The Government is finally ready to implement the rules suggested by a fan-led review into football ownership, with major changes set to revolutionise the way the sport is run.
The review of football governance, which was chaired by Conservative MP and former sports minister Tracey Crouch, was first released in November 2021. It called for an independent regulator for the game to ensure financial stability, while also making it harder for clubs to join breakaway leagues, like the disastrous European Super League.
The recommendations have taken over a year to be scrutinised by the Government, but are now set to shake up the way the sport is run. The historic announcement that an independent regulator is coming is understood to be coming next week, but The Sun claims to have seen a leaked version.
Headline changes
A ban on clubs being able to join breakaway leagues, with teams only able to compete in competitions approved by the regulator
A annual tax paid by all teams to fund the independent regulator
Money will be taken from the Premier League and spread out more evenly in the lower leagues, to try and prevent clubs going bust
New tougher ownership rules which will replace the “fit and proper” test and scrutinise the source of wealth
All clubs will need to reapply and gain a fresh licence
Fans to be handed more power, with clubs consulting them on key decisions
HAVE YOUR SAY! What do you make of the proposed rule changes? Comment below.
Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan wants the regulator in place for the 2024/25 season and is expected to formally unveil legislation on February 8. The move to announce the White Paper, which is a prelude to Government legislation, comes amid growing pressure from Labour and prominent voices in the game, like Gary Neville, to speed up the process.
“It’s about time Gov published the long-awaited football white paper,” tweeted Lucy Powell MP, Labour’s Shadow Culture, Media and Sport Secretary.
“More than a year after the Fan-Led Review, following the European Super League fiasco, and a number of clubs on the brink, it can’t come soon enough. Yet it still won’t be actual legislation for years to come.
“We have been consistently calling for a statutory football regulator, even when the Government got cold feet. That legislation is now likely to come is a testament to that collective effort over years, and notable campaigners not least Tracey Crouch.”
The changes will not be universally popular, with many Premier League executives wary about increased governance. Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow has previously warned that care needed to be taken not to “kill the golden goose”.
Nevertheless, a group of 10 MPs from Merseyside are calling for the fan-led review process to be sped up, and for clubs to join the Fair Game group, which campaigns for football to be run more sustainably.
The MPs wrote: “The fan-led review included recommendations which would reset the governance of football and, for the first time, integrate financial sustainability, good governance, equality standards and proper fan and community engagement into the national game, through the use of an independent regulator.
“We believe that these recommendations are vital to preserving our footballing institutions for generations to come. Clubs all over the country have been in crisis and here in the north west we have seen the impact of that at Bury, Macclesfield and Bolton. Our Premier League clubs are a symbol of pride for the city of Liverpool and the wider region, and are a major influence in the football world. Their support could be a game changer for a Fairer Game.”
