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Uefa has written to the UK government to warn that England could be expelled from Euro 2028 over concerns about “government interference in the running of football”.
The warning comes following government plans to set up an Independent Football Regulator (IFR) for the men’s game, with a bill to establish the regulator reintroduced in July.
In a letter to new UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, Uefa general secretary Theodore Theodoridis emphasised that “football regulation should be managed by the national federation”, and that the absence of government interference is “one of Uefa’s fundamental requirements”.
“We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from Uefa and teams from competition,” it added, according to a report by the BBC.
This exclusion could mean that England miss out in participating in a tournament they are hosting, with Euro 2028 taking place across the UK and Ireland.
In addition, English clubs could be prevented from taking part in the Champions League and other competitions overseen by European football’s governing body.
Despite the letter, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport remain confident that the establishment of a regulator would not jeopardise England’s involvement in the tournament.
“The Football Governance Bill will establish a new Independent Football Regulator that will put fans back at the heart of the game, and tackle fundamental governance problems to ensure that English football is sustainable for the benefit of the clubs’ communities going forward,” a spokesperson from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport told the PA news agency.
“The previous Conservative government failed to get its Football Governance Bill through Parliament due to the calling of the general election in May, but Labour committed itself to the plan in its manifesto,” it added.
The DCMS will formally “respond to the letter shortly”, with “no previous concerns raised by Uefa, which has been engaging alongside the Football Association with the new Government over the development of the Bill”.
A statement from the Football Supporters’ Association said that it is “confident there’s no risk to England’s participation in tournaments”, and that “Uefa do not expect it to reach that stage”, with DCMS officials believing that “there is ‘no risk’ of this happening”.
“The requlator will be fully independent of the Government as it aims to strengthen financial sustainability, improve supporter engagement and prevent the participation of clubs in a breakaway European Super League,” it said.
“The FA's evidence did not suggest there would be any problem in complying with Uefa or Fifa rules.
“The Football Governance Bill has the FSA's full support and we look forward to working with politicians on all sides of the house as it passes through Parliament.”
Additional reporting by PA
