Political football

Football is a great game. I played it for years as a child and teenager, and I should really take it up again. But I just can't bring myself to watch professional football. All those prancing thugs, alternately violent and whimpering, shouting at the referees and then feigning injury - it is a rotten game.

From what I've seen, the old adage is true enough: soccer is a gentleman’s game played by hooligans; rugby is a hooligan’s game played by gentlemen.

With its vast, corrupt bureaucracy, the last thing football needs is more politics. And yet this is what our Coalition seems poised to deliver:

English football has been told it must introduce reforms within a year or the government will impose changes.

The ultimatum appears in a new report from the Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee.

Trillions of pounds in debt and sinking deeper every day, the last thing this country needs is a Commons Culture, Media and Sport Committee!