World domination - but which one?

Last week saw the two main English football authorities start their respective journeys to justify themselves as the custodians of the game.

Firstly, the Football Association and Brian Barwick in particular, watched his choice as England manager begin with a friendly against Switzerland at Wembley. The next day and it was the Premier League's turn and their front man Peter Scudamore, who rolled out his dream to extend his brand around the world.

Whether either one of them will succeed is open to plenty of debate but the agendas have been set and there is probably no longer going back in either scenario.

With the awful McClaren-era still fresh in the mind it was never going to be a problem for Capello to make his mark but the way he has virtually erased the excesses and pampering of a group of players in such a short time is highly commendable. The nervous first 45 minutes last week, rather than being embarrassing, was enjoyable in a sadistic way.

Having spent the best part of six years listening to the 'Golden Generation' promising glory, never achieving anything and then promising again it was fascinating to see them like rabbits in a set of headlights.

The issues began earlier in the week when a message posted on the notice board laid out the new rules for squad interaction. No mobile phones, everyone eating together, no Wags (wives and girlfriends) and everyone addressed by surname were just some of them - the culture had changed and no one had been left in any doubt.

The edgy beginning stretched to the crowd who booed when possession was kept by the back four as they are not used to such a patient approach - it is one they will have to get used to. Never had the Italian managed a team who found so many ways to give the ball away.

The formation was new, with Owen sidelined Rooney was left as the lone striker supported by the ever-improving, Joe Cole. Experimenting is what friendlies are for and as long as they are consistently dealt with and treated with respect we might at last get a team that is built over a period of time rather than a collection of players trying to perform only on the big occasion.

It is now a time when every English player now feels they can play for their country if they are good enough; nothing else stands in their way. They will, though, have to be committed to the squad with dropping out for minor niggles being a thing of the past as they might find themselves jettisoned from this particular manager's plans.

Every player knows that playing for England is a lucrative prospect and now there is no guarantee of taking advantage of it. If nothing else Capello has made them all a little bit more honest and only now will we see if they are good enough to win a World Cup.

Meanwhile, the Premier League have began discussions, if that is what they really are, in to the prospect of extending the season to 39 games rather than the current 38. This would involve a one-off game decided by drawing names from a seeded hat to play in places such as New York and Melbourne - with the Middle East also being a likely destination.

As reported in GulfWeekly recently, Manchester United attracted 65,000 fans, including many supporters from Bahrain, when they played an exhibition match and lost against an Al Hilal team 3-2 in Riyadh. The next visit might well involve a competitive game played in January, but there is plenty of opposition at the moment, not least from season ticket holders.

It could be that Manchester United are drawn to play Derby whilst Arsenal plays Aston Villa and the title depends on it. This would be unacceptable to most, but not the money men who see the Premiership brand in such a light they would target any opportunity to parade it to new territories.

The likes of Scudamore argue that globalisation is inevitable and if they do not take advantage of the current popularity then another league will do. He may well be right but he has to be careful of not upsetting too many people with conflicting interests.

Michel Platini has already laughed at the idea and with England bidding for the 2018 World Cup the FA would not want the boat rocked too much with the European and World governing bodies.

As it stands World Cup winners and competitive Premier League games taking place around the world is in its embryo form and only the next 12 months will allow us to see whether either will have the opportunity to come to fruition.