Sam Expects FIFA War

Last updated : 09 February 2005 By Mark Heys
Wanderers boss Sam Allardyce feels that FIFA and the Football Associations from around the world are going to be at loggerheads in the future.

Allardyce is of the opinion that there is a power game being played by FIFA to ensure that they stay in maximum control of football decisions despite the fact that the domestic associations are gaining a lot more power than ever before.

"The battering between FIFA and the associations is massive at the moment because international football is frightened that club football has overtaken it.

"FIFA are going to try to impose more restrictions to make sure international football stays ahead, and you are going to have a massive head to head at some stage.

"The almighty power lies with FIFA, and if FIFA turns around and says to our league you've got to reduce to 18 clubs, then you're taking clubs into mass redundancies, administration and going bust.

"So what club is going to allow that to happen and not go through a court of law to fight it? I think that is going to happen in future."

The Bolton chief says that the international friendly week is something that he could have done without as a number of his first team squad are to take part in matches for their national side prior to this weekend's important Premiership clash with Middlesbrough at the Reebok Stadium.

"I think we could all have done without this international week, For every Premiership manager who has lost a player throughout this world, if it is a friendly then it is just simply worthless.

"How is he (an international manager) going to train them, because if he is going to train them at any level at all he is out of order.

"To play on Wednesday then jump on a plane on Thursday means they are not going to be capable of playing for us.

"Without this week I would probably have picked the same side for Middlesbrough and gone and got on with it.

"Now my fear is a break-up of that side for one reason or another, and that might mean the break-up of results."