The England football team risks being banned from the Euros if Sir Keir Starmer follows through with plans for a football watchdog, UEFA has warned.
European football's governing body said there should be "no government interference in the running of football” in a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, according to the BBC.
The warning follows plans by the government to set up an Independent Football Regulator (IFR) for the professional men's game.
UEFA's general secretary Theodore Theodoridis warns in the letter against plans in the King's Speech, which outlines the government’s policy agenda, that would give the new regulator the power to oversee clubs in England's top five leagues.
He said the game's independence was a "fundamental requirement".
UEFA could ban English clubs from competing in the Champions League and other UEFA competitions, as well as the national team being able to take part in the European Championship.
However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport believes the independent football regulator would not jeopardise England's participation at Euro 2028, which is being hosted by the UK and Ireland.
A DCMS spokesperson said: "The Football Governance Bill will establish a new Independent Football Regulator that will put fans back at the heart of the game, and tackle fundamental governance problems to ensure that English football is sustainable for the benefit of the clubs' communities going forward."
PA said it understands the DCMS would respond to the letter shortly and there have been no previous concerns raised by UEFA which, along with the Football Association, has been engaging with the government over the development of the bill.
The previous Conservative government failed to get its Football Governance Bill through Parliament because Rishi Sunak called a general election in May, but the plan was also in Labour's manifesto.
Fair Game, a fans’ campaign group calling for a shake-up in the structure of football, said UEFA was issuing an ‘empty threat’.
Chief executive Niall Couper said: "The DCMS have been over this ground a hundred times. This is nothing short of a scare story.
"With 58% of the top 92 [clubs in England] technically insolvent, annual losses of £10m a year in the Championship viewed as 'a success', football is an industry in desperate need of financial reform.
"The government should not be derailed by such nonsense."
