Proposed changes to the football regulator that would ensure clubs could not be sold to nation states are to be put before the House of Lords, as legi

‘Once in a lifetime’ chance for football to block nation states owning clubs

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2024-11-15 20:00:04

Proposed changes to the football regulator that would ensure clubs could not be sold to nation states are to be put before the House of Lords, as legislation returns to parliament this week. Nineteen changes to the football governance bill have been proposed by Fair Game, an organisation of 34 men’s clubs that argues for a more sustainable approach to running the national sport.

Other proposals include the addition of a human rights component to owners’ and directors’ tests and a mandate to disclose the source of an owner’s funds. The text of the proposed amendment on state ownership says: “The Bill must exclude the possibility that an owner of a club could be a state or state-controlled person or entity.”

The football governance bill was relaunched by the Labour government last month and will receive its formal second reading in the Lords on Wednesday. While the focus of the bill is largely the same as when first drafted by the previous government, there have already been some changes in emphasis. This includes the deletion of a clause that the regulator must take into consideration the government’s foreign policy objectives before making decisions.

Fair Game now wants to put greater focus on ensuring stricter criteria for club owners, with the regulator conducting assessments of potential owners as part of its remit. “The secretary of state, Lisa Nandy, and the DCMS [the Department for Culture, Media and Sport] have improved the previous Bill put forward by the last government,” said Niall Couper, the founder and CEO of Fair Game. “However, there is still room for improvement to ensure the regulator has the teeth required.