Football: Safeguarding the Game

By Will Kenneth, Dublin, Republic of Ireland

Whilst a great deal of focus on footballing stories from Manchester has been directed towards the charges Manchester City face, the initial attention on Manchester United's JJ Gabriel has cooled somewhat. 

The issue at play does not start nor end with him and may necessitate intervention by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) in the future.

Schoolboy Error

"In what other kind of world would 15 and 16-year-olds be spoken about in the media like this?"

Ryan Cardwell, former youth scout at Liverpool and Southampton, quoted by the BBC in one of several articles about Gabriel's next move. Equally, with the evolving football finance landscape, these 15 and 16-year-olds could end up making clubs and themselves significant amounts of money.

Rio Ngumoha, who joined Liverpool from Chelsea at that age in 2024, could be seen as a recent case study after breaking into the England squad. Harvey Elliott joined Liverpool from Fulham aged 16.

The importance of academy players is not a new phenomenon, with the United class of '92 providing the backbone to one of the most dominant teams in English football. United recruited youngsters too, signing 18-year-old Wayne Rooney from Everton in 2004, with the finances able to "revitalise" the club, according to chairman Bill Kenright.

The Bellinghams made Birmingham and Sunderland significant amounts of money moving to Borussia Dortmund young, Jude costing a reported £25 million (around €29.6 million) aged 17.

Jack Rudoni, who scored his first English Premier League goal for Coventry this week, was a Crystal Palace youth player until he moved to AFC Wimbledon at 11, with his transfer to Huddersfield Town aged 21 netting a significant fee for the fan-owned club. Rudoni's manager, Frank Lampard, left West Ham for Chelsea in 2001 after coming through their academy system.

The IFR State of the Game Report determined that Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR) encouraged the sale of academy players as "creative compliance". They also determine the incentivisation of selling academy players to meet league financial rules as a "systemic risk". As such, the IFR must pay attention to this given its proximity to the men's game and their financial sustainability remit. Its inclusion in their Report shows it is aware of the role it plays.

Whilst Gabriel is drawing in the headlines this year, a decision regarding his future will not stop headlines being written about other young talent in the future. It does, however, highlight a nuance in the rules surrounding youth players.

Brexit

Before 2021, free movement between EU countries allowed 16-year-old EU passport holders to join English clubs and English players able to avail of the same opportunities on the continent. This is no longer the case after Brexit, with foreign players now needed to be 18 to move to English clubs. As such, the scramble for domestic talent has taken on a new level of importance for clubs, with pressure rising on academy players of all ages as fewer opportunities exist for them at an important stage in their development.

For Gabriel, who turned 16 at the beginning of the month, this is his last opportunity to leave the club on his terms before signing a professional contract. As an Irish passport holder, he still has access to a European deal that now eludes English players. One could argue that it would be unwise for him to explore his options, especially if he is highly sought after as has been reported.

Should Gabriel move to another club, United would be entitled to compensation. The club, therefore, is insulated to a degree.

Does the IFR have cause for concern?

Should clubs themselves cease to exist, as happened at Bury, then that would have a knock-on effect on the club's youth teams and local talent. Whilst the IFR may not have a regulatory role on youngsters per se, it is obviously something of importance to the success of the men's game. Max Dowman made his debut for Arsenal aged 15, so the overlap is clear.

Ultimately, for Gabriel, United and many other clubs and players facing similar decisions, the situation boils down to money and opportunity, both now and in the future. Gabriel is the latest in a long line of young talents with huge amounts of internal and external pressure that no Regulator can remove; he will not be the last.

The IFR is aware of the role academies play in supporting the men's teams but will also be aware that it is governed primarily by the leagues and the English Football Association. There is likely an 11-year-old playing football now, who will be the subject of such scrutiny that Gabriel is experiencing, around the 2030 World Cup. Countless others will not be written about on BBC Sport, overanalysed on TalkSport, or elsewhere.

The United Manager Michael Carrick's comments on the situation bear repeating:

"With the exposure and scrutiny and everything, you [have] got to be careful and be sensible and think of [Gabriel] as much as anything. The situation will work itself out, whatever way it's going to work itself out. Making sure he's OK is the important thing."

Carrick himself was on BBC Live and Kicking playing football, aged 13.

William Fry website: www.williamfry.com’