‘Sheikh Pointing’ and more fan votes: UK proposes…

More power for the masses and less for the elders. This is how the report on the renewal of the football governance model in which the UK operates can be summarized. Under the leadership of the ruling Conservative Party’s deputy, Tracey Crouch, the British chief executive is planning a deep review of the rules governing his competitions, with a particular focus on the Premier League. This week the Westminster representative will meet with the chief executives of the English Football Director. “It is about exploring ways to improve the governance, ownership and financial sustainability of the clubs,” he stressed.

Starts from 47 suggestions that make up the report The interest of the government is clear British Restricting foreign investment in the Premier League. embodied in earnest by the sheikhs of the Persian Gulf, the owners of the city of Manchester (Qatar) and, For a few weeks, from Newcastle United (Saudi Arabia).The English Premier League also includes clubs owned by Asian, American and Russian investors such as Roman Abramovich, owner of Chelsea FC, the Champions League champion.

Crouch wants to control them all closely, at least, in the financial movements they make at their clubs. For this, Vice proposes to establish An independent regulatory body (Iref) that controls, among other aspects, the entry of new investors And foreign investment in first-class equipment.

In addition, Iref will have among its first goals a millionaire relegation assistance reform, a new licensing system for men’s professional football and A royalty paid to minor leagues for each transfer made by one of the top clubs within the league or abroad.

This review responds to the PM’s governance model to attempt Big Six (Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur) to be part of the European Premier League. Once he thwarted his intention to participate in a new closed league, the British government put Crouch at the forefront of that project in April.

Premier clubs must pay a minor league fee for each international transfer

The public will have the right to veto

But if there is a relevant novelty in British football that appeals to the rest of the European leagues, it is the one that points to the influence of fans within the clubs’ governing bodies. fact, For the report, Crouch had the opinion of fans around 130 British clubs.

After the talks, the proposal plans to “ensure that any recommendation is driven by the experience and interests of the masses”. And what is this supposed to? For example, fans are consulted before important decisions are made for the club, such as the entity’s participation in the Super League or another new tournament. All of this is regulated and protected by Iref. About, Last June, Manchester United announced their intention to create A mechanism for fans to become contributors to the club, the historic claim of the Manchester United Supporters Trust (Must), the club’s fan organization.

Properties Red DevilsLed by American businessman Avram Glazer, as the representative of his family, he confirmed at the time that he would form a fan advisory group to ensure that fan interests were taken into account in the deeply rooted decision-making processes. Among those projects, outside the Premier League, are the planned investments in Old Trafford and in Sports City.

Governance ‘future sustainable’

In addition, the report calls for the development of a new corporate governance code that ensures a “sustainable long-term future” for professional clubs with “common requirements”. There, equity, diversity and inclusion plans will come into effect.

With regard to the promotion of women’s football, the proposal speaks of equal treatment and improvement in the well-being of female players who leave football, especially those who have to retire at an early age.

The Executive Director of the European Football Supporters’ Association, Ronan Evin, confirmed that the British report It represents a practical, effective and long-term plan to make national football more sustainable at all levelsProtecting clubs and their communities in the process.”

For their part, the owners of some English Premier League clubs, such as Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, described the proposed measures as “a kick in the foot”. “It’s like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs,” they emphasized the public interest to closely control foreign investment in the world’s richest league. The strongest, and also the one who bore the greatest losses, remained with Covid-19: billion in 2019-2020 alone.