TRAGEDY: The longest-serving member of the Coventry city fc has just resigned after pleading guilty to federal charges……
This is a historic step forward, following the fan led review of football governance, which will see the establishment of an independent football regulator to ensure that the voices of football fans are heard.
The regulator will have powers revolving around three core objectives: improving financial sustainability of clubs, ensuring financial resilience across the leagues and safeguarding English football’s heritage.
“If delivered correctly, this can be a pivotal moment in the running of football in this country – making sure that the game we all love is here and thriving for years to come.
“I would like to thank all of our local MPs across all parties for their continued support and work in this important area.
“I’d also like to pay tribute to the EFL senior management team, and in particular Chairman Rick Parry, for all of their efforts in long discussions with the Government to get us to this stage.”
Fans can read the Government press release and the statement from the EFL below:
The Bill comes at a critical juncture for English football, following the attempted breakaway European Super League, and a series of high profile cases of clubs being financially mismanaged or collapsing entirely.
The legislation being introduced today goes further than the Government’s manifesto commitment, establishing the new ‘Independent Football Regulator’ (IFR) as a standalone body – independent of both Government and the football authorities.
The body will be equipped with robust powers revolving around three core objectives: to improve financial sustainability of clubs, ensure financial resilience across the leagues, and to safeguard the heritage of English football.
Under the Football Governance Bill, new owners and directors will face stronger tests to stop clubs falling into the wrong hands, and face the possibility of being removed and struck off from owning football clubs if they are found to be unsuitable.
The Bill also includes new backstop powers around financial distributions between the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL). These powers mean that if the leagues fail to agree on a new deal on financial distributions, then the backstop can be triggered to ensure a settlement is reached.