Leading clubs in England are reportedly attempting to take over the running of the national team from the Football Association.

According to reports in the Daily Express and Sun newspapers, Premier League sides are anngry with the loss of players for international matches and wouldlike a bigger input in the running of the national side.

“As the players are ours, surely it makes sense for the Premier League to run the England team,” one irate club chairman told The Sun.

“This is a serious state of affairs and theFA cannot see it.

“The chairmen have never been so angry. The time for change is coming and something will have to give.”

At present, the FA are unlikely to acede to the demands, believing the national side shuld not be dictated to by the bigger clubs. They have resisted the clubs’ demands that they should be compensated for making players available for international duty.

Moreover, in an interview earlier this month, England coach Sven-Goran Eriksson was adamant that the FA should not pay the clubs for useof their players.

“I don’t think clubs have a right to demand that they should be paid when players go to the national team,” he said.

“I doubt it’s possible to come up with a system that suits everybody,” added Eriksson. “In England the FA can afford to pay.

“But there aren’t that many other international teams that could afford to select the players if they had to pay their wages.” ÿ