That Damned Football League...

With the recent crisis of my Local rivals Southampton the Football League are revealed in their truest light.

Southampton are in League One after falling from the Premier League and the Championship in recent years and haven't gotten their barings in the lower leagues yet. Worse still Rupert "Duck Hunter" Lowe's second tenure as Southampton Chairman has left their finances in dire straights with the team's wages going unpaid and the fear of administration in the near future.

With Southampton in such peril it fell to their greatest ever player to come to the rescue and he did not dissapoint them. Matthew Le Tissier headed up a consortium to buy the club and bring stablity back to them. A reported £1m has already been spent by this consortium to ensure that their bid went through with the club and there seemed to be a bright light at the end of the tunnel for that club down the road.

But then the Football League butted in. They were happy with Le Tissier and his consortium being owners by put their own stipulation into the deal. Southampton could only be bought by Le Tissier and his consortium if they agree not to challenge the 10 point deduction the Football League had given Southampton.

Le Tissier and his consortium and even Southampton FC itself feels that the 10 point deduction is unfair and that they have a good case to appeal and felt that the Football League were out of order for forcing such a stipulation on them.

The deal appeared to be in limbo but after a couple of days Le Tissier said he and his group were prepared to accept this stipulation just so they could take over but it was not to be.

The Football League's dictatorial stance on Southampton's right to appeal scarpered the deal. Today Le Tissier and his Consortium pulled out, with the backers they were getting support from being unprepared to put the money in now that the Football League have declared this 10 point deduction unappealable and with increasing fears that the Football League will put more sanctions on the struggling club.

It's not enough for the Football League that Southampton are struggling to survive own their own, they have to but in a make life even harder.

Continuing from their persecution of poor old Luton Town last year (who they more or less relegated before the Season began) the Football League has proved that they have no interest in helping teams in struggling finances.

They are vindictive and cruel in their handling of such clubs and offer no alternative way out of the difficulties those clubs find themselves in.

What I have never understood is why hasnt somebody challenged this football league ruling if not through UEFA and FIFA why not challenge this rule at the European court of sport whatever it's called if that court found in favour of Southampton or another club the football league would have to accept that ruling. The not beang able to challenge the deduction seems unfair, I dont normally like having lawyers and courts invol;ved in the game but maybe thats a route that needs to be looked at as football is full of crazy rules and some need to be challenged before it goes to far