Premier League club sponsors have not become jittery following the FIFA scandal but Emirates axed its sponsorship of FIFA because it thought football’s world governing body had become tarnished, according to Aston Villa CEO Tom Fox.
Fox said, "I don’t think the individual clubs necessarily think that what is happening at FIFA rubs off at all on the brand equity of the clubs themselves. I have heard from none of our partners about the scandal affecting how they feel about Villa."
However, Fox, who was previously CCO at Arsenal, said that FIFA sponsor Emirates -- also Arsenal’s shirt sponsor -- ended its sponsorship of FIFA last year over concerns about its image.
Fox said, "I am sure that had quite a bit to do with what they knew about the people they were dealing with and the way they saw the organization was behaving."
Fox’s comments appear to endorse the views expressed by Emirates President Tim Clarke, who said, "I’d like to think when it’s all sorted out we get back in because it [World Cup sponsorship] is great for us. We’re so football orientated."
BLATTER REPLACEMENT: Fox was speaking on a sports panel along with former Juventus player and Chelsea Manager Gianluca Vialli, talking about a range of subjects including possible candidates to replace FIFA President Sepp Blatter, the FA’s proposals to increase the number of British players in the Premier League and the value of preseason tours.
Blatter’s replacement is one of the big questions now facing FIFA, as it looks to restore its image.
According to Fox, it could be an individual from the football world, such as UEFA President Michel Platini, or the corporate world.
He said, "I don’t think necessarily it needs to be someone outside of football but I do think it needs to be someone who is up for the cultural change that needs to happen there within a highly politicized environment. It is a really difficult remit."
Fox said that one area for possible reform is changes to how heads of country’s FAs are installed, so as to prevent them from being susceptible to conflicts of interest. "Whoever they put in there is still going to have the same system of governance, still going to have individual countries represented by people who are not democratically elected back in their own country. It is a massive job," said Fox. "I think it is a governance problem primarily. I do think the countries need to go in and look at who they are putting forward for these roles."
PLAYER QUOTA: One area in which Fox is firmly at odds with FA Chair Greg Dyke is his proposal to increase the quota of home grown players in the Premier League 25-man first-team squad from eight to 12.
Fox pointed out that this could “decimate” some club’s academies, including Aston Villa, as its talented teenagers will be picked up by the bigger clubs.
Fox: "I am not supportive of it. I don’t think I have spoken to a counterpart in the Premier League who is supportive of it."
Fox was speaking at the "Sport Industry Breakfast Club."
John Reynolds is a writer in London.
