LONDON — The U.K. government is pitching an overhaul of how English football is governed following controversy over plans to set up a breakaway European Super League and concerns about clubs loaded up with debt.
A new independent regulator for men’s teams at elite level will be established in law for the first time, after the government accepted recommendations of a review led by former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch.
The regulator will oversee a new licensing system requiring clubs to demonstrate sound financial business models and good corporate governance before being allowed to compete.
And it will have the power to prevent English clubs joining new competitions that fail to meet a predetermined criteria, with “closed-shop breakaway competitions” like the European Super League in the U.K.’s sights, according to a statement announcing the plan.
Football governance has been in the spotlight in recent years after plans for a breakaway European Super League by a group of Premier League and other European elite clubs were abandoned amid a public outcry and pressure from a host of national governments.
Announcing the plan, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promised to “put fans back at the heart of football, protect the rich heritage and traditions of our much-loved clubs and safeguard the beautiful game for future generations.”
Labour’s Shadow Culture Secretary Lucy Powell urged ministers to get a move on. “The government should urgently bring forward legislation, or take responsibility for any clubs that go under, spiral into decline or which are bought by unsuitable new owners, in the years they’ve wasted bringing the regulator,” she added.
