The last couple of years have seen a considerable reduction in the control massively rich football clubs have on the way football is run in Europe and in the rest of the world. The good news is that this has meant that many of football values have either come back or been reinforced and this largely thanks to FIFA and UEFA taking a stand. The bad news is there is still much left to be desired. Let’s go through the 2 big changes that have occurred since.

In 2003, UEFA decided to finally do away, with the money-spinning second group stage of the UEFA Champions League. It gave the big clubs a great opportunity to make some extra but in return the players played more games and as a consequence succumbed to burnout. This ruined what could have been a great spectacle.

However, the biggest loser is you and me, the football fans. The second group stage was never a spectacle, because there simply never was a do-or-die scenario for the teams. It was even against the spirit of the European Cup (which is the old name of the Champions League), whose history is built around great and memorable knockout games. There have been so many great matches, and it’s a shame that the second group stage was killing that.

The second big change that has taken place in the last couple of years is the disbandment of the G14 group of clubs. G14 was created in 2000 by the biggest, richest and hence most powerful clubs in Europe Its intention was to promote the interests of its members in the face of political bodies such as FIFA and UEFA.

These interests were only self-interests and they were never for the good of the game, contrary to FIFA’s motto. For example, the proposed European league reserved exclusively for these clubs was a talking point a little while back. However, FIFA and UEFA took a stand and prevented its creation. It’s also not a coincidence that during the 8 years the G14 was in function, that the gap between the rich and poor clubs grew the most. That’s why the end of the G14 group of clubs at the beginning of the year was a gigantic step forward.

The abolition of the second group stage and the G14 group of clubs have been largely positive for the way football is run in that football’s interests, rather than club’s self-interests have come back to the forefront. FIFA has lived up to its slogan of “For The Good of the Game” and the signs are that it will continue to wrestle control from clubs. The proposed ‘6+5 rule’ will be another positive development for football if it comes through and gets implemented in Europe. My next article will closely analyse the pros and cons of such a rule if it comes to fruition.

By all means, these 2 changes are only just a beginning to fixing some of football’s problems. The most urgent one is by far the financial gulf between the rich and poor clubs. This is evident in many parts of the world, however, Europe is where it is most prevalent. Finding a solution to reduce this gulf will take time, and I will contribute some solutions in my future articles.

One important feature of football that has possibly disappeared forever is club loyalty. You would be hard pressed to find a player who stays with a single club for their entire career today. This may simply be the result of large amounts of money circulating in the game today. In players’ eyes, money seems to give more rewards than loyalty and this is not a good precedent for football.