Friendly at MK Dons

[STAR Voice]

Lots has been said on "The Team" board about the merits of this fixture, and quite a bit of what's been said displays an ignorance of the facts. This post is to try and correct the facts of what actually happened and to set out STAR's position on this friendly.

The Move to Mk
Firstly, let's clarify how Wimbledon FC came to be moved to MK..... This wasn't "allowed by the FL and the FA", but when the idea was first mooted in 2001 the chairman of the FL said to the press, when asked at Luton airport (en route to the League's AGM) words to the effect of "Over my dead body, it'll never happen..."

When the FL clubs voted against the move, Wimbledon FC's lawyers used these words to demonstrate that their case had been unfairly prejudiced, and so they were granted a 3-man FA arbitration panel. This panel, which included ex-Arsenal vice Chair David Dein and Douglas Hamilton (who was later to shaft York City!) granted permission for the move to take place by 2 votes to 1.

Everyone in football was against it (although the FA had to abide by the decision of this panel, Adam Crozier, Chief Exec at the time, said it was "bad for football" and called it "an appalling decision"). I've also seen good evidence that the budgets, income and expense statements shown to the commission were flawed (I'm choosing my words carefully for legal reasons, here...) but there was no right of appeal after that arbitration panel, and so the move happened. From that point, much of football, including the FSF and just about all other supporters' organisations including STAR, regarded MK Dons (as they became, 9 months after moving, and against the advice of the arbitration panel!) as pariahs.

The resulting story of the formation and rise of AFC Wimbledon, by WISA (Wimbledon Independent Supporters' Association) is well known and I won't repeat it here.

The Agreement
After a number of years of being in the wilderness, with various fans' boycotts and with the MK Dons Supporters' Association not being permitted to join the FSF, moves were made to put together a "peace treaty". With the FSF acting as mediators, and after well over a year of extremely difficult and emotive negotiations, an agreement was signed in October 1996 between the FSF, MK Dons FC, MKDSA and WISA. I was marginally involved in these, and I can personally testify just how much people had to compromise and just how difficult it was to reach agreement.

The full text of the agreement is here : but the most significant points are :
- MK Dons agreed to relinquish all claims to the honours, history, trademarks and patrimony of Wimbledon FC, and to return all of these items to the London Borough of Merton - this happened in August last year.
- "All parties recognise and genuinely regret the hurt which was caused to supporters of the former Wimbledon FC by the move to Milton Keynes".
- ".... WISA and the FSF will withdraw any and all objections, and any existing policies which support such objections, to other professional football clubs playing MKDFC in pre-season friendly fixtures. WISA and the FSF shall also similarly withdraw their policies of calling for supporters of other clubs to boycott attendance as away supporters at MKDFC home fixtures in all competitions and friendly matches. "

STAR's View
As active members of the FSF, we have to follow the terms of this agreement as so cannot call for a boycott of this fixture. Whilst of course we respect that some individuals (including some STAR Board members) may feel strongly enough about this issue to decide not go to MK themselves, we feel that as WISA have been able to move on and accept the existence of MKD as a new club it would be churlish if we acted differently. MK have done everything they can to move on too, and have disassociated themselves from the past and they way they were formed.

This doesn't, of course, mean that what happened with the move is acceptable - we all absolutely abhor what happened and would do everything we could to oppose another such move. But it's happened now and can't be undone, and I think everyone has to live with the consequences. For what it's worth, I'm extremely confident that it would never be allowed to happen in a similar way again - the FL have learnt their lesson about due legal process the hard way, and have also been substantially tightened up their rules since 2002.

Personally, the way I view the situation is that MK Dons are a new club, who were wrongly given the league place of Wimbledon FC when that club was wrongly wound up. In the same way, the continuation of Wimbledon FC is AFCW and AFCW only - MK Dons have accepted that by giving over all the history and honours, etc.

[Stooper]

Personally, the way I view the situation is that MK Dons are a new club, who were wrongly given the league place of Wimbledon FC when that club was wrongly wound up. In the same way, the continuation of Wimbledon FC is AFCW and AFCW only - MK Dons have accepted that by giving over all the history and honours, etc.

But not the league status...

[STAR Voice]

Personally, the way I view the situation is that MK Dons are a new club, who were wrongly given the league place of Wimbledon FC when that club was wrongly wound up. In the same way, the continuation of Wimbledon FC is AFCW and AFCW only - MK Dons have accepted that by giving over all the history and honours, etc.

But not the league status...

Indeed - but what can be done so far down the line? The agreement does also say :

17. In promoting the approval and acceptance of this accord all parties to it accept that there is no solution which will completely satisfy all concerned and that all parties have made some compromises to achieve this position which represents the best way forward in all the circumstances.

At the start of negotiations, some of the participants made the Israelis and Palestinians look like life-long buddies, so we were never going to get to a perfect resolution, but everyone agreed it's time to move on.

[toppy]

Thanks for the info - made interesting reading

[Jerry St Clair]

When the FL clubs voted against the move, Wimbledon FC's lawyers used these words to demonstrate that their case had been unfairly prejudiced, and so they were granted a 3-man FA arbitration panel. This panel, which included ex-Arsenal vice Chair David Dein and Douglas Hamilton (who was later to shaft York City!) granted permission for the move to take place by 2 votes to 1.

Who appointed the arbitration panel, and on what criteria? I cannot think of two more inappropriate individuals!

[SCIAG]

When the FL clubs voted against the move, Wimbledon FC's lawyers used these words to demonstrate that their case had been unfairly prejudiced, and so they were granted a 3-man FA arbitration panel. This panel, which included ex-Arsenal vice Chair David Dein and Douglas Hamilton (who was later to shaft York City!) granted permission for the move to take place by 2 votes to 1.

Who appointed the arbitration panel, and on what criteria? I cannot think of two more inappropriate individuals!

Simon Jordan and various Italians would be less appropriate...

[Forbury Lion]

I'm still boycotting MK Dons and the town of Milton Keynes as a whole. I even refuse to speak to a guy at work because he lives there.

[The 17 Bus]

Did you used to go to MK very often before you boycotted it Forbes?