Has football broken? The magazine offers a 30-point fix

FourFourTwo's new issue debates whether football has broken. The cover story is a 30-point guide on how football could be fixed. The issue also includes Edwin van der Sar's career, England under Bobby Robson, and a section where Graeme Souness answers readers' questions.

To understand today's picture, the magazine goes back to 1986. West Ham's goal against Charlton in the FA Cup third round is remembered as the first goal shown live, both in the league and the cup, that home season. At the time, a dispute between the Football League and the BBC and ITV had completely blacked out football broadcasts. Even after the dispute eased, only 13 English club matches were shown live in the second half of the season.

Four decades later, the situation is very different. According to the magazine, almost no weekend passes without at least 13 domestic league matches being broadcast. This season at least 267 Premier League matches can be watched live on Sky and TNT. On top of that, 1,000 matches from the EFL, the League Cup and the EFL Trophy are being added. FA Cup and European matches come on top of this list.

The magazine also questions the price of a growing football. Political interference, financial cheating, and the drive for millimetre-level accuracy in every decision are taking away the spontaneous moments of joy in the stands. The magazine examines whether football has broken and, if so, how it could be fixed.