to be as ethically sound as possible because that is the only way that fans and sponsors will want to get involved. We will also introduce a Fraud Detection system to monitor our matches and flag up any suspicious activity.

I understand why some people may want to distance themselves from Hong Kong football right now but I would ask them to bear in mind that this is a global, not a Hong Kong issue and is restricted to a few corrupt individuals over which the HKFA currently has little influence. I would also remind them that we are being proactive in sorting out the problems. Project Phoenix is instrumental in addressing the difficulties and can be the catalyst for a new era. Rather than hiding in the shadows sniping at the HKFA and specifically Project Phoenix, we need all of the football stakeholders in Hong Kong to stand shoulder to shoulder, to maintain the faith in the long term future of football in Hong Kong and to work together to uphold the integrity of the sport.

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從今開始   足球相關人士必須團結一致

自從英國回來後，你可以想像我就一直忙於處理有關賽場上涉嫌非法操控賽事的事件，由於案件正在進入調查階段，因此我未能談及關於香港廉政公署的調查內容，只能透露我們與香港廉政公署一直保持緊密合作，並非純粹就目前指控方面的交流，而是雙方過去一直保持良好的合作關係，相互交流信息，並會堅守對有關資訊採取保密原則， 本人對於廉署堅決執行打擊貪污的工作予以高度讚揚和心存感激。

對於最近有關的指控，縱使有個別人士被捕，但暫時沒有一人被定罪，因此本人以下的見解並非針對任何人士或球會，但事實上我已遭受到不同程度的打擊及感到失望。

首先在個人而言，我痛恨欺騙的行為。運動過去是我人生中一股永恆不變的重要力量，我曾經是一名運動員、一位教練、一名經理甚至成為一位現任的行政人員，大部分在我身上所發生的事情都是正面的，無論是個人成就、友誼、文化知識或比賽所帶來的歡愉，都是源自於運動所帶來的結果。倘若你參與運動並掌握它的真實價值時，你便能夠從中學懂如何謙遜地取得勝利以及如何不失風度地輸掉比賽，你能夠接受喜悅、痛楚、憤怒、 興高采烈、羞辱、尊敬以及任何人類情感。因此，本人非常厭惡某些人以一己之欲或自我利益，試圖褻瀆賽事的純潔，以摧毀運動的核心價值。

這正是本人對於今次採取調查行動欣慰的原因，這時機正好讓我們保持運動上的廉潔，香港足球總會將會對調查工作作出全面配合並對任何犯罪人士採取零容忍的態度，堅決肅清貪污行為是毋庸置疑的。

其次，本人對於某些人士將今次不幸事件以詆毀「鳳凰計劃」而深表失望，毫無疑問非法操控賽事屬於全球運動必須應對的事件，並非局限於香港足球運動。自從運動的出現，任何類型的賽事都會有詐騙情況發生，木球、單車、網球以至桌球比賽的作弊行為亦時有聽聞，在足球賽事上特別受到關注的原因，全因它屬於風行全球的運動，當中吸引龐大的賭注及傳媒興趣，在過去兩年中全球超過六十個國家都出現非法操控賽事的調查，那麼為何香港屬於異類？自從我在這裡任職後，一直反覆強調貪污行為是重大危害 ，容易令部分本土賽事變得較為敏感，事實上，相對其他國家或專業球隊而言，香港球員、教練、裁判員以及球會職員待遇條件較低；再者，我們屬於亞洲地區的一部分，而這類貪污行為亦相對普遍。眾所周知，在香港本土範圍內賭博本地足球賽事屬於非法行為，導致變得難以監管。

因此，這類涉嫌指控的事件曝光是毋須驚訝的(事實上同類事件亦曾經出現)，但將它與香港特區政府資助下的改革本地足球計劃聯繫在一起，認為相關措施不切實際，完全屬於無的放矢及欠缺公允的指控。

「鳳凰計劃」是改善足球運動事業的綜合項目，包括管治、行政、合作模式、活動及計劃、架構、系統和設施等，這是一項全面改革的過程，專業足球在計劃中僅是其中一個單元，當球會成為了本會的屬會會員而變成了獨立的企業後，目前大部分球會所做的事情已經超越香港足球總會的管轄範圍外。

總而言之，有關指控增強了「鳳凰計劃」的需要。計劃中的整個重心是透過系統化培育球員，以提高香港足球賽事的水平。賽事質素經過年月的改進變得愈來愈高，增加了賽事的觀賞性，因而吸引了更多球迷入場，商業贊助亦會增多。隨著透過比賽的收入不斷增加，球場人士自然減少受賄的意欲。

「鳳凰計劃」的另一個重要部分是今次事件提高了成立香港職業聯賽的需要性。如本人早前所述，這項措施方案的理念是將香港足球賽事的最高級別定向為「專業化」，並以牌照制度為依歸，在牌照申請的過程中，球會必須對其擁有、管治和管理上的安排等作出解釋，同時亦能展示球會的財政透明度及需要呈交已審核的會計帳目。

在新聯賽成立期間，香港足球總會將與香港廉政公署繼續合作，教育球員、教練、裁判員及其他相關人士有關非法操控賽事、貪污、濫用藥物及歧視行為的嚴重性。此外，本會將會實施防止舞弊機制，因為我們希望新聯賽變得更加廉潔，因為這是吸引球迷及贊助商的唯一途徑。本會同時亦會引入偵測舞弊機制，以監管所有賽事及舉報任何涉嫌的活動。

本人明白部分人士捨棄及遠離香港足球的原因，但本人希望他們牢記一點，這是一項全球性而非單一性的香港事例，並局限於為數不多的受賄人士，因此香港足球總會所能改變的能力有限。本人亦希望他們明白我們必須主動解決當前問題，「鳳凰計劃」是解決香港足球事業困局的唯一良方並能成為開創新紀元的催化劑。與其隱藏於背後狙擊本會以及「鳳凰計劃」，我們更需要全港與足球相關的人士攜手並肩，一起維繫對香港足球長遠未來的信心，並萬眾一心維護運動的正直廉潔。