Spread of Soccer Football

Hawke's Bay Tribune, Volume XXII, Issue 175, 9 July 1932, Page 8 (Supplement)

Spread of Soccer Football

Raids on British Talent TEMPTING FRENCH OFFERS. The chinking of Continental money bags has been heard in Bpitish soccer football, and what it may portend is the subject of much illuminating debate, for the spread of recognised professionalism in Europe raises problems that were not envisaged by the lawmakers of the Football Association in England although it would seem that they have, in fact, gone a long way toward protecting the league clubs from foreign • raids upon British talent.

To put the matter briefly, certain French clubs, now openly professional, hare made tempting offers to players on the books of English clubs. And the players, willing enough to increase their earnings, have lent an attentive ear. Hence the discussions as to how the league clubs can be sure of keeping their best box-office attractions while lucrative offers come from abroad and maximum wage payments are restricted at home.

■ Experience has taught that when professionalism rears its head in football, two courses are open, if chaos is to be avoided. One is to legalise the paid player and rule the business side of the game with a firm hand; the other is to discountenance all hint of remuneration, direct or indirect. The first course was that taken by the Football Association in connection with Soccer, and the second was followed by the English Rugby Union, when the handling code of play began to feel financial influences. The result has been that Soccer, in Britain, has developed as a spectacular entertainment, while Rugger remains a predominantly amateur recreation. Both varieties of football became exceedingly popular in France, and the money began to come in. At a commensurate rata, amateurism (as that word is understood in Britain) began to go out and, as there was no such thing as recognised professionalism in France, matters fell into an extremely disordered condition, from which they have still to emerge. The Gallic Ruggef men organised a “revolution” against the governing of the French game, to insist upon a thorough “clean up”; the Soccer devotees debated long and then sanctioned the adoption of professionalism. Twenty-three c'.ubs changed over ,and there was much talk of the best way or organising a professional championship in France next winter. And at this point the eyes of enterprising club managers began to rove over the field of British talent.

Britain has formerly viewed with academic interest the spread of professional Soccer in various parts of the world and has not been disposed to take it very seriously; but the interest has, for some people, become decidedly a practical one since British players, whose names are household words, have' been approached with the offier of lucrative engagements by French dubs. • In the English League, there is a limit to the maximum wage which a player may be paid. If he be offered a greater sum by an organisation outside the league, he may reasonably he desirous of disposing of his skill in the higher market. Whether he can «o so without putting himself forever outside the game in Britain is a matter which he will no doubt pause to consider rather carefully. F.A. RULES ARE STRONG. f'he English League clubs have a far tighter grip upon their players than is generally imagined, and a study of the registration form which a footballer is required to sign when he enters the ranks of registered professionals makes it clear that the Football Association can put him out of business if he breaks the F.A. rules. Now, one of these rules decrees that a dub has the right to retain in its service any of it® players to whom it is willing to pay £2OB a year, provided that he is notified of its desire and has no convincing personal reason (finaneial considerations apart) for changing his employers. A player whose club has declared its intention of retaining him will therefore break the rules of the Football Association if he enters into another engagement, and the penalty may follow him wherever he goes, for there exists an International Hoard, which can insist that a “suspension” inflicted by the governing body of the game in one country shall be recognised and supported by those in all other countries. This board is the supreme force on the legislative side of international Soccer. The Federation Internationale de Football Association has representation on it, and so has Great Britain, the only footballing nation not affiliated with the FJ-F.A. Therefore, quite clearly, a registered player, on the retained list of his club, is not clear to cut loose and play abroad, even if offered a salary on the “Babe'’ Ruth scale.

Criticism has been levelled at the state of affairs which permits a club to dictate the movements of its players to this extent, but it must not be forgotten that nowadays professional Soccer is big business, and large sums of money change hands when players are ransferred from one club to another. Obviously, a club that has poid out several thousands of jxiunds for the services of a famous star requires some hold upon him in his subsequent activities. The clubs, it is clear, are protected in their legitimate (and carefuljr supervised)

It is therefore taken for granted that the interests of the clubs will be safeguarded by the Football Association when and if it is called upon to take action in the matter of British professionals seeking to go abroad after highly-paid appointments. If players can obtain the consent ot their employers, all well and good If not, they may well find themselves exiled or suspended. In other words, they will either be committed permanently to non-British Soccer or they will be debarred altogether from earning their living.

The management cominittee of the Football League has gone on record with the pronouncement: “The committee, having had their attention drawn to reports of players of league clubs being approached with a view to leaving their present clubs, players are warned that on taking Continental engagements, without the consent of the clubs retaining them or offering to retain them, the management committee will ask the league to prohibit the registration of such players on seeking to return to a league club in this country. Continental and all clubs outside the jurisdiction of the Football Associations of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales interfering with players connected with clubs of the Football League will be regarded as having conimited an unfriendly act toward the league, and all friendly relations will cease.”

From this it tan be seen quite clearly that professional players are well advised to study the situation in the new Continental professionalism before they cut themselves away forever from good, if not very highly remunerative, employment under the aegis of the authorities wbich have made professional British Soccer a pattern of commercialised sport.