Money calls tune

Glenn Hoddle's demise did not smell quite as sweetly as politically correct guardians might have liked. The final nail in the England team manager's coffin was banged in by FA sponsors Nationwide Building Society, who have ploughed £15 million into the sport.

In a growing trend, sponsors are now beginning to call the shots or at least exert pressure on sports associations as soon as events deviate from their perceived brand image.

Douglas Hall and Freddie Shepherd were ditched for a short time from the Newcastle United board following disquiet from Scottish and Newcastle Breweries after the pair's offensive remarks about Newcastle women, while Stan Collymore was dumped by Diadora boot manufacturer when he admitted kicking girlfriend Ulrika Jonsson in a French cafe.

At the World Conference on Doping in Lausanne this week the IOC was rebuked for plans to incude a sponsors' representative on the executive of a new independent drugs agency while during the recent managerial crisis in Cavan GAA, the county sponsor took a high-profile stance.

The clear message now is that sponsors don't just want athletes' bodies, they want their souls as well.