The UK government could be set to ditch popular plans to introduce an independent regulator for English football, according to The Times. Earlier this year, Boris Johnson’s premiership endorsed radical changes to establish a governing body on the back of a fan-led review.
Proposals - which would have included a more strenuous owner’ and directors’ test - were backed by Downing Street at the time, but a change in prime minister has jeopardised those plans. The desire for an independent regulator gathered traction following the controversial European Super League fiasco in April 2021.
However, a new report claims Liz Truss would prefer to avoid increased legislation. A white paper outlining how a regulator would work was expected to be presented to Parliament this autumn.
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The Times also suggest Truss will agree to the plans “if necessary” should the FA, Premier League and EFL fail to collaborate on an agreement. A top-flight statement vehemently opposed an independent regulator when the move was originally announced five months ago.
It read: "The Premier League recognises and accepts the case for reform and for a strengthened regulatory system across football. We welcome the clarity from the Government about their position and are committed to working with them during this next phase of consultation, although we will continue to maintain that it is not necessary for there to be a statutory-backed regulator."
Manchester United legend Gary Neville - one of the biggest proponents for an independent regulator - slammed the government for potentially breaking a manifesto pledge. He told The Times: “There is cross-party support for a regulator along with the majority of football outside the top six.
“The fan-led review is a Conservative Party manifesto pledge and I would expect any individual opinion to be discarded in favour of the more collective position set out by the government and football itself. The fan-led review was referred to in the Queen’s speech and I would expect that to be seen through.”
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