UK minister says fans should join, even control club boards

In an interview with The Observer newspaper yesterday, the UK Culture Secretary, Andy Burnham, argued for sports fans to be represented on club boards. (You can read the article by clicking the post title above.) Well, in fact, Burnham mentioned football specifically - but it's hard to see how 'punter power' would stop there. According to The Observer, "Burnham said the moves, which he has already made one of his top priorities at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, would usher in an overdue 'democratisation' of powerful bodies that play a key role in the life of the nation." Talk about music to our ears! It's clear that Burnham has been influenced by events at Everton FC, his chosen club, which recently established a 'Fans Council' to represent the views of Everton fans to its board. But Burnham wants to go further than that - he is interested in the concept of collective ownership of football clubs by their fans. He cited Spanish club, Barcelona, as a good example: "They are one of the most pre-eminent names in world football, yet the club is owned by its supporters on a one-member, one-vote basis and they control it. That strengthens it because it's never subject to the whim of one person; it's a collective endeavour. English football should see that as a big strength. I'd love to see if we could grow the Barcelona model here." Very interesting ... Perhaps I should ask Burnham to sign up to Sport for the People...?!!

African Cup of Nations - but not of their citizens

The African Cup of Nations got underway yesterday, as hosts Ghana defeated Guinea with a last-minute goal. Today, one of the hot favorites, Cote d'Ivoire, triumphed over another strong side, Nigeria, in what was billed the 'final before the final'. Unfortunately, of course, many Africans won't have been able to see these games. Not only are rates of television ownership still fairly low across the continent, several public broadcasters have not been able to afford the royalties that must be paid to the rights owner, LC2 International of France. These include TV stations in the Seychelles, Rwanda, Zambia and Kenya. Several news sources have documented disputes between Nigerian broadcasters and LC2 International as well. The alternative for many - but by no means all - football fans seems to be accessing games through their mobile phones, courtesy of cable TV company MultiChoice, who are running a 'mobile TV' trial during the tournament. It's either that or good ol' radio... In any case, it's a sad day when millions of ordinary Africans are unable to watch their national teams compete at all in a major international tournament. Sport for the people? Not even close...