31 January 2005  
Brian Barwick Interview

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The FA's new Chief Executive Brian Barwick began work on Monday and immediately began setting out his priorities for the game's governing body.

Barwick attended The FA Cup Fifth Round draw and met with England Head Coach Sven-Goran Eriksson on his first day in Soho Square and, in his very first interview as FA Chief Executive, spelt out his priorities for the years ahead.

They include improving communication within the game, being strong on players who dive and protecting referees from unnecessary pressure on the pitch.

"I've had a hectic day, I expected it to be hectic and it's proved that way," he said in a rare moment of calm.

"I've seen a lot of people and I'm trying to remember a lot of names! I've watched the Fifth Round draw, had a chat with Sven and I'm going to settle into the job over a number of weeks rather than a number of hours."

Barwick has been sent good wishes and advice from all over the country but knows when it comes down to making changes and setting an agenda for football, the buck will rest with him from now on.

"What are my priorities? Well, first and foremost we have to look at getting the game to talk to itself. There are many different factions in the game, many different senses of responsibility. .'One game' wouldn't be a bad way to start. It is the same game on the park that's played in the Premier League and Sunday League. So one voice in one game would be some type of direction.

"Overall, I think football is in pretty good health. But there are certain things I want to deal with. I'm an advocate of trying to improve the referee's lot. And simulation - I call it cheating or diving - that's something that aggrieves me.

"Chasing referees around a pitch is also something I don't think is fitting for a game that plays right across all society and all age groups. Sometimes there needs to be a bigger lead and bigger example set by some of the finer exponents of the game for those that play below them.

"I get those views from a lot of places but also from my own soul, I've watched football a long, long time and it's an irritant to me."

It's an indication of Barwick's connection with football that his priorities are borne not just from an objective analysis of the game but also from a heartfelt sense of what is right and wrong in the sport.

And although he has spent most of his career in television, most recently at ITV and before that with the BBC, football has always been in his blood since he first watched Liverpool as a youngster in 1961.

"It's a career move of some significance for me, but I have been associated with football in one way or another all my life and professionally for the last 25 years. I know a lot of people in the game and a lot of people know me.

"It's a trite thing to say but I really do want to put something back into the game. It's given me a fantastic life in 50 years. I love the game of football. It isn't a trite remark to say one of the things I want to do is help football move into the next era."

Barwick knows, just like a new manager at a football club, that he is expected to bring results - and expected to bring them quickly. But he has asked for time to achieve his goals after being inundated with advice from every quarter!

"You get a lot of advice in this job," he said. "I think if I took every single bit of advice that I've been offered since 25 November I wouldn't have turned up today! I would be silly not to listen, though, and I have listened to a lot of people.

"But I have to settle into the job. This is a big job. I'm not a miracle worker, these things aren't going to happen overnight. I have to get a measure of the job, a measure of my colleagues, a measure of the place, a measure of our range of responsibility and authority. And from there I can use that as a building block to doing good works for the game."

After one day in charge, Barwick is already beginning to realise the size of the operation at Soho Square, dealing with football right from the grass roots to the Premiership. But he has also revelled in the joys of the job - and the excitement of being involved both with The FA Cup and with England.

"It's a really upbeat story, The FA Cup," he said. "The attendances are on a 25-year high and that really says a lot about the competition. It's been through choppy waters but I think it's coming through them.

"Rooney's two goals for Manchester United were something very special. It was an interesting Fourth Round without being exceptional but there are some exceptional ties in the Fifth Round. Everton against Man United, Newcastle v Chelsea, Burnley and Blackburn."

As for England, the prospect of seeing the Three Lions take part in the World Cup Finals in Germany in 2006 is already gripping the new Chief Executive.

"England are a very special ingredient in domestic football. Three out of the top four audiences on television last year were for England games, which is remarkable in itself.

"They haven't qualified yet but it's a very good group of players, they are going into a World Cup held in Europe and you just feel good about England. They are a phenomenon when they play. And when they play in tournaments the country does come to a halt. I know in a previous existence in television that you were well aware when you worked on an England live game that half the nation were watching. You actually wondered what the other half were doing!"

Having already met Sven-Goran Eriksson in his work with ITV, Barwick is expecting a smooth relationship with England's Head Coach and some good times ahead.

He said: "I've met Sven many times - invariably at airports because we’re often going to or coming back from games. I've spent a lot of time with him in short bursts. But we went out for lunch together a couple of weeks ago and had a good and long conversation about England and what his ambitions were for the team.

"I like Sven. One of the benefits of the job I've done in a previous life is that I know a lot of these people and have met the England Head Coach. It's a different relationship now but it's one based on two or three years of previous knowledge.

"I hope there are good times ahead. I remember doing the World Cup semi-final in Italia 90 in my previous work. You just knew the whole nation was watching the game and it gave me a buzz as a television professional. It will give me an even bigger buzz in the job I'm doing now if it happens again. They are special, special nights."