THE UK GOVERNMENT will today establish an independent football regulator which will have the power to block clubs from competing in unapproved competitions, such as a European Super League.
The establishment of an independent football regulator is included in the Football Governance Bill which will be introduced in the UK Parliament later today.
The Bill was triggered after the attempted breakaway European Super League competition.
MP Tracey Crouch, Chair of the Review of Football Governance, said the regulator can intervene to “prevent any chance of domestic clubs joining a breakaway European Super League”.
Severe outrage was caused among fans of the six English clubs that were part of a breakaway project called the European Super League in April 2021.
This widespread outrage resulted in the project quickly falling apart.
However, plans for such a Super League were revived in October 2022 and last December the European Court of Justice ruled that Uefa rules blocking the formation of such a competition were contrary to EU law.
Four of the six English Premier League sides involved in the proposed Super League – Chelsea, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Tottenham – issued statements at the time to say they remained committed to Uefa competitions despite the Court’s ruling.
While the Premier League said it wants to “help sustain the entire football pyramid”, it added that the “future growth of the Premier League is not guaranteed”.
“We remain concerned about any unintended consequences of legislation that could weaken the competitiveness and appeal of English football,” said the Premier League statement.
The Football Governance Bill will grant powers to the regulator, independent of both government and football authorities, to oversee clubs in England’s top five tiers.
The UK government has said the regulator will “give fans a great voicer in the running of their clubs”.
The Regulator will promote financial sustainability and have the ability to fine clubs up to 10% of turnover for non-compliance – Everton and Nottingham Forest have both been deducted points this season for breaching Premier League profit and sustainability rules.
The Regulator will also implement strengthened owners’ and directors’ tests to “stop clubs falling into the wrong hands.”
“For too long some clubs have been abused by unscrupulous owners who get away with financial mismanagement, which at worst can lead to complete collapse – as we saw in the upsetting cases of Bury and Macclesfield Town,” said British prime minister Rishi Sunak.
Elsewhere, the Regulator will be equipped with backstop powers to impose a ‘new deal’ on financial distributions.
Rick Parry, the chair of the English Football League – which includes the Championship, League one, and League Two – has welcomed the introduction of the Bill, saying it could “help fix the game’s broken financial model” – if it was “delivered on the right terms”.
In January, Parry told MPs that the funding offer under discussion would give his competition 14.75% of the net media revenues earned by the EFL and the Premier League.
The Chief Executive of the Football Supporters Association Kevin Miles welcomed the bill and said the Regulator will have the power to “intervene and stop clubs being run into the ground, give supporters a much bigger voice in the running of the game, and prevent any chance of domestic clubs joining a breakaway European Super League”.
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