On This Day in Football: 31st October

31st October 2002

On 31st October 2002, Adam Crozier resigned from his position as Chief Executive of the Football Association (FA), a role he had held since January 2000. Crozier, who previously served as CEO of advertising giant Saatchi and Saatchi, was brought in to modernise the FA and lead it into the 21st century. Despite having no prior experience in football and being Scottish, Crozier oversaw significant changes within the organisation. Under his leadership, the FA relocated its headquarters from Lancaster Gate to Soho Square, appointed Sven-Goran Eriksson as England’s first foreign manager, streamlined its management structure, and became more commercially aware. Additionally, the Wembley Stadium rebuild project progressed from a mere concept to a tangible reality, and England achieved a memorable 5-1 victory in Germany. However, Crozier’s tenure was not without controversy. In October 2002, Ken Bates criticised him in newspaper articles, claiming Crozier was ‘hopelessly out of control’ and had ‘exceeded his authority’. This criticism culminated in Crozier’s resignation on 31st October. He was succeeded by Mark Palios and later went on to become CEO at Royal Mail and ITV.

31st October 2007

On 31st October 2007, Liverpool’s John Arne Riise found himself in the spotlight for reasons off the pitch when a copy of one of his monthly payslips surfaced online. The payslip revealed that Riise’s monthly basic salary was £120,000, supplemented by £4,000 in appearance money, a £250 points bonus, and £15,384.62 for the Champions League, bringing his total monthly earnings to £139,634.62. Deductions amounted to £57,220.95, which included £55,508.28 in tax, £1,611.67 in National Insurance Contributions (NIC), and £101 for meals and tickets. This left Riise with a take-home pay of £82,413.67 for the month. The leak of such detailed financial information provided a rare glimpse into the earnings of a Premier League footballer at the time.