The English football regulator: what will it do and why is independence necessary? | Football politics

What should the regulator do?

In short: keep football clubs solvent. The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) will have the ability to Check that clubs have enough money to operate sustainably and take action if this is not the case. He will try to work with the clubs to solve the problems, and also with the leagues, but ultimately he will have the power to impose serious sanctions if necessary and he will have the force of the law behind him.

What about unreliable owners?

That is the second responsibility of the regulator: to evaluate the suitability of the owners and directors of football clubs. With the ability to access HMRC data and consult with the National Crime Agency, the government promises that a regulator can carry out greater due diligence on potential investors than ever before. It may also force the owner to give up his share if it is deemed (very) inadequate. Meanwhile, when assessing the new owners, the regulator must also “take into account the foreign and commercial policy objectives of Her Majesty's Government”.

Why is IFR necessary?

The idea of ​​a regulator for English football dates back some time, but became viable after the recent financial chaos in the sport. At the top, clubs were chasing new money of a derived Super League. In the background, Macclesfield and Bury went bankrupt, and others – such as Southend and Reading – have been or still are at risk. Football's argument that it could mind its own business no longer rang true for politicians or many within the sport.

When will it be in effect?

No one knows for sure, but a course can be charted that can have a regulator up and running by the summer of 2025. This depends on Parliament quickly passing the football governance bill (it should, it has support from all sides). matches). The organization is enjoying a smooth birth (key staff members are being hired) and a report assessing the state of the game is being completed. From there, the IFR could begin the initial three-year provisional licensing process, which would mean that clubs have had their finances assessed and agreed a plan to make their business sustainable (in some cases, clubs will already be sustainable, in many others they will be). No).

Yes and no. A long-running argument over how much money the Premier League should give to the English Football League to ease the financial problems of lower league clubs erupted last week when the The Premier League walked away from an agreement. Once the IFR is established, it will have the power to impose an agreement if one remains elusive. But the “new deal” is also linked to a host of other issues in the game, such as how many matches should be played and the amount of money clubs should be able to spend on players; factors that, according to the government, would not be the responsibility of regulators.

Why is the Premier League so frustrated?

Both the Football Association and the EFL issued public statements welcoming the arrival of the regulator. The Premier League did not. Instead, he said he remained “concerned about any unintended consequences of the legislation which could weaken the competitiveness and attractiveness of English football”. For 30 years, the Premier League has called the shots in English football and it is therefore no surprise that it seems upset by the arrival of a new body that will tell its clubs what to do. Meanwhile, clubs are angry at the prospect of having to foot the lion's share of the bill for running the regulator. But it is also true that the Premier League is an English success story, while in this debate it is often portrayed as a villain. That could irritate too.

And finally, what about the fans?

Supporter groups were the first to argue that football was not an effective self-regulator and the arrival of the IFR is a vindication of their campaign. A final responsibility of the regulator is to ensure that clubs regularly engage with and listen to their fans, even if they do not act on their wishes. Clubs must also obtain fan approval before changing aspects of their “heritage” such as the color of the shirt or the club crest. But adequate fan representation at board level, as in Germany, for example, is not on the agenda.