English football looks set for its biggest shake up since the creation of the Premier League back in 1992 with a new independent regulator to be introduced. Rob Draper of the Mail, claims new Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is set to sign off on a new regulator, just months after the proposals looked dead in the water.
As recently as October, there were claims of ‘champagne corks popping at the Premier League’ who have waged a long battle against regulation, with Liz Truss and her key advisor Jason Stein privately indicating that the regulator would be scrapped or diluted.
However, the short tenure of Truss in Downing Street has seen the plans remain on the table and The Government will present its White Paper or proposed legislation following the new year, though the report claims there will be no announcement during the World Cup or before Christmas. The proposals, which could become law by 2024, would see a panel appointed to search for an individual to lead the independent football regulator, an office which would have directors and scores of members of staff, overseeing the most contentious issues in the game.
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There had been previous suggestions the Newcastle United takeover which took place last year, would not have passed through an independent regulator on the basis of poor human rights records. However, the Mail claim that would not be the case.
The report reads: "A regulator though is not likely to prevent Saudi or Qatari investors buying Manchester United or Liverpool on human rights grounds. Owners and directors tests are likely to be strengthened and better corporate governance imposed, meaning each club will now have to appoint independent directors rather than be run by a cosy cabal of owners’ friends.
"But the Government has previously made it clear that it does not expect nor want a regulator to forge an independent position for football investment which diverges from British foreign policy. So nations which are allies of the UK, such as Saudi Arabia and Qatar, will be free to invest in the game as long as owners can pass the relevant new tests.
"However, a regulator is likely to take a more robust approach to what some claim is state sponsorship of clubs like Manchester City, which has numerous sponsorship deals with Abu Dhabi based or Abu Dhabi-linked companies, and Newcastle, which is owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and which is expected to follow a similar route."
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