NOVPUB
Chapter 88: The Scrimmage
"Is everything running smoothly at UEFA?"
Richard placed a call to Lennart Johansson, a member of UEFA’s Legal & Disciplinary Committee who previously had issues in the court with him, to discuss the controversy surrounding Manchester City’s decision to register more than four foreign players for the 1994/1995 season.
"Yes, with UEFA out pressuring the FA and the Premier League, don’t worry. We still have leverage over the disaster and the recent scandal."
From its inception, the Football League had sought to preserve its local and national identity. When the league was first established in 1888, a rule required players to either be born within six miles of their club’s ground or have lived in the area for at least two years.
Even at the time, regulations still limited clubs to fielding only three foreign players, including non-European players. However, the Bosman ruling by the European Court of Justice had changed everything—giving Richard the confidence to challenge this restriction.
Speculation was growing that Manchester City would become the first club to break this rule by fielding more than three foreign players.
Initially, the Premier League insisted that they wouldn’t change the rules to allow more than three foreign players to play in England. However, Richard believed that City—and every club in England—had the right to field as many European players as they wanted.
With the Bosman ruling as his legal foundation, he found it easy to challenge UEFA’s restrictive trade practices. So, when Richard mentioned the Bosman case, the FA and the FA Premier League were instantly shaken.
Martin O’Neill, with Richard’s approval, publicly stated, "We can play all six of our foreign and non-EU players if we want to—and that also applies to every other team tomorrow."
Premier League chief Rick Parry instantly coordinated with UEFA on the same day and sought legal advice before announcing, "We have advised our clubs that the restrictions governing foreign players can no longer be applied to any citizen of the European Union."
Even Graham Kelly, the chief of the FA, stated, "Clubs are therefore free to field as many European Union nationals as they see fit. City and other clubs could play as many EU players as they wanted."
The change to the "foreign player" rule was set to have a massive impact, as the verdict was immediately acknowledged by clubs, who saw it as confirmation that they could field as many European Union players as they wanted.
Of course, not everyone was happy. Gordon Taylor, chief of the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA), predictably made an angry reaction to the decision. He feared the influx of foreign imports would undermine the stability and traditions that English football had maintained.
"I am extremely disappointed," he stated. "There were rules in place from the beginning, and they should not be changed based on knee-jerk reactions to a court ruling and the influence of new, arrogant businessmen, rather than through internal discussions. This will cause chaos."
But would the FA, UEFA, and the FA Premier League listen to a mere PFA?
Nonsense!
So, the issue with foreign players was settled. Still, Rivaldo could not be registered as the non-EU rules could not be changed. However, Richard managed to secure a loan move for him to Swindon Town, so yes, everything was truly settled.
After putting his phone down, Richard wanted to ensure that nothing went wrong with his team. To be certain, he called John, his general manager, to finalize the last administrative tasks, including arranging a few translators to assist non-English-speaking players and handling their passports.
"No worries. Even if they’ve only played a match or two in the World Cup, they’re still national team members. Submitting the documents along with a hundred thousand pounds—everything is set. Don’t worry, there won’t be a single trace left. As long as they perform well, no one will dig into past cases."
Richard felt relieved. The Brazilian players had never set foot in Europe and didn’t hold EU passports, meaning they needed work permits to transfer to England. Despite being national team members, their appearance records clearly didn’t meet the usual requirements. However, the 75% national team appearance rule was flexible, with plenty of room for interpretation. Plus, English football was riddled with unspoken "black gold" dealings.
When Richard submitted the documents to the FA—who were already on high alert because their chief had been secretly threatened by an anonymous figure—they had little choice but to discreetly comply. With that, the process went through smoothly.
When Richard arrived at the dressing room, the players were having an internal meeting with the coaching staff. Not wanting to disturb them, he simply leaned against the door and listened.
"Richard, why don’t you come in?" Jimmy Rouse asked.
After dealing with the "rat" in the club, he promoted Rouse from youth team dressing room caretaker to kit manager. This meant he was now in charge of overseeing other dressing room caretakers responsible for handling all the team’s equipment, especially the players’ kits.
Richard shook his head. "There’s already a manager in place, so let them handle it themselves for now."
Like a gang leader inspecting his crew, O’Neill strolled from left to right along the two lines of players, making eye contact with each one of their calm expressions and nodding gently.
After completing the circuit, he faced the players directly and spoke softly, "Manchester City has a history of 114 years."
The players were silent.
O’Neill continued, "And we have not participated in any major European cup competitions for the past twenty years," he said in a low tone. "And now we’ve fallen embarrassingly from the Premier League, twice, into the Second Division. Do I need to congratulate you for playing in the lower leagues? Is this what you wanted?"
His words were light and slow, but the last sentence was delivered with solemnity. He intentionally used the simplest English phrasing so that even players new to the language could understand.
Among the 25 first-team members, only Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, and Cafu seemed disengaged. But that was because they were still learning English, so when the translator relayed what O’Neill had said, they were taken aback.
The expressions of the long-standing City players varied. The younger players who had recently been promoted, like Richard Edghill, Tony Vaughan, and Nick Fenton, exchanged looks, as if they finally understood the meaning of their new manager’s words.
O’Neill suddenly extended his arms and asked, "Aren’t you all happy?"
The players were dumbfounded.
And he emphasized to them, "If you think you can take it easy just because this is the Second Division, let me make one thing clear—throw that thought away. This is professional football. Every match, every opponent, every single minute counts. If you think it’s easier here, you’re making a huge mistake. You’ll be treated the same way, and they’ll fight just as hard to beat you."
This speech astonished more than twenty players. 𝑛𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝑏.𝘤𝑜𝘮
"Campbell."
When O’Neill called his name, Campbell immediately responded loudly, "Yes?"
O’Neill didn’t answer right away. Instead, he tossed the captain’s armband to him and stated, "You are the team captain. Curle."
The previous City captain, Keith Curle, although visibly dissatisfied, had no choice but to accept the decision. After commanding City’s squad for four consecutive years and setting the unwanted record of being relegated twice under his leadership, he understood the reasoning behind it.
"Curle will be the vice-captain," O’Neill continued. "And the third captain..."
Everyone in the squad straightened up, waiting for the final decision.
"Ian Cox."
All eyes turned to Cox, who had just recently joined the club. He simply nodded in acknowledgment.
O’Neill’s expression turned serious as he addressed the team in a firm tone, "My expectations for this team are simple: first, discipline; second, discipline; and third, discipline. There are no privileged players here. No matter what challenges you face—on or off the pitch—you can come to me. But remember, any issues within the team stay within the team. Football is your profession, and it demands not only your skill but also your professionalism and attitude. Is that clear?"
The players responded in unison, "Understood!"
O’Neill then turned to the coaching staff behind him, gave a small wave, and introduced them to the squad. "Let me introduce the coaching staff. This is John Robertson, my assistant. Coach Steve Walford, Steve McClaren, René Meulensteen, and Mike Phelan—who will be the most senior and will help bridge us in and out of the pitch. You’ll get to know the other coaches during different training sessions."
Once the introductions were over, O’Neill gave the order, and the team began training, starting with a collective slow jog around the field as a warm-up, while he stood aside watching the players’ performance.
This is the scrimmage, the first practice match between teammates to find their rhythm.
Richard stood in the stands, watching as the practice began.
"Blue team and red team. First, Cafu, Roberto Carlos, Sol Campbell..." O’Neill began giving instructions.
Blue team: 4-4-2
(GK) Tony Coton, Roberto Carlos (LB), Sol Campbell (CB), Ian Cox (CB), Cafu (RB), Ian Taylor (MC), Tony Grant (MC), Steve Lomas (LM), Paul Lake (RM), Ronaldo (CF), Emille heskey (CF)
Red Team: 4-4-2
(GK) Nicky Weaver, Richard Edghill (RB), Tony Vaughan (CB), Keith Curle (CB), Richard Jobson (LB), Mike Phelan (CM), Jamie Pollock (CM), Jeff Whitley (RM), Keith Gillespie (LM), Paul Dickov (FW), Shaun Goater (FW)
