Welsh soccer's 'English-only' row

[Harold F. Schiffman]

Story from BBC NEWS:

Welsh soccer's 'English-only' row:  The Football Association of Wales
(FAW) is being asked to change a policy of refusing to use Welsh. The FAW
told Caernarfon and District League secretary John Pritchard it would only
deal with a dispute he was involved in in English. Mr Pritchard has won
the support of local Plaid Cymru AM Alun Ffred Jones, who asked the FAW to
reconsider. The FAW declined to comment, but head David Collins was quoted
in a newspaper saying it was policy to use English. In a letter to Mr
Pritchard, general secretary Mr Collins, said the association "conducts
its business in English".

The letter, dated 1 March added: "To my knowledge our council has not
overturned this policy, which is long-standing, and therefore until such
time that that is the case, it will remain the policy of the FAW that all
communications are conducted in English." The language dispute began when
Mr Pritchard's league fell foul of FAW rules about how many teams a player
could sign for. Caernarfon originally lost their case, but won on appeal.
Mr Pritchard said that throughout he tried to get the FAW to conduct its
business with him in the Welsh language, but the FAW said it always
conducted its affairs in English.

But Mr Pritchard said according to the rules of Fifa, world football's
ruling body, it was the responsibility of each member association to
translate into the language of its own country. "All I am asking is the
right to speak in my own language," said Mr Pritchard.

'Common courtesy'

"If I write a letter to them in Welsh, it's common courtesy for them to
reply to me in the same language, I don't expect them to translate every
single word in every single document, but I expect, in 2006, to be able to
speak in Welsh if I go to a committee meeting," he added. He said he was
disappointed the FAW was unwilling to allow many of its Welsh language
supporters to use their language, and said the case highlighted the need
for a new Welsh language act. "To refuse the rights of individuals to
speak their first language is appalling," Mr Jones added.

Mr Collins was quoted by the Daily Post newspaper drawing comparisons with
Fifa, which he said used only five languages despite having 207 national
associations.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/uk_news/wales/north_west/4876012.stm