The Government of the United Kingdom is scheduled to finally release their long-awaited white paper on football before the end of February.
In the aftermath of the initial announcement that six Premier League clubs were joining The (European) Super League in April 2021, then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened that a “legislative bomb” would be used to prevent anything of the sort from happening. Almost two years after it was promised, the bomb is now finally due to drop.
But what does this all mean? And what impact could it have on Manchester United and a potential takeover of the club? The Manchester Evening News attempt to explain all below...
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What is a white paper?
A white paper is a formalised plan for legislation, the act of making a new law or set of laws. In this case, the government will outline how it intends to create an independent regulator for football after agreeing with Tracey Crouch's fan-led review following many months of lobbying.
What was the fan-led review?
The review was commissioned by the government in the wake of The (European) Super League being launched, and former sports minister and current MP Tracey Crouch was responsible for conducting it. Seven months later, in November 2021, the review was published, which called for the creation of an independent regulator for the game.
When will the white paper be released?
The paper has been delayed several times since its initial release date last summer. The most recent postponement came two weeks ago when it was scheduled to be publicised on February 8 before that was shelved due to the visit of the president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The paper has been ready for weeks now, but its release is now reportedly scheduled for Thursday, 23 February. The announcement was due to be made during a press conference earlier this month, but whether that will still happen remains to be seen.
How could an independent regulator affect a potential United takeover?
United may most obviously be impacted as a new regulator would be responsible for vetting prospective new owners, including introducing an enhanced owners’ and directors’ test that would replace the exiting Premier League one. Whether this legislation would be enacted in time to have the final say on a potential takeover of the club by Sir Jim Ratcliffe, Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, or another interested party entirely is currently unclear.
What else would a regulator do?
An independent regulator would also be tasked with ensuring that clubs are up-to-date with their payments and generally tackle football's financial issues. This is seen as an attempt to avoid the bankruptcies of Bury and Macclesfield Town from being repeated.
Preventing British clubs from forming and participating in an unsanctioned competition, such as The (European) Super League, would also come under a regulator's remit. After all, that prospect was what precipitated the white paper's publication in the first place.
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