Nottingham Forest supporters have had their say about the Government's 'radical' vision to protect the long-term future of the English game.
The long-awaited white paper arrived on the back of a fan-led review prompted by the failed European Super League proposal and the collapse of historic football clubs such as Bury and Macclesfield Town.
If implemented, it will mean an independent regulator will licence clubs in a bid to ensure they are run more sustainably, introduce robust owners’ and directors’ tests while also giving fans veto powers to prevent owners making changes to a club’s heritage, such as the badge or kit.
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The proposals also suggest powers to block clubs from joining breakaway leagues, appearing to prevent a repeat of any attempt by clubs to form a Super League like the one which proved so unpopular with supporters in 2021.
The news has been welcomed by the Football Supporters’ Association, and now Reds fans have had their say too...
Raffy: "So all we need now is a truly "Independent Regulator". Considering the state of Parliament, the people in it and the state of the current World Football (and national FAs), the money men will be able to take more for themselves and it'll be a much more difficult boy's club to join ensuring their "long term" bank account,s with government taking a cut in the process. Be under no illusion, nothing done by any politician is for the good of the people, if they can't take their cut (all parties included). They're stealing control of our game completely."
Gendcit2: "The English Premier League shoud be for English players only and only English managers. We won't win the World Cup again until English players are schooled in the Premier League."
Nagash: "A regulator is very different than an independent regulator. Only the government, no matter the colour, can allow this to be set up, but once set up they have no control over how it operates, they would only have the power to shut it down should it be proven not to be working. This needs to be done as clubs have gone into administration 64 times since the PL was set up 30 years ago. Obviously clubs can't be trusted to manage their own money."
InofftheRed: "A government regulator, what , to control football? In the same way that the government regulator controls energy companies? Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen."
Foreverred: "The government, whatever party, getting involved in football really does fill me with absolute horror. Just for starters take a look at the state of the NHS, public transport, aftermath of Brexit, judicial system, energy supply, housing and food prices just to name a few. I would bet with confidence more than 60% of them wouldn't know the names of a dozen football grounds. If this goes ahead we'll all be all be watching tiddlywinks in five years time."
SBredfan2: "On BBC breakfast this morning they interviewed the Sports Minister, Stuart Andrew. He came out with well-rehearsed rhetoric saying ‘it will bring confidence to fans up and down the country’. It certainly will not. He admitted when pushed that the Government would be appointing the regulator. It is obvious that a Government appointed ‘Independent Football Regulator’ would be anything but. This will just be another quango giving ‘jobs to the boys’. The only way it could come anywhere even near to being independent is if candidates put themselves forward and fans voted on any appointments."
Carl Sargent: "What's it got to do with the government?"
Is the Government plan for football a good thing? Tell us in the comments section
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