Calacus Weekly Hit & Miss – World Rugby & UEFA
Every week we look at the best and worst communicators in the sports world from the previous week.
HIT - WORLD RUGBY
Player safety has been a hot topic in elite sport in recent years.
Rugby has been at the forefront of concerns, particularly after former England international Steve Thompson, who won the Rugby World Cup in 2003, revealed that he had early onset dementia.
Only in his early 40s, Thompson cannot remember decades of memories and has detailed what a profound impact it has had on his life.
He said at the time: "I have no recollection of winning the World Cup in 2003, or of being in Australia for the tournament. Knowing what I know now, I wish that I had never turned professional,.
"It was not uncommon for me to be left dazed, seeing white spots and not knowing where I was for a few seconds, sometimes I would pass out completely.
"It was just an accepted part and parcel of training. I really wished that I had ended my career earlier, maybe my diagnosis might not be so bleak."
Last year, Calacus supported the Drake Foundation, who released research in collaboration with the Rugby Football Union and Imperial College which found that around a quarter of elite adult rugby players had changes in their brain structure and half showed an unexpected reduction in brain volume.
Founder James Drake said: “Since rugby was professionalised in the 1990s, the game has changed beyond all recognition. Players are now generally bigger and more powerful, so we have to be mindful of all the ramifications that increased impacts will have on their bodies.
“Seeing younger players suffer with the consequences of that – remember that for the ninth season in a row concussion was the most commonly reported match injury in professional rugby union – I am not convinced that the game is safer now than it was when I started The Drake Foundation in 2014. More must be done to protect players, and without delay!”
Thompson is one of a number of players who announced in 2020 that they were taking legal action against World Rugby based on the long-term impact the rigours of the professional game.
World Rugby told BBC Sport: “While not commenting on speculation, World Rugby takes player safety very seriously and implements injury-prevention strategies based on the latest available knowledge, research and evidence.”
It’s not uncommon for issues like this to be forgotten, but to their credit, World Rugby have made additional safeguarding a priority.
The World Rugby Council voted to add 50:22, goal-line drop-out, pre-bound pods of players, penalising lower-limb clear-outs and latching to the laws as well as the scrum brake foot law - where hookers must extend a foot towards the opposition as they prepare for a scrum.
The five laws adopted had been trialled for a year and World Rugby said it would continue to look at their impact on improving player welfare and preventing head injuries and will come into force from the start of July 2022.
World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “Rugby’s laws are fundamental to its accessibility, appeal and safety. It is our mission to ensure that the laws are the best that they can be for everyone playing the game and the approval of these laws following detailed evaluation and widespread consultation, underscores that commitment.
“I would like to thank every player, coach and medic at every level for participating and providing feedback on this trial – your views are important to us and we will continue to consult with you as we work together to cement rugby as the most progressive sport on player welfare.”
World Rugby Chief Player Welfare and Rugby Services Officer Mark Harrington added: “Law evaluation is an important facet of our holistic approach to reducing the risk of injury in the sport and we continually monitor, review and evolve the laws of the game with the ambition of making rugby as simple and safe as possible.
“Each new law has been developed with the input of experts and reflect an evidence-based approach to reducing higher-risk behaviours by changing the nature of the contact area of the game or reducing overall contact in a game situation.”
Time will tell if the changes provide the positive impact that they are intended to have, but engaging with the players as well as scientists and clinicians is a step in the right direction for rugby and most importantly its players
MISS – UEFA
It’s just over a year ago since UEFA fought off a threat to its existence and the structure of European football when a number of major clubs bandied together to launch the ill-fated ESL.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin positioned himself as a beacon of reason and tradition in the face of what appeared to be nothing more than greed from the big clubs who wanted to remove some of the competitiveness of major club competition to protect their status and marketing values.
Having seen off the threat, despite protestations from Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus that the project was still moving forward, UEFA have had a chance to reset European football, marrying innovation and modernisation with the traditions that make the game so great.
While the Liverpool vs Villareal Champions League semi-final was entertaining, the Real Madrid tie against Manchester City was full of the unpredictable drama and excitement that Europe’s premier cup competition seems to regularly throw up.
City arguably had chances in both legs to kill the game, but a dramatic header from Rodrygo in injury-time cancelled out City’s two goal advantage before the home side won it with a Karim Benzema penalty in extra-time.
It is a game that will live long in the memory and rightly so.
But last week, UEFA confirmed changes to the format which, while not going as far as first suggested, to include coefficients that would give preference to bigger clubs, still erodes the successful formula which has made the competition so enthralling.
Their initial plans inevitably sparked criticism, offering wildcards for European clubs who have failed to qualify via their domestic league, but who have traditionally done well in Europe's elite club competition.
Given the outrage at the ESL proposals, these changes were considered to be nothing more than a ‘Super League back door’ amid reports that domestic football administrators were against the move.
After consideration, UEFA changed their plans and announced that from 2024, 36 teams will take part in the Champions League with eight guaranteed games in a ‘Swiss league’ system, a reduction from the initial 10 proposed.
For those who may conclude that this is all about money, the new format means 64 extra matches and a 40% increase in revenue.
That will certainly have an impact on competitiveness with the larger clubs having the opportunity to strengthen their squads and bolster their revenues with more games and thus bigger broadcast and prize money pots.
Two extra places in the group stage will go to nations which performed best the previous season with others based on performance criteria also linked to league position rather than reputation.
UEFA President Čeferin was proud of the revised format. He said: ““UEFA has clearly shown today that we are fully committed to respecting the fundamental values of sport and to defending the key principle of open competitions, with qualification based on sporting merit, fully in line with the values and solidarity-based European sports model.
“Today’s decisions conclude an extensive consultation process during which we listened to the ideas of fans, players, coaches, national associations, clubs and leagues to name but a few, with the aim to find the best solution for the development and success of European football, both domestically and on the international club stage.
“We are convinced that the format chosen strikes the right balance and that it will improve the competitive balance and generate solid revenues that can be distributed to clubs, leagues and into grassroots football across our continent while increasing the appeal and popularity of our club competitions”
“I am really pleased that it was a unanimous decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, with the European Club Association, European Leagues and National Associations all agreeing with the proposal made. Another proof that European football is more united than ever.
“Qualification will thus remain purely based on sporting performance and the dream to participate will remain for all clubs.”
But the new rules create some additional problems that erode the brilliance of the existing format.
There is a possibility that the English Premier League could end up with seven teams in the competition if results go a certain way, while teams from the same country could face each other in the Swiss league rather than only from the knockout phase.
The English Football Supporters’ Association chief executive, Kevin Miles, believes a partial victory for common sense was better than nothing.
He said: “Supporters have been consistent in their arguments against any expansion of European competition that would eat into domestic football and attack our principles of sporting merit.
“Our persistence has paid off and has put the brakes on the worst excesses of Europe’s biggest clubs.
“While any increase in the number of games is a step in the wrong direction, it appears that fans’ input into the dialogue with UEFA has not been in vain – eight games is better than ten, and thankfully the offensive idea of ‘leapfrogging’ – where history, prestige and money triumphs over sporting merit – has been scrapped, hopefully forever.”
Crystal Palace Chairman Steve Parrish was more damning: “UEFA to me should be spreading the game across Europe. It is all short-term gain and 'let's try get as many of these clubs in so we can get the most broadcast money' which for me is wrong. For me this tournament needs to be taken away from UEFA.
“We talk about an independent regulator over here overseeing everything but European football needs somebody independent. I do have mixed feelings about it, because of the way it has arrived at that and I don't think it is for the right reasons. I think it is driven by political reasons and not for the best interests of the game.”
With football governance trust already low among supporters, engaging and considering fans rather than dictating to them would have a positive effect on UEFA’s reputation and position in international football.
We saw during the ESL debacle how vocal they can become when changes are made that threaten the very fabric of the game and what makes it so special.
When the Champions League was introduced as an evolution of the European Cup in 1992, it rapidly became THE main football competition.
It was be a great shame if that evolution was to go to waste. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, goes the mantra, and never could a truer word be said right now.