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Opinion

The England football team is better managed than the country's health policy

BMJ 2022; 379 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.o2953 (Published 07 December 2022) Cite this as: BMJ 2022;379:o2953

Rapid Response:

Re: The England football team is better managed than the country's health policy

Dear Editor,

The authors' analogy of a football team is a good one, and illustrates the folly of focusing political efforts and financial resources largely on only one aspect of what makes a population healthy.

While the manager must take overall responsibility for the team's performance, it is unfortunate that too often, in my experience, the goalkeeper relishes the extra money and attention they receive, believing they are more important than the other players, and can win games on their own.

Competing interests: No competing interests

08 December 2022
Andrew Turner
Consultant in Public Health
North West England