However, certain influential factors have now combined to create a catalyst for change. The most obvious of these are the Bosman ruling and the advent of Digital Television.

Bosman & The European Union v. UEFA

The Bosman ruling in the European Court was an accident waiting to happen. Within the domestic confines of the English League there had long been rumblings of discontent about the inequitable nature of the "Foreigners" rule as applied by UEFA (Scottish, Welsh and Irish players classed as "Foreigners" ) so it came as no surprise to this individual when someone with nothing to lose and everything to gain came along to pull away the pillars supporting the cozy indifference at the domestic associations and UEFA.

The Bosman case was not primarily about the "Foreigners" rule. The main body of the case was concerned with the legitimacy of the transfer fee system. Professional sportsmen and women are no different from any other profession, selling their skills in the marketplace, so why should professional sport be granted special immunity from the rules governing all other commercial activities? Certain elements of the Bosman ruling only added to the confusion with transfer fees for non-domestic signings now abolished, but retained within the domestic arena (whatever that means?), a positive stimulus to recruit from outside the domestic environment. This is an unsustainable state of affairs - only time will tell.

Scrutiny of the Treaty of Rome and subsequent revising Treaties (Single European Act and Maastricht) informs the reader that the EU is in reality, a single homogenous entity and individual workers inside the EU are free to ply their trade without let or hindrance. This principle is sovereign and all domestic agreements are subservient to it. Football is that most cosmopolitan of trades - no language barrier (at least directly, where it matters, on the pitch). Therefore any legal ruling which upheld the rights of freedom of contract and freedom of movement for individuals within a specific geographical confine - the EU - was bound to lead to a restructuring of the traditional arrangements for the sport. Football is now merely a precursor to other industries where individuals move as freely from Milan to Manchester, Birmingham to Barcelona, as they do from Leicester to Liverpool.

Digital Television

Ordinary supporters and fans of the game can only stand in awe as the telephone number salaries and transfer fees of those professional players at the peak of the sport continue to spiral ever upwards. This credibility gap springs in part from the fact that the majority of fans still view the sport as just a game, a game that they are passionate about, but a game none the less. The reality is that Football is now a fully fledged entertainment industry that competes with other diverse activities such as motion pictures, tourism or leisure pursuits, for customers patronage.

The advent of Digital Television technology and associated 'pay-per-view' revenue streams offer a glimpse of a future that predicts further expansion of commercial activity on a hither to unknown scale. Certainly, viewed from the American side of the Atlantic Ocean, the current level of commercialism within Football would appear to be of nickel and dime proportions.

UEFA have been vilified for altering entry criteria in an effort to exploit the full commercial value of their product - The Champions League. Perhaps this is just another manifestation of the credibility gap amongst ordinary supporters?

Football is now very much at a cross-roads. It should be allowed to develop commercial layers of activity from within the remit of the current official bodies. Only then will it be possible for the undoubted financial success of the game to be directed towards those areas of the game which can benefit most from injections of much needed revenue, rather than lining the pockets of the prosperous shareholders and directors of the European club football 'giants'.

Youth coaching schemes and the subsidy of lower domestic league structures are candidates which suggest themselves immediately.

Domestic Leagues Now Less Relevant ?

I realise that many people will be outraged by the suggestion that some clubs are contemplating the idea of relinquishing their domestic league status in favour of a pan-European league. However it should be noted that many of the clubs who are potential founder members for such a league can now be considered as European clubs in their own right with players and support drawn from all corners of Europe rather than exclusively from within their respective local environs.

A planned strategy of transition is now the best way forward. UEFA has already successfully developed the league format within the framework of the former European Cup. The latest developments have expanded the league format to thirty-two teams with a pre-qualifying tournament involving many more. The undoubted strain this will place upon the fixture timetable of the most successful clubs will begin to put pressure upon their allegiances. How long will it be before the current whispers for clubs to devote themselves to one league programme, rather than being the servant of two masters, becomes more audible. 

If a long term strategy recognising the need for a structured transition to a more formal pan-European League can be implemented, it will give both potential participants and their current domestic league authorities time to plan and adjust to the new arrangements. Developments of this nature will be a quantum leap forward for the game.

In addition, a planned approach would allow for entry of teams based on merit rather than financial clout. Potential entrants could be judged on their long term success in existing domestic and European club competitions. Over a protracted period, those teams who deserved promotion into the new league would be given that opportunity based on achievements on the field of play, not merely because their club president is a billionaire.

We are now in a new century. Football must have a strategy for its future if it is to develop in the long term. Ordinary fans deserve an opportunity to contribute to the debate about how the game should evolve. However the debate should recognise the influence of outside commercial pressures upon Football.

In order to give a graphical feel to this topic I have illustrated (on a separate page) the badges of the sixteen clubs I feel most worthy of participation in any potential pan-European league structure.

You of course may feel differently - it’s a funny old game.