A short letter to football federations: stop embracing incompetency

Has there ever been a time in football where a federation has not only hired competent managers but also competent people in administration to help said managers? Maybe there has been and I’ve forgotten but for as long as I can remember, women’s football has been plagued by a good manager but a terrible federation, or a terrible federation but a good manager, or both a terrible manager and a terrible federation.

The sport never seems to have both great managers and a great federation backing a national team at any given point. So here is my short letter (on behalf of fans) to all federations, asking them to try and correct that going forward.

“To whom it may concern,

We, women’s football fans, would like for you to consider not embracing incompetency. In any form.

We understand that embracing incompetency has been a tried and tested method for you but we feel it’s time for that to change.

Just as the sport itself is now growing and changing, so should you, the people in charge of selecting a group of individuals to represent the best your country has to offer on the world’s biggest stages.

Some of you are being held back by prejudice (hopefully not many of you but still, it needs to be said), some of you are being held back by nepotism and some of you are being held back by your connections to those in and around the federation.

It’s time to let those shackles go.

The sport doesn’t need to be held back because you, the federation, refuse to take the necessary steps forward and adapt with the times. If you feel that you cannot change with the times, then maybe you need to relinquish whatever position you hold to someone who is willing to put the time, money and effort into creating the best possible national team for your country.

Now, some of you might say, what do we fans know? We’re just showing up every matchday to support the team. We don’t know the ins and outs of how a federation should work, and you’re right. We, the fans, don’t. However, we the fans, would like to be able to show up every matchday and spend our money to line your pockets, in the knowledge that you have done everything possible to make our national team reach its ultimate level. Is it too much to ask?

We will now leave this matter with you and hope that going forward, you will take our letter into consideration with how you operate as a federation.

Signed,

We, the fans.”