THE Football League has become a laughing stock.

For an organisation that bangs on about its competitions being a fair and level playing field, its boardroom meddling couldn’t have made life any harder for Cherries.

Two years ago, the Echo received a leaked email regarding Lord Mawhinney’s ridiculous plans to introduce a new form of penalty shootout if league games ended in a draw.

That showed how little there was on the Thursday meeting agenda back then – and now there are more interesting issues to discuss, like Flavio Briatore and Notts County’s mystery owners, Cherries’ plight seems to have dropped down to the Any Other Business section.

According to rumours doing the rounds at the league’s London offices, the ‘official’ who rubber-stamped Cherries’ loan signing of Anthony Edgar from West Ham was given some Fergie-style hairdryer treatment by his superiors. So don’t expect Jermain’s cousin to be here in three weeks’ time either.

Quite simply, the league has lost the plot. In an HQ filled with people who seem to know nothing about football, let alone entertainment, the treatment of AFC Bournemouth and its followers is nothing short of disgraceful.

With respect to the youngsters Eddie Howe has been forced to field, supporters want to see the best players on the park – and Steve Lovell certainly falls into that category.

The suits are starving fans of the quality they pay good money to see – as well as handicapping Howe’s ambitions.

Lovell, Howe and Jason Tindall are absolutely right to speak out today. The Football League can damage them no more.