Government wants to set up an independent football regulator in England after backing a fan-led review

Fans across the Premier League protested the European Super League

The government says it will set up an independent regulatory body in football once approved Recommendations in the fan-led review into the men’s game.

The regulator will have the power to sanction clubs in English football that break financial and other rules.

The Premier League said it “recognizes and accepts the case for reform” but a regulator is “not necessary”.

A new ownership test will be introduced and legislation will give fans more say in how the game is run.

It comes after last year’s government review made 10 recommendations to improve football governance.

The review was led by former Sport Secretary Tracey Crouch following a series of high-profile crises in sport, such as: failed European Super League and the collapse of FC buried.

Crouch called the government’s endorsement of the review “a huge step forward” but also said the unclear timeframe for making the changes was “concerning”.

No direct timetable for implementing the changes has been announced, but the government said a white paper – policy documents detailing proposals for future legislation – will be published in the summer.

The new regulator is backed by legislation that allows it to impose penalties and have financial oversight over clubs, meaning it can investigate and gather information.

It will also apply the new “enhanced” Owners and Directors test, which will replace the current tests being run by the Premier League, Football League and the Football Association.

This follows Roman Abramovich’s ongoing sale of Chelsea amid government sanctions and a Saudi Arabia-backed takeover of Newcastle United in October 2021 among others. Both ownership arrangements have been criticized by Amnesty International UK.

The new test will be implemented before the acquisition, but also on an ongoing basis.

It will include a new “integrity test” for owners and executives and more rigorous pre-sale screening, including sources of funding.

“I am extremely satisfied [the government] has accepted or supported all of the review’s strategic recommendations, including a commitment to legislation for a statutory independent regulator that will regulate clubs’ financial resilience and ownership,” Crouch said in a statement to the PA news agency.

“This is a huge step forward in delivering much-needed reforms to football.”

Crouch said she believes fans would welcome the reforms but “remain nervous that this commitment will be delayed or diluted by the vested interests and conflicting interests in the game that have resisted much-needed reform for so long.”

“Further delays could be disastrous for clubs, communities and fans seeking a safer and more secure regulatory environment,” she added.

Last month, Helen MacNamara, chief policy and corporate affairs officer at the Premier League, told a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee that the league “definitely” did not want a statutory independent regulator.

The government says its white paper will include plans for “a greater role for fans in the day-to-day operations of clubs” and ensure fans have a “greater say in changes to their club’s stadiums, logo, name and kit”. a “golden stock” to protect the clubs and the central role they play as a vital common good”.

The white paper also aims to improve equality and diversity in club boardrooms.

` Sport understand football’s key bodies will be looking for more details on the proposals.

The Premier League is understood to be wary of anyone who has a stated desire to reform football but lacks a working knowledge of the sport.

His view remains that employing two outstanding football lawyers, together with a “football expert” experienced in managing the game, is the best way to handle contentious cases.

A league statement said: “The Premier League recognizes and accepts the case for reform and a strengthened regulatory system across football. We welcome the government’s clarity on their position and commit to working with them in this next phase of consultation. although we will continue to maintain that it is not necessary for there to be a legally backed regulator.”

England’s top flight said it will roll out its own plans for the start of next season to ensure fans are listened to, while it has also been working to “draft and implement guidelines” to move towards the goals of the review respond, including verification of its owner and director’s test.

Crouch’s review recommended looking at financial distribution, including “greater support from the Premier League to the pyramid through a solidarity levy paid by Premier League clubs when buying players from overseas or other top clubs”.

However, the government said it believed “this should be resolved in the first instance by the football authorities”.

“It is remarkable and disappointing that there has been no progress in talks between football authorities on the reallocation of finances and I share the Government’s view that this urgently needs to be addressed,” added Crouch.

How were the reactions to the move?

campaign group Fair play supported the government’s announcement but said “what we need now is a firm timetable for change”.

“There must be no more delays or fluctuations,” Fair Game added, adding that it was “disappointing that, at first glance, there is no talk of a new international transfer tax.”

cultural secretary Nadine Dorries said: “Football is nothing without its fans and for too long football authorities have been unable to collectively tackle some of football’s biggest issues.

“The Government has taken decisive action to carry out the fan-led review and today we endorsed each of their 10 strategic recommendations and the approach outlined by Tracey Crouch.”

However, shadow culture minister Lucy Powell said the delay in introducing any legislation until 2024 was “a real disappointment”.

“Football clubs are at the heart of communities. We urgently need new legislation to prevent more clubs from going bust or being used as a pawn for the rich,” Powell said.

Julian Knight MPChair of the Committee on Digital, Culture, Media and Sport said the government “turned the bus on” by not setting a firm timeline for creating a regulator.

“The commitment to bring in an independent regulator is a welcome step, but the Government must now proceed with the establishment for the sake of the health of our national football,” Knight said.

“Developments such as the proposition of the absurd European Super League and the struggles for survival faced by clubs in our communities have made football leadership in this country the joke it is.”

Former President of the Football Association david amber, who was alongside former Manchester United defender Gary Neville lobbying for independent regulation of English football, told ` Radio 5 Live: “I believe if this is handled properly by the right people it could make a real difference.

“This proposal brings more independence to the game and ensures that the very strong vested interests that have controlled the game for so long are balanced.”

Neville tweeted, “If we take this at face value, it’s what the game desperately needs. But why the delay? It is needed now.”

The Association of Professional Footballers said it welcomed the recommendations on player welfare, particularly for those whose careers are coming to an end.

“The support must be consistently and adequately funded and we look forward to playing an important role in building a system that achieves this,” it said in a statement.

“It’s also critical for the PFA that those playing the game – at all levels – remain at the center of conversations about their future.”

Analysis – “A significant moment in the history of sport”

Dan Roan, ` Sports Editor

Last month, the Premier League told MPs it was steadfastly opposed to a legally mandated independent football regulator, so this is seen as a major defeat for the country’s top clubs and a significant moment in the history of the sport.

Despite the turmoil sparked by the attempt at the European Super League, the controversy over the Saudi takeover of Newcastle United and Derby County’s financial collapse, the Premier League had still hoped to persuade ministers to accept the FA as allow regulators to function.

But the chaos at Chelsea following the sanctioning of Russian owner Roman Abramovich was perhaps seen as one footballing crisis too many, and the government may have felt they had no choice but to back Crouch’s key recommendation in their “fan-led review”. That — coupled with a commitment to greater supporter engagement — will please many who have called for radical reforms.

What’s not yet clear is whether the beefed-up ownership and directors test that the regulator will oversee would have prevented any of the club takeovers or financial woes that have tainted the game in recent years, and exactly when it would be put into effect and complete will be founded.

Not everything Crouch called for was supported. She also recommended Premier League clubs pay a “solidarity transfer levy” to further support the football pyramid and redistribute wealth. But at least the government has left that to the football authorities for now.

This will no doubt come as a relief to the Premier League and disappoint clubs in the Football League who may feel this is a missed opportunity to balance football’s financial landscape.