The document discusses issues with the current governance structure of international soccer/football. It proposes establishing a new worldwide governing body to oversee professional competitions and implement standardized rules around labor, finances, technology usage, and other areas. This would help level the playing field between clubs and address unfair practices. Key reforms include revising voting procedures, negotiating international labor agreements, and treating clubs more like professional franchises with consistent budget and reserve requirements. The goal is to prioritize fans, players, and fair competition over the interests of long-entrenched national soccer federations and their leaders.

1. There are dictatures and democracies. In countries and in sports. Football, a.k.a. soccer in the USA is a bad example of a dictatorship dating back to the 50’s in the previous age.<br />What do you do if you don’t like a dictator- you get the army behind you and throw him out, or start a guerilla war to make life more difficult for the boss and his friends. Maybe even have an orange revolution where change happens peacefully. Tough to do one or the other in football.<br />The game is special, for most people on the globe- yes it can be boring, yes the referees make serious mistakes, yes, the fans can get dangerous if their team loses, but the tension and excitement that a tight game generates can be nerve-gripping and exhilarating. As difficult as the game is, one can see fantastic actions and brilliant goals. As a result, Football has more spectators in stadiums and on television, as well as fans than any other sport.<br />Problem is, it is managed by Bobo’s*, mostly amateurs selected by clubs, who in turn select a chairman who then gets invited to the inner circle of the holy football grail, the UEFA (Europe) or the FIFA (world). The “ elected” leaders get many privileges and keep as many as possible countries in their grip, because they have invented long time ago, one country, one vote. So, San Marino has a vote, and Germany has a vote. San Marino can stay in the Association, even get some money to promote themselves and the sport in their “ country” if they stay friendly to the Boss. Which they do, so the most conservative group known in sports, can continue to do what they do: keep things as they were, and take the profits generated in major championships to distribute them as the central committee wants.<br />This crazy situation continues, while the clubs supply the players (professional football clubs in the vast majority of the countries)and loose lots of money.<br />In a typical country, the Football federation consists of two groups: the amateur clubs and the professional clubs. The chairman of this combined bunch of conflicting interests votes with his colleagues of the many countries on proposals that the federation they belong to chooses to serve up. Necessary changes to improve the economics of the professional clubs will not happen. Changing rules that every fan would like to see are stopped, to continue the “ romantics of the game”; the use of electronic aids to support a referee in his decision making continues to be blocked.<br />The migration of players, from one continent and country and club to another, driven by agents and managers of clubs to make money for them and the players keeps flowing freely, without a sound management system. Fans and season ticket holders are continuously surprised by what may be happening next with their favorite player. If he is in the middle of a multi-year contract, but can improve his salary, labor laws developed to protect workers who have a hard time making 1% of the salary of a top player, support the player making millions to say goodbye to his contract and move to another place. His club is then forced to quickly find another player and the carrousel starts to turn.<br />Countries stop migration of low level workers, but for the star player that may help a club there are ample exemptions. These exemptions vary country by country, so a club from Holland can hire players and get them work permits if they ever played in the national youth team of their country, because he has skills that a local player cannot match! Hard to argue and rather unjust. “ Fair competition”?<br />Professional clubs spend more than they have, so when times get hard, they go to their local city and ask for money. They get it, through a variety of tricks- beautiful examples are scenarios where the clubs sells its stadium and the grounds for a lot money, then rents the stadium, then needs more money because it can’t pay the rent and gets the stadium back for a lot less than it sold it for. “ Fair competition”?<br />Some clubs have some wealthy people to help them. They fund a player fund, and with the money in the fund, the club can buy promising players (mostly from abroad). If the player gets sold, the investors hope to get at least their money back. “ Fair competition”?<br />Tax laws differ in all countries. These laws often have provisions for special talents from abroad that help the local economy- so this foreign player pays less tax from his 6 or 7 figure salary. The local player pays more tax gets less net money and may be wise to also move to another country that gives him special tax benefits. “ Fair competition”?<br />Clubs losing money in the tens or hundreds of millions continue to buy players for enormous transfer fees. They get the money to buy new players from local banks who sponsor or from player funds set up by wealthy business men or city governments through complex real-estate deals. Now they can win international competitions from clubs that have less luck with their local banks or wealthy business men, or city governments. “Fair competition”?<br />So, what do we need to change? As a start, I propose the following actions and principles:<br />On a worldwide level there must be a new organization in charge of professional football. This organization deals with the international and local competitions and provides guidance to similar organizations at the level of continents, a la UEFA for Europe. Youth and amateur sports must be run by the Olympic committees in countries and continents. Voting to be done recognizing the volume of the local organizations, looking at the football power (football members in total and international historic performance ), population, GDP. Labor agreements have to be negotiated at an international level above the country, e.g. the European union for the major European countries. Labor agreements have to address salary structures, transfer policies, foreign players, youth players and contract terms. The Johan Cruyff rule of 6+5 (national, foreign) players must be included. The international organizations are also responsible for the competitions for national teams through a dedicated structure, similar to what exists today for European and World Cup championships. Of profits made a certain percentage will go to the amateur organizations for specific youth development programs, the rest to the clubs that employ the players.<br />The professional game will have different, more advanced regulations, including use of technologies as well as the measurement of net playing time as in any other professional sport. Players will be full professionals, the organizations they belong to will be , as well as the referees and their oversight and development.<br />Budgets will be measured against consistent criteria, without possibilities for interference by outside powers. Organizations need to have reserves to handle periods with operational losses, similar to banks or commercial companies. A franchise system, with the possibility to sell/buy the franchise seems the most appropriate, as in the major American professional sports.<br />Put the fans first, as they provide the emotional and economic foundation for the professional teams.<br />Big question: can this really happen in a span of a few years?<br />A Bobo is a person in a sports organization who is addicted to his seat and the public attention as well as his power and status in the sports management game.<br />