FIFA Presidential Elections February 2016

Introduction


In a few weeks’ time on 26th February there will be an Extraordinary Meeting of the FIFA Congress. There will be two main items on the Agenda. The first relates to a request for the Congress to approve the recommendations of the Reform Committee (see discussion below). The second (and the one which will undoubtedly generate most media attention) is the election of a new President. The deadline for candidates to formally present their nominations, with support of at least of five national associations, was 26 October 2015. On 28 October 2015, FIFA announced the names of the seven candidates to replace Sepp Blatter as its president. On 9 November 2015, the Ad-hoc Electoral Committee admitted and declared five candidates eligible to stand for election to the office of FIFA President. These are as follows (in the order that they announced their intention to stand):


· Prince Ali Al Hussein (Jordan), FIFA Vice-President; runner-up in the previous election; re-announced his bid on 9 September 2015.


· Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa (Bahrain), President of the Asian Football Confederation; announced his bid on 15 October 2015.


· Jérôme Champagne (France), former executive at FIFA from 1999 to 2010; announced his bid on 23 October 2015.


· Tokyo Sexwale (South Africa), South African businessman; announced his bid on 25 October 2015.


· Gianni Infantino (Italy/Switzerland), UEFA General Secretary; announced his bid on 26 October 2015.

Mr Blatter has been President for 18 years and so the election of a new President under ordinary circumstances would be a big thing. However given that his ‘reign’ as ended in ignominy and that FIFA is about as low as it could get in terms of reputation and credibility, these elections are nothing short of monumental. It is imperative that the FIFA Membership elects the right person. Football is in desperate need of transformation. FIFA needs strong leadership from someone who can galvanize and sustain real change. It needs a person with vision, knowledge and passion and someone who can unite the many football stakeholders not least the Member Associations and Confederations. It is not a job for the faint-hearted; very strong personal characteristics will be required. Tenacity, energy, determination and a very thick skin are all pre-requisites. An excellent communicator will be required because the eyes and ears of the world will be constant companions. It goes without saying that the integrity and honesty of the President should be beyond question.


The new President will also need to be a good listener, negotiator and diplomat. The ability to assess, balance and reconcile different opinions and demands is a key skill of any leader but particularly in a world-wide sport where endless diversity is both a virtue and a challenge.


The reform of FIFA will be a difficult job but also what an opportunity for the right person. The recent failures within FIFA have been very damaging but there are still so many positives on which to build, not least the fact that the organization is financially sound and that there is universal desire for change. Football is and will remain the world’s most popular sport. As such it needs the best governance.


So who are the candidates and what do they stand for:


Summary of Candidates


Each candidate is presented below including a short biography and a summary of their manifesto. More details on each candidate can be found in their manifestos all of which can be found on the internet.


Prince Ali Al Hussein


Profile


Prince Ali was born on 23 December 1975 and is the third son of King Hussein, and the second child of the King by his third wife, Queen Alia. Prince Ali began his primary education at the Islamic Educational College in Amman. He continued his studies in the United Kingdom and the United States and graduated from Salisbury School in Connecticut in 1993, where he excelled in wrestling.


He entered the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in the United Kingdom. Prince Ali was commissioned as an officer in December 1994 and was awarded the Brunei Medal for serving in Brunei. Before continuing his studies in the United States, he served in the Jordanian Special Forces as a pathfinder, earning his military freefall parachute wings. He completed his undergraduate education at Princeton University in 1999. Prince Ali is fluent in Arabic, English, and Circassian.


Prince Ali is president of the Jordan Football Association. He is also the founder and president of the West Asian Football Federation, and under his presidency the membership has increased to 13 countries.


Prince Ali announced his candidacy for FIFA President, representing Asia, on 7 October 2010. Ali's campaign focused on change, football ideals, and uniting and raising the profile of Asian countries, within FIFA and generally. Prince Ali won the election for the position of FIFA Vice President, representing Asia (25 votes to 20 for his opponent Dr Chung Mong-joon) at the AFC Congress in Doha, Qatar, on 6 January 2011. As FIFA Vice President, Prince Ali served as a member of both the FIFA Executive Committee and the AFC Executive Committee.


Prince Ali successfully championed the lifting of FIFA's ban on the hijab in women's football. Prince Ali was one of a number of FIFA officials to call for the publication of the Garcia Report into allegations of corruption surrounding Russia and Qatar's bids for the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups.


Prince Ali lost the 2015 FIFA Presidency election to Sepp Blatter after withdrawing before second round voting took place.


Manifesto – Summary


The document prepared by Prince Ali is excellent; well written and presented. It is succinct and articulate and is based on some strong values including leadership, reform and transparency. There is a heavy focus on working to serve Member Associations and a commitment to increase the annual FAP from USD250k per annum to USD1,000k per annum.


Prince Ali’s Game Plan 1 is: Restoring FIFA’s credibility and reputation based on:


· A, credible collaborative management


· B, 21st Century Governance


Game Plan 2 is: Serving Football and the Member Associations based on:


· A, Football Development – everywhere and for everyone


· B, Guardian of the World’s Game


· C, FIFA World Cup – review bidding process and number of teams etc


· D, Stronger Financial Foundation


· E, Protecting Players, Fans and the Integrity of the Game


The Manifesto put forward by Prince Ali is a workable, pragmatic yet visionary document. He is undoubtedly a strong candidate with a clear strategy to reform FIFA. Prince Ali should get credit for standing against Sepp Blatter at the last election and for the dignified way with which he conducted himself during the campaign and on the day of the election. As a relatively young man he undoubtedly has the drive, ambition and energy to address the myriad problems faced by FIFA, not least restoring some credibility and faith from all stakeholders in football.


Shaik Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa

Profile


Shaik Salmon was born on 2 November 1965 in Riffa, (Bahrain) and has been the President of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) since 2 May 2013. Before his election as the president of AFC, he was president of Bahrain Football Association and also Chairman of the Asian Football Confederation Disciplinary Committee, and Deputy Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee. Shaikh Salman Bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa is a member of the Bahrain Royal Family. He graduated from University of Bahrain in 1992 with a bachelor's degree in English Literature and History. Shaikh Salman has been involved in football for many years dating back to the 1980s when he played in the youth team of Bahrain Division I team, Riffa Club.


Since leaving Riffa Club to focus on his academic studies, Shaikh Salman has held executive positions at the BFA. In 1996, he was appointed Chairman of the National Team, elected Vice President two years later and eventually became the Football Association’s president in 2002. He has also served as the Co-Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee at several FIFA Tournaments such as, the FIFA World Cups, FIFA Beach Tournaments, FIFA Club Championships, etc. He was also Deputy Chairman of the FIFA Disciplinary Committee at Beijing in 2008.


On 15 October 2015, Sheikh Salman announced his candidature to become the next president of FIFA after the election of February 2016. His candidature has aroused some criticism in certain quarters from human rights organizations for allegedly heading a committee that identified 150 athletes, including international footballers, involved in pro-democracy demonstrations in 2011. He strenuously denies the allegations.


Manifesto – Summary


The Manifesto of Shaik Salmon as would be expected contains many of the themes set out by all candidates. The sub-title of the document says it all ‘World Football – Redefined, Restructured and Revitalised’. If elected, Shaik Salmon intends to adopt a less hands-on approach than previous Presidents and will appoint a CEO to report to him. He also intends to restructure FIFA to separate the ‘commercial’ interests from the ‘football programme’ interests.


Under his leadership there would be a focus on; grassroots football, technical activities, women’s football, infrastructure development, ‘soft’ programmes and social responsibility.


The document confirms the need to strengthen relationships with Member Associations and implies that future financial support will be ‘needs-based’. There is no mention of specific financial support to MAs.


Again as expected there is much in the document to do with improved governance of FIFA, accountability and integrity. Shaik Salmon envisages a less political and more inclusive FIFA.



As President of the AFC, Shaik Salmon is sure to get significant backing. With his experience, contacts and track record, he is a strong candidate and if appointed will surely oversee a radical transformation of FIFA.



Jérôme Champagne

Profile


Mr Champagne was born on June 15, 1958 in Paris and is a former French diplomat who served from 1983 to 1998, and then became a consultant in international football, serving as an executive at FIFA from 1999 to 2010.


He transitioned from diplomacy to football as a result of the 1998 FIFA World Cup, where he was Diplomatic Advisor and Chief of Protocol of the French organizing committee. He then joined FIFA where he successively held the positions of international adviser to the President (1999–2002), Deputy Secretary General (2002–05), Delegate of the President (2005–07) and finally Director of International Relations (2007–10) during the terms of President Sepp Blatter.


He left FIFA in 2010 and became football commissioner for the World Festival of Black Arts in Dakar (2010) and an adviser to the Palestinian Football Federation (PFA) and the Palestine Olympic Committee (POC), the Football Federation of Kosovo, the Cyprus Turkish Football Federation (CTFA) and finally the Congolese football club TP Mazembe of Lubumbashi.


Mr Champagne was one of many wanting to challenge Blatter in FIFA's 2015 election for its presidency. He declared himself a candidate in September 2014, but withdrew in February 2015 after failing to get enough support


During the eleven years spent in FIFA, Mr Champagne followed sport-political issues, relations with FIFA member associations as well as specific projects such as the FIFA Centennial, FIFA's relations with governments and the European Union including the defense of the specificity of sport at the EU, the Win in Africa with Africa initiative, FIFA's support for Palestinian football, the improvements in FIFA's relationship with FIFPro for the good of the governance of world football, the development of CIES Football Observatory, and FIFA's relations with the International Olympic Committee and other international federations.


Manifesto – Summary

Again (unsurprisingly) there are many similarities in the Jerome Champagne Manifesto. Entitled Hope For Football – Re-balance the Game in a Globalised 21st Century, many of the themes are consistent with other candidates. The main facets of the strategy are:

1. For a FIFA that is more democratic, more representative of the world and more inclusive

1.1. Strengthening the role of national associations
1.2. Adapting institutions to an evolving world
1.3. Acknowledging the role of confederations
1.4. Engaging the stakeholders in the decision-making process
1.5. Completing the membership roster of FIFA

2. For a rebalanced football and a more equitably shared globalization

2.1. Placing the struggle against the imbalances of football at the center of FIFA action
2.2. Strengthening financial assistance support for the least privileged associations
2.3. Assisting national associations to help their leagues and clubs
2.4. Building 400 football pitches in four years
2.5. Establishing a special program for insular associations in Oceania and the Caribbean
2.6. Setting up task forces for “continental country” associations
2.7. Establishing a central procurement office at the service of football

3. For a governance suitable to the twenty-first century

3.1. Governing by example
3.2. Initiating a cost reduction program exclusive of development expenditures
3.3. Strengthening FIFA administration
3.4. Negotiating a global collective bargaining agreement between players and clubs
3.5. Revitalizing participation and debates within FIFA
3.6. Strengthening the world presence of FIFA

It is interesting that the number 1 priority is strengthening the role of the Member Associations. Mr Champagne also envisages a more inclusive FIFA with closer working ties with MAs. This would include establishing a new Division within the FIFA Secretariat especially for this purpose. Mr Champagne advocates doubling the FAP given to each Member to USD500k.

The Champagne Manifesto is also well thought through and progressive. He has a lot of football-related experience and a deep knowledge of FIFA, both good and bad.


Tokyo Sexwale

Profile


Mr Sexwale was born on 5 March 1953 and is a South African businessman, politician, anti-apartheid activist, and former political prisoner. A charismatic leader, Sexwale was imprisoned on Robben Island for his anti-apartheid activities, alongside figures such as Nelson Mandela. After the 1994 general election—the first fully democratic election in South Africa—Sexwale became the Premier of Gauteng Province. Later, he served in the government of South Africa as Minister of Human Settlements from 2009 to 2013 was a member of the organising committee for the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was held in South Africa. Following the World Cup he was picked by FIFA to join its Fair Play Committee and act as a FIFA ambassador against racism.


Manifesto – Summary

Of the five Manifestos this is perhaps the least sophisticated in terms of presentation. Nevertheless it contains the expected core strands built around the following framework;

1. Enhanced Democratisation of FIFA
2. Growing and Developing Football Worldwide
3. Hands on President with a Personal Touch
4. Boosting the Coffers of Associations
5. Anti-Racism to occupy Centre Stage
6. Confederations – The Six Pillars of FIFA
7. Numbers Tell a Story (balancing the inequalities)
8. FIFA World Cup
9. FIFA International Advisory Board
10. In Defence of Sponsor Activism
11. Protection of Players from Exploitation and Prevention of Football Trafficking

Mr Sexwale proposes a much more active role for the President than for example Shaik Salmon. It is clear that he would be very hands on and it is also very clear that he would look to refocus the distribution of FIFA resources to ‘developing’ countries, particularly in his native Africa. There has been some speculation in the media that he will withdraw his candidacy prior to the election but at the time of writing this has not happened.


Gianni Infantino

Profile

Gianni Infantino was born on 23 March 1970 in Brig, Switzerland. He is of Italian origin. He studied law at the University of Fribourg (Switzerland) and speaks Italian, French, German, English, and Spanish fluently.

Prior to joining UEFA, Gianni Infantino worked as the Secretary General of the International Centre for Sports Studies (CIES) at the University of Neuchâtel, having previously been an adviser to a variety of football bodies in Italy, Spain and Switzerland.

Gianni Infantino is currently the General Secretary of UEFA, a position he has held since October 2009. Since his appointment, he has been part of a leadership team which has helped to further strengthen both national team and club football in Europe, and UEFA's role as a respected and credible international governing body.

At the helm of UEFA's administration, Gianni Infantino has intensified UEFA's work to provide a sustainable environment for European football, through initiatives such as Financial Fair Play, improved commercial support to national associations of all sizes and the development of UEFA's competitions at every level of the game. He oversaw the expansion of UEFA Euro 2016 to 24 teams and played an integral role in the conception of the UEFA Nations League and the UEFA Euro 2020 that will see the tournament take place in 13 European nations. He is currently also serving as a member of FIFA's Reform Committee.

A multilingual lawyer, Gianni Infantino came to UEFA in August 2000, working on a range of legal, commercial and professional football matters, and was appointed Director of UEFA's Legal Affairs and Club Licensing Division in January 2004. Throughout this time he also led UEFA's work in fostering close contacts with the European Union, the Council of Europe and governmental authorities. He was promoted to Deputy General Secretary in 2007 and again to GS in 2009.


Manifesto – Summary

The Manifesto of Mr Infantino ‘Taking Football Forward’ is very thorough, comprehensive and well presented. It contains all of the areas of focus that would be expected built around three ‘pillars’ and eleven ‘principles’. These are:

· Pillar 1: Reforms and Good Governance – structural and cultural
· Pillar 2: Democracy and Participation – practical and meaningful involvement of Member Associations
· Pillar 3: Football Development – placing football at the heart of FIFA and MAs from the grass roots through to the World Cup

The 11 principles are:

1. Strategy
2. Separation of Powers and Functions
3. Good Governance
4. Transparency
5. Independence
6. Equality
7. Participation
8. Diversity
9. Solidarity
10. Modernity
11. Representation

Mr Infantino is an experienced football administrator and this has enabled him to put together a very credible and effective Manifesto. It is important to note that he pledges giving each Member Association an increase in FAP from USD250k to at least USD1.25m. This is significant. He also stresses increasing the number of team in the World Cup to 40 (6 in Asia). With his experience and vision Mr Infantino must be seen as a realistic contender, especially with the expected backing of UEFA.

Discussion

All five candidates have published Manifestos and not surprisingly these are all very similar in content and themes. The main focus tends to be on the reform of FIFA and the implementation of policies and strategies to improve the transparency of governance. All candidates state their intention to be more inclusive and work in partnership with Member Associations.


The voting will be by secret ballot at the Extraordinary Congress due to be held in Zurich on 26th February. All 209 Member Associations will have one vote. The HKFA President will cast the vote on behalf of the HKFA. Although the Electoral Committee has yet to confirm the arrangements, it is assumed that to be successful in round 1 of the voting a candidate must secure two-thirds of the eligible votes. If a second or subsequent round is required, the successful candidate will just require a simple majority.


It is quite possible that candidates might withdraw their candidacy prior to the actual election. Furthermore there will be Confederation meetings the day before the election takes place. So for example, the AFC is due to meet on 25th February. On the day of the election the standing candidates will have an opportunity to address the Congress and to make their case for election.


Based on the candidates’ profile and proposals contained within their Manifestos football can expect a big change whoever is appointed. I believe that there are five capable and credible contenders and whoever is elected, FIFA is on the verge of positive change. There has never been a better or more opportune time to rebuild the leadership, executive and administrative infrastructure of FIFA and with it the credibility that has been lost. The world is waiting and I for one am very excited about the future. Football deserves better than we have had in the past and like all football fans I sincerely hope that we are on the threshold of a new era.


Reform Proposals

As mentioned above, delegates will also be asked to vote on a package of reforms. These will be the starting point for the new President. The reforms can be summarized as follows:

· Clear separation between “political” and management functions: The FIFA Council (replacing the FIFA Executive Committee) is responsible for setting the organisation’s overall strategic direction, while the General Secretariat oversees the operational and commercial actions required to effectively execute that strategy.

· Term limits for the FIFA President, FIFA Council members and members of the Audit and Compliance Committee and of the judicial bodies (max. 12 years).

· Election of Council members supervised by FIFA and in accordance with FIFA’s own electoral regulations; all candidates subject to comprehensive eligibility and integrity checks conducted by an independent FIFA Review Committee.

· Greater recognition and promotion of women in football with a minimum of one female representative elected as a Council member per confederation; promotion of women as an explicit statutory objective of FIFA to create a more diverse decision-making environment and culture.

· Disclosure of individual compensation on an annual basis of the FIFA President, all FIFA Council members, the Secretary General and relevant chairpersons of independent standing and judicial committees.

· Enhanced control of money flows.

· Universal good governance principles for confederations and member associations.

· FIFA’s commitment to human rights to be enshrined in the FIFA Statutes.

· New Football Stakeholder Committee to ensure greater transparency and inclusion through broader stakeholder representation (including players, clubs and leagues).

These proposals represent a good start and I have no doubt that the Congress will approve them. I also hope that whoever is elected as President will expand and build on the transformation process. Football needs a paradigm shift and real philosophical and institutional change. Altering the constitution and statutes is the easy bit, shifting the mindset and culture will be more challenging.

I will do my small part in helping the new President to give football the governing body it deserves and craves. Bring on the election and let the reforms begin – personally I can’t wait.



Mark Sutcliffe, February 2016

A fruitful year to remember

I can’t believe that another ‘Gregorian’ year is nearly over and I head back to the UK tonight to spend Christmas and New Year with my family.

2015 has been a busy and successful year at the HKFA. Some of the highlights have been:

·         Securing an additional five-year funding programme from the Government

·         Entering into a new five-year partnership with the HK Jockey Club for football development

·         Moving a step closer to the construction of the Football Training Centre by having the capital and       land approved by the Jockey Club and the Government respectively

·         Being awarded the ‘Developing’ Member Association of the year award by the AFC

Of course the performance of the Hong Kong Representative Team in 2015 has been nothing short of amazing. Even the most optimistic person could not have predicted that we would finish the year in second place in the group. The two nil, nil draws against neighbours and rivals China were hard to watch but magnificent spectacles. The passion of the Coach and team was equaled by that of the crowd and will live long in the memory. We fully deserve our current FIFA ranking of 137 which is the highest it has been since 2007.

I would like to thank my colleagues, the Board, our partners and all football stakeholders for their help and support in 2015. It has been a pleasure and a privilege to lead the organization. It will be difficult to match the 2015 success in 2016 but I will do my best and I know everyone else will too. I will do everything possible to continue the enhancement and development of Hong Kong football. I am of the opinion that 2015 marks the turnaround in the fortunes of Hong Kong football. Of course things are not perfect and there is room for a lot of improvement. At least now we have the resources and strategy to move forward positively.

On the other hand 2015 has been a disaster for FIFA! Let’s hope that 2016 is more fortuitous for our Governing Body; let’s face it, it can’t be any worse. We are due to get a new President in February and a reform programme has already been drawn up. I hope that FIFA will stop imploding and provide the leadership that the World’s most popular sport deserves.

Christmas is a joyous time but also a time to reflect that not everyone enjoys such good fortune. There are a lot of people in the World who are suffering right now and my heart goes out to them; I know how lucky I am. Closer to home there are tragedies too and I am shocked and saddened by the recent traffic accident that has torn apart the life of one of our women’s representative team players, Gigi. I know that no words will bring comfort or ease the pain but everyone at the HKFA is thinking about all of those who have been affected. We will help in any way we can.

It just remains for me to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Mark Sutcliffe, December 2015

Football Training Centre – Tseung Kwan O (Progress Report)

Introduction and Context

I have been asked to write a blog about the FTC – so here goes.

A FTC for Hong Kong has been in discussion and planning for a considerable period of time, over a decade in fact. There is no question that it is desperately needed as a dedicated base for football development activity across Hong Kong.

As identified in the HKFA strategy, the development of football in Hong Kong is being compromised by a lack of quality footballers, coaches and officials. The ‘peripatetic’ nature of facility allocation and use at the highest level of the sport is detrimental. A dedicated, exclusive and purpose built facility would provide significantly better opportunities for the training of players, coaches and officials and be a catalyst for the long term systematic improvement of football.

There is also a lack of accessible good quality football facilities in Hong Kong at the District and Regional level. Additional pitches with ancillary facilities at Tseung Kwan O could fill the gap within the Sai Kung District freeing up existing community facilities for general public use.

Rationale

The HKFTC would be the ‘nerve centre’ for football in Hong Kong and be the catalyst to drive and improve the quality of football. The centre would be a major asset in the development of players, coaches and referees.

The vision and aspiration for the FTC is as follows:

·         The home of Hong Kong Football and the centre for football training, education, learning and career development. 

·         The training base for all Hong Kong national and junior teams and would encompass the training of coaches, referees and administrators.

·         The HKFTC will create a legacy for future generations of football in Hong Kong.

·         A High Performance Centre for Elite footballers in Hong Kong

·         A community football centre

It is important that the FTC is not seen as an isolated project. It is in fact a key part of the football development strategy. This development was a key recommendation of Project Phoenix. The new five-year strategy, Aiming High - Together reinforces the need for the centre which will provide football with the infrastructure it needs to train and educate the footballers, coaches and officials of tomorrow.

Facilities

The core of the revised plan is six football pitches (three natural turf and 3 artificial). These will be supported by associated infrastructure including; access road, fencing, floodlights, car park and temporary buildings to house changing rooms, showers, toilets, offices, classroom, gym, storage etc.

The temporary nature of the buildings means that this is seen as a phase 1. A future phase 2 is envisaged which would include more permanent structures and additional pitches (subject to land availability).

Progress of the Scheme

The HKFA submitted an application to the HKJC Charities Trust in March 2015. On 27^th April the Charities Trust approved the application and awarded the HKFA a sum of HK$133 million for the development of the TKO Football Training Centre. This included the HK$102.7m previously awarded in 2005 and a new award of HK$30.3m. The HKFA received a letter on 28^th May confirming the award and setting out the conditions that will apply. The HKFA has subsequently confirmed its acceptance of these terms.

The HKFA intends to operate the facilities through a newly established subsidiary company and the Board of the HKFA has agreed to underwrite the operating deficit of the centre (estimated to be circa HK$3m per annum). A multi-stakeholder Steering Committee will be established to oversee the development and construction. A specialist Project Manager will be appointed to assist. 

The project Steering Group of the Government’s Landfill Revitalisation Scheme has agreed in principle the release of the land. The HKFA met (23^rd October) with a Government Inter-Departmental Working Party to identify key issues and to confirm the various roles and responsibilities of each relevant Government Department. This was a useful first meeting.

The HKFA has also met with the MTR Corporation in view of the proximity of the site to the Lohas Park MTR station and to discuss ways in which access to the facilities can be incorporated.

The HKFA has prepared tender documents for the appointment of a Project Manager (PM). The role of the PM will be to advise the HKFA on all technical matters and to liaise with Government Departments and other stakeholders. The PM will also be responsible for preparing tender documents for the construction project and for the appointment and subsequent supervision of design and build contractors. The PM position has been advertised in accordance with the HKFA procurement policy and ICAC advice on procurement and it is hoped that an appointment will be confirmed in December.       

Conclusion

The proposed Football Training Centre is fundamental to the delivery of the Strategic Plan. Additional pitches are desperately needed at all levels but particularly for the training and development of elite players. Recently the project has moved a number of steps closer with the award of a capital grant from the HKJC Charities Trust and the allocation of the land by the Government. The HKFA has started to meet with the various stakeholders, in particular a Government inter-departmental working group. A PM will be appointed in the near future and will commence work as a consultant to the HKFA in January. 

If all goes to plan the facility will be ready by mid to late 2017.

Mark Sutcliffe, CEO November 2015

Hong Kong V China Footnote

I note with concern and disappointment that the mainland tabloid Global Times has criticized the behavior of the Hong Kong fans and called for FIFA to impose ‘severe penalties’ against the HKFA. I would like to make a few observations about this:

·         Firstly they are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill. Most observers agree that the vast majority of fans from both sides behaved impeccably and that generally it was a good natured, if lively crowd. At one point both sets of fans even participated in a Mexican wave. Any negative behavior including booing the anthem and jeering opposing fans was actually limited in scale and took place before the match. During the match and afterwards there was no trouble at all.

·         The Global Times fails to recognize that the negative behavior referred to above was largely incited by the ridiculous CFA poster campaign. It may also have been exacerbated by the rather arrogant statements made by certain members of the China delegation before the match that they would be going home with three points. That was disrespectful and unsporting. Maybe the fact that some humble pie was necessary after the match has led to this latest stance. I wonder, would they be demanding this action had they won the match?

·         Personally I don’t think it is appropriate for a newspaper to be seeking to influence FIFA, they should report the news, not try to create it. One of the things that sickens me most when watching a football match is when players try to persuade the referee to caution an opponent. This is tantamount to the same thing.

·         I believe the Global Times is state controlled. Article 17 of the FIFA statutes confirms that ‘Each Member (Association) shall manage its affairs independently and with no influence from third parties’. Perhaps they should be a bit careful in this regard. Fortunately I have no doubt that FIFA will make its own decisions (which I accept could be a further sanction) and will simply ignore this petulant request.

I also believe that the CFA has lodged a complaint with FIFA about the alleged ‘ghost’ goal. Seriously, what is the point? The match is over, get over it, the result is not going to be changed. Hong Kong was on the receiving end of an abysmal decision in our recent match against Thailand. We could have complained but we didn’t. Similarly we could have complained about the fact that one of the China players was only booked and not sent off for a cynical and clearly premeditated horror tackle on Jaimes McKee in the first minute. We could have complained that our goal was disallowed when their goalkeeper fumbled the ball and fell over, we didn’t. I can understand why they are upset about the decision but this is football. As I stated in my previous blog, if you are going to play sport you have to accept that occasionally you will be given harsh and sometimes incorrect decisions.

That’s life.

The poet Rudyard Kipling put it more eloquently than I can when he wrote…”If you can meet Triumph and Disaster, and treat these two imposters just the same……you’ll be a Man, my son”.

Mark Sutcliffe,  November 2015        

The Phoenix has Risen

I want to start with a bit of context. In terms of land mass China is nearly 9,000 times bigger than Hong Kong. It has a population almost 200 times the size of Hong Kong. The China football team is ranked 61 places above Hong Kong (November FIFA Rankings). The number of professional clubs, players and the resources at their disposal similarly dwarfs Hong Kong football.

Despite these advantages they could not score a single goal against us in over three hours of football. This is a remarkable performance. To me these two draws are at least as big an achievement as the 1985 victory because let’s be honest, in those days football in China was, at best, embryonic. There was no professional league in China until 1994, whereas Hong Kong had had one for decades.

I’m not going to talk about the disallowed goal when it appears that the ball crossed our line. There is no goal line technology at Mong Kok so we will never know for sure. These types of incidents happen from time to time and if you are involved in football, indeed all sports, you have to accept that you have to take the rough with the smooth. I’ve got over (just) Frank Lampard’s disallowed goal against Germany in the 2010 World Cup, so China will have to get over this, as I’m sure they will when the rawness is gone.

Our team rode its luck in the away match (China had 40 attempts on goal) and I have made that point in a previous blog. Last night I thought it was much more even and although they had more possession and hit the woodwork, so did we and we had a goal disallowed too. We could easily have nicked it at the end when their goalkeeper came up for a corner leaving their goal wide open. A Hong Kong win would have rubbed salt in the wounds and at the end of the day I think a draw was a fair result.

I must pay tribute to Coach KIM, the other support staff and, in particular, the players. They played as a team and fought with spirit, determination and skill. The new players have come in and made a difference – the Chinese were right not to underestimate the multi-cultural nature of our team. The players may have different backgrounds but they have one thing in common, they love Hong Kong and are prepared to play their hearts out. I was proud of everyone involved.

Yet again the crowd was magnificent. The atmosphere was electric and the noise incredible. The relationship between the team and the fans is very strong and this has certainly contributed to our recent improved performances.

I believe that the recent improvements are symptomatic of the general development of football in Hong Kong. It is no accident or coincidence. Rather it is the culmination of a lot of hard work by a lot of people. Through our work here at the HKFA we are trying to create sustainable structures and an environment where talent can flourish. Success in international sport is not rocket science but it does require a vision, strategy, the alignment of resources and lots of hard work.

Whilst the great performance of our team is undeniable, there is no room for complacency. We must remain grounded and continue to work towards even more improvement – there is still a long way to go. What we have to do now is use the momentum we have generated and capitalize upon it. We must translate the success of and enthusiasm for the representative team into other areas of football in Hong Kong including the Premier League.

When the draw for the WCQ was made and we were in pot 5, who would have thought that with one match left we would be in second place with a chance (albeit an outside one) of qualifying as one of the top 12 teams in Asia? I’m looking forward to the Qatar match; we have already exceeded my expectations and anything positive from here is a bonus. I know our team will be ready and willing to give everything.

Mark Sutcliffe, November 2015

Hong Kong Stadium Pitch - Update

About 10am on Saturday morning I started getting messages that the Hong Kong Stadium pitch was worse than it was before. I thought people were joking. Unfortunately they weren’t. I went to the stadium myself at about 11am and was shocked by what I saw. I had fully expected to go to the rugby and see a perfect pitch and to be writing in this blog how frustrated I was that our game against China next week wasn’t going to be played at the HK Stadium. Instead I had to agree with LCSD that there is no way the pitch would recover in time. Indeed it looked like it hadn’t ‘recovered’ from the last rugby 7s held in March. So instead of asking ‘why is it not possible for a pitch to recover in 9 days’? I found myself asking ‘how is it possible to spend 7 months and HK$100m and still end up with a pitch that is virtually unplayable’? It is no good blaming 50 ‘vigorous’ games of rugby, the sad truth is that the pitch was cutting up badly in the first game.

Believe me, there is no way that the pitch could have sustained a 15 a side game of rugby, it would have been ripped to shreds. I am relieved that this weekend’s rugby 7s tournament effectively acted as a ‘test’ event. If it had been untried and we had played against China on it next week, goodness knows what would have happened. When the pitch was bad during the Barclays Asia Trophy it was apparently the Football Association’s fault for scheduling too many matches and the rain’s fault for …er…. raining. Now it is apparently a problem with the ‘heat’ in September. Surely the excuses are running thin now, in fact almost as thin as the grass cover on the pitch.

In retrospect it appears that the decision to play the match against China at Mong Kok is the right one but of course not for the right reason. I remain very concerned about the HK Stadium pitch because it is supposed to be the home venue for one of our Premier League teams and we also want to use it for other upcoming matches such as the Lunar New Year Cup in early February. I am not interested in excuses any more, we just need urgent assurances that there is a longer term solution to what is obviously a problematic situation.

Mark Sutcliffe, November 2015

World Cup/Asian Cup Qualifier - Hong Kong V China, 17th November 2015

In my opinion, not holding the match against China at the Hong Kong Stadium (HKS) is very disheartening and a great shame for local football. Let’s face it, this is the biggest and most important match to be held in Hong Kong for decades. It is more significant even than the 2009 East Asian Games final (against Japan) that was the catalyst for much of the recent revival of Hong Kong football. We have come a long way since then and a lot of hard work has been done by both the Football Association and the Government, often working in partnership.

Some ill-informed media have suggested that the HKFA has been complicit in the decision not to hold the match at the Hong Kong Stadium but let me set the record straight on that point once and for all. The Board of the HKFA unanimously agreed that the match should be played at the HKS. This decision was communicated not only in a press release but also directly to the Government both in writing and verbally on numerous occasions.

The reason for the decision given to us by the Government is that according to their own pitch experts, the playing surface at the HKS will not have time to recover sufficiently from a rugby 7s tournament due to take place there 9 days earlier. For the avoidance of doubt, I attach no blame whatsoever to the HKRU who have simply seen an opportunity and taken it.

If indeed it is the pitch that is the main issue, then it raises some important questions that need to be answered:

·         Why did the Stadium management accept a request by the Rugby Union to host an Olympic Qualifying competition so soon after the anticipated completion of the pitch reconstruction?

·         Why did the Stadium Management not consult the HKFA before accepting the booking when they knew the date was in the middle of the football season?

·         Since the clash of dates was known in January 2015, why has there been no discussion about the options to avoid it? For example, could the rugby matches have been held at a different venue e.g. Sui Sai Wan? I understand that they are prepared to go there (a rugby match is being played there in February) and I believe that the capacity is more than sufficient for the anticipated crowd.

·         Why can other stadia around the world accommodate higher levels of use? 

The Stadium has been shut for pitch reconstruction since March and was due to re-open at the end of September. I understand that the cost of the project is around HK$100m. I have worked in sport for over 30 years and I simply don’t understand why a new, high specification pitch cannot support 2 days of rugby 7s (which is nowhere near as damaging as 15 a-side rugby) and then be ready again to play a football match 9 days later. The Government has apparently relied on its own ‘experts’ in making this decision. Clearly and to some extent understandably, these experts have erred on the side of caution. Whether they have been ‘encouraged’ to do so or not, who knows? Let’s just say that my offer to bring in an expert from FIFA to provide an independent second opinion was not taken up. Bearing in mind the investment, the time involved and the expertise of the Jockey Club (who have managed the reconstruction), it must be a very, very, very close call as to whether or not the pitch will recover in time.  If the local experts are right and if their opinion had been corroborated by an independent expert from FIFA, surely it would have strengthened their case. As it is, I fully expect that we will watch the rugby on the 7^th and 8^th of November and it will become apparent that the pitch would have been OK for the football on the 17^th after all…………but of course it will be too late by then.

Some commentators have suggested that the decision not to play the match at the HKS is more to do with the recent booing of the National Anthem than it is the state of the pitch. They might say that, I couldn’t possibly comment. The HKFA has been fined by FIFA for the booing and warned that further, more serious sanctions will be imposed for any repeat offense. The HKFA has consistently asked the fans not to boo the National Anthem but in reality how are we supposed to stop people voicing their opinion? I am becoming resigned to the fact that it will happen again. FIFA won’t care whether 40,000 or 6,700 people boo the Anthem; so the choice of stadium is actually irrelevant from that perspective or at least it should be.

On this point, it is ironic and somewhat irritating that the HKFA is being punished for the booing when the problem was caused in the first place by the China Football Association’s marketing team by releasing bizarre (and some would say racist) posters about the Hong Kong football team.     

Without doubt, the most disappointing thing about this whole situation is that thousands of people will be deprived of an opportunity to watch the Hong Kong team live. There is a huge difference in capacity between Mong Kok and the HK Stadium. I believe we would have sold out the main stadium and what an atmosphere that would have created! It could have been one of the most memorable nights in Hong Kong sporting history, especially if we win. Huge interest in the Hong Kong Representative team has been built up as a result of our success in this qualification campaign to date and it would have been nice to have been able to build on this success and to reward our many fans.

Similarly, I am convinced that the momentum would have been carried forward into support for other local football initiatives including greater interest in the Premier League and general participation at the community level, both things that we are committed to do and we are measured against. 

Of course there is a financial aspect to this too. The bottom line difference to the HKFA of holding this match at the Mong Kok Stadium rather than the Hong Kong Stadium is around HK$3-4m. This is money that the HKFA and football desperately needs. I intend to raise the issue of compensation with the Government once I have gained approval to do so from the Board.   

I genuinely don’t like being critical of the Government. After all, they were the ones that started the revival of football in Hong Kong, they have provided generous funding for the transformation process and we have to work together on the implementation of our new strategic plan. However the HKFA is an independent body and must remain so if we are to retain our status as a Member Association of FIFA. This incident (together with the 2013 Barclays Asia Trophy pitch fiasco) will always be my biggest disappointment when I eventually reflect on my time in Hong Kong. Both issues have involved problems with the HK Stadium pitch and both could and should have been avoided. Therefore I think it is justified to set out in this blog my personal opinion of the situation. As you can no doubt tell, I am deeply frustrated.

Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decision, it won’t change and so we have to plan for the match at Mong Kok. Incidentally, Sui Sai Wan was suggested as an alternative venue but we decided against that. We are often accused of being financially driven but I hope this decision proves otherwise. Yes, we could have taken more revenue by playing there but the pitch is poor, there would have been no atmosphere because of the athletics track and more importantly, the Coach and players stated a preference to play at Mong Kok.

The questions I have raised in this blog can wait until after the match; that has to be our focus now. I would like to end on a positive note by wishing the team every success. It can still be a memorable and successful night, even if it will be remembered, by me at least, as a massive missed opportunity.

Mark Sutcliffe, October 2015