Topic: The need for an independent regulator in the game of football

[DonkeyWan]

I think like most that I have always been leery of the involvement of officialdom in the beautiful game, for fear they would become too involved and ruin the sport itself.

However, in recent years it has become more and more obvious that the sporting integrity of one of the most watched (and therefore lucrative) past times in the world has come under threat:

1. Firstly, the globalisation of the sport has resulted in unacceptable feeder practises where scouts from highly developed countries where the leagues are wealthy, comb the highwater and bywaters of comparatively under-developed nations, to flood academies with young talent seduced by the possibility of winning the sporting equivalent of the lottery
2. The former has become so institutionalised that sporting groups now take over entire clubs to hoover up talent in wide areas, all in the name of feeding the parent clun either through cheap academy talent or enriching them through player trading.
3. The brand success of the PL in particular has attracted nations seeking to benefit from their popularity, investing sovereign wealth to produce mercenary teams tasked with driving public relations success.
4. A whole raft of mid-ranking teams with liomited wealth have become targets for wealthy venture capitalists seeking to strike it rich through early over-loading of investment in the hope of gambling their way to success.
5. The massive amounts of income floating around the game has come to define decisions by regulatory authorities who have proved increasingly weak in dealing with obvious breaches of rules for fear of damaging the brand
6. Finally, wealth has also begun to flow softer areas of the sport, officialdom, where opportunities for big paydays and extra income for supporting leagues of other owners and shareholders has, in extreme cases like Italy seen direct payments made, in Spain, indirect payments made and in the UK opportunities that can be defined as a conflict of interest been sought out.

In short, the complexity, scale and value of football has grown so greatr that those tasked with running it are increasingly weak in doing so. They are too close to the sport itself and no longer act in it's best interests.

An independent regulator, financed from outside the sport, international in scope and answerable to a set of values defined by footballing communities not companies, is required.

[thaddeus]

I agree in principle but it would only be a matter of time before the regulators were compromised by those with the deepest pockets.

[DonkeyWan]

I agree in principle but it would only be a matter of time before the regulators were compromised by those with the deepest pockets.

That's why funding should be ring-fenced and sourced from outside the PL, or perhaps something like WADA have, where the IOC funds half, but national governments fund the rest so they are stakeholders.

[tonysleft]

I don't know how exactly it will transpire, but I firmly believe that this will make the game worse.

[Peabee]

I agree in principle but it would only be a matter of time before the regulators were compromised by those with the deepest pockets.

We use another independent body to oversee the independent regulator overseeing the PL. Then an independent auditor to scrutinise the independent body overseeing the independent regulator overseeing the PL. An ombudsman would look into the work of the independent auditor's scrutiny of the independent body overseeing the independent regulator overseeing the PL. Above that an independent court to keep in check the ombudsman looking into the work of the independent auditor's scrutiny of the independent body overseeing the independent regulator overseeing the PL. An elected official would oversee the work of the independent court to keep in check the ombudsman looking into the work of the independent auditor's scrutiny of the independent body overseeing the independent regulator overseeing the PL.

[stoopid yank]

I don't know how exactly it will transpire, but I firmly believe that this will make the game worse.

How the @#$% could things get any worse than they are now?

[reddebs]

Those wanting to 'independantly regulate' the game only want to do so because they see how corrupt it already is and want to get their noses in the trough.

They have no interest in improving, changing or making anything about it fairer, more accountable or more transparent.

All they want is a share of the spoils.  Don't be fooled that they have the game or us at the heart of it.

[DarkOfTheManatee]

Those wanting to 'independantly regulate' the game only want to do so because they see how corrupt it already is and want to get their noses in the trough.

They have no interest in improving, changing or making anything about it fairer, more accountable or more transparent.

All they want is a share of the spoils.  Don't be fooled that they have the game or us at the heart of it.

You may well be right, but my issue is that the alternative is to accept football is irretrievably ruined and just let the current pigs at the trough feast unchecked.

This kind of cynicism (which I can completely understand you having when looking at football as an industry) or apathy or hopelessness is what helps keep them there, because the Premier League showed no interest in regulating itself until the regulator was proposed, and if that proposal dies, their newfound zeal for self-regulation will die very shortly afterwards.

Not an exact analogy, but there have been countries whose successive governments were highly corrupt, but eventually improved over time with the right controls/checks in place, from a starting point where it probably looked impossible. You're fighting against the odds, and you need to get lucky with the right people in charge, but it can be done.

I see the Premier League has taken out an advert in Politico warning of unintended consequences and threats to the success of the product. It's all from the same playbook as investment banks, Google and Big Oil when they're facing regulation: faux-reasonableness, warnings about money taps drying up, and token gestures towards self-regulation.

All that being said, I remember thinking Infantino had to be an improvement on Blatter at FIFA, so I'm not going to pretend the regulator couldn't end up making things worse. But at the very least, we got to see Blatter punted off the gravy train, and we could enjoy the same schadenfreude with the PL.

[vblfc]

Financial governance and refereeing governance are pretty much out of control.  They need clear and strong lines drawn and then rigorous application of rules, protocols, punishment etc.  The game is proving it can’t regulate itself, so I agree, it's time for a more clear, firm and neutral regulation.

[Dim Glas]

Does this fit in here?

What an absolute shitshow this league is.

The bill for new Independent Regulator features a key clause that would facilitate state ownership, and undermine its aims and very independence regulator obliged to consult with government on owners "in regard to the foreign and trade policy objectives”
https://x.com/MiguelDelaney/status/1777646076192834029

https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/regulator-premier-league-saudi-arabia-qatar-uae-b2525624.html

New football regulator could help foreign state ownership of Premier League clubs
Activist groups are concerned that a clause in the government bill for an independent regulator may facilitate foreign countries buying English football clubs

The independent football regulator may have the effect of facilitating state ownership of clubs, due to a clause in the bill that activist groups believe contradicts the core aim of ensuring “the long-term sustainability and resilience of English football”.

It could even see the planned body obliged to consult with the UK government in situations where state entities seek to buy clubs, potentially undermining the very independence of the regulator. The Independent has been told the prospect has raised further concerns about the regulator within some Premier League clubs as well as the wider football pyramid.

Clause 37 of the Football Governance Bill states that the regulator “must also have regard to the foreign and trade policy objectives” of the UK government in determining whether a buyer is suitable to own an English football club. This has led to FairSquare, ALQST for Human Rights and fan groups to write a letter to the secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer and foreign secretary David Cameron, expressing concern about the potential consequences, and how it could even undermine the independence of the regulator regarding the core issues it was set up to address. Some Premier League clubs had already lobbied for state ownership to be banned in earlier consultations.

State-linked ownership is highlighted by the letter as “arguably the greatest threat to the sustainability, integrity and vitality of football in England and beyond”. This is primarily due to how the inferred political aims of such ownerships and state representation run counter to clubs’ role as community representatives, while also historically causing the financial inflation that the regulator has been established to tackle.

The letter points to the apparent contradiction of how the white paper identifies that “English football is currently endangered by the high and growing risk of financial failure among clubs” but “made no reference to the capacity of state-owned clubs to outspend other clubs”, posing “a specific threat to the integrity of English football, by creating unsustainable inflationary pressures”.

Fair Square wrote to DCMS in March 2023 in response to the publication of the government white paper on football governance, specifically raising this concern. The DCMS responded that “the regulator will not have the remit to assess… the suitability of state ownership”, but concerns have been raised about how the bill goes further than this. The independent football regulator will instead be obliged to consult the UK government in instances where state-owned or controlled entities seek to buy ownership of clubs. “This raises the spectre of British foreign policy objectives and priorities overriding the IFR’s mandated role to only allow individuals with the requisite ‘honesty and integrity’ to maintain or assume control of English clubs.

The letter points to how Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson’s government “went to substantial lengths to ensure that a consortium controlled by the government of Saudi Arabia were able to assume control of Newcastle United”, and how the current UK government has refused to release information on Foreign Office correspondence related to the Premier League charges against Manchester City for alleged breaches of financial rules, under the justification it would “prejudice the interests of the UK abroad”.

The issue may have the effect of putting the regulator further at odds with Premier League clubs, since there is a growing rump who want football authorities to tackle the issue of state ownership.

The FairSquare letter also highlights how the government recently introduced legislation to ban full foreign state ownership of media organisations, in response to the proposed takeover of the Daily Telegraph by a consortium led by the UAE government. “In view of the social, political, economic and cultural importance of football clubs, we urge you to afford them similar protections from foreign state investment”, the letter reads.

The Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been contacted for comment.

[In the Name of Klopp]

Those wanting to 'independantly regulate' the game only want to do so because they see how corrupt it already is and want to get their noses in the trough.

They have no interest in improving, changing or making anything about it fairer, more accountable or more transparent.

All they want is a share of the spoils.  Don't be fooled that they have the game or us at the heart of it.

Exactly. I'd rather we keep the corruption we know than hand the power over to powerful even more corrupt politicians.

[Hazell]

Clause 37 of the Football Governance Bill states that the regulator “must also have regard to the foreign and trade policy objectives".

Farcical. Better of the Premier League regulating themselves than have the thr government involved.

[LovelyCushionedHeader]

I always find it farcical just how obvious corruption can be, yet nothing is done or said about it by anyone who matters. The Saudi World Cup bid and everything around it was really the final straw of me caring anymore. Let sport eat itself.

[jillcwhomever]

Farcical. Better of the Premier League regulating themselves than have the thr government involved.

Basically the Government can now use football clubs as tools to their "foreign policy." The football world needs to reject this entirely, they are not fit to govern. 

[kiwiscouser]

I always find it farcical just how obvious corruption can be, yet nothing is done or said about it by anyone who matters. The Saudi World Cup bid and everything around it was really the final straw of me caring anymore. Let sport eat itself.

Agreed, reports are that fifa are throwing themselves to the Saudi chequebook.

The simple truth is that if we accept that FIFA, who run the world game and are self regulators (I use that term loosely) are selling out to the Saudi’s and not reformed at all since the FBI arrested a bunch of them then I find i my hard to believe that an independent regulator will have any real success.  The Premier league has let in nation state ownership. Once they did that they started to lose control of football in England.

[JRed]

Farcical. Better of the Premier League regulating themselves than have the thr government involved.

I firmly believe the government are involved in the Abu Dhabi case, which is why it’s taking so long.
The game really is dead.

[GreatEx]

Basically the Government can now use football clubs as tools to their "foreign policy." The football world needs to reject this entirely, they are not fit to govern. 

This is a valid concern, especially in light of the Newcastle deal while Saudi was normalising relations with Israel. Interesting that UAE have been linked to Wagner group and arms shipments to Russia, and now the government shows an interest. It's only correlation at this point but there is clear scope to apply diplomatic pressure through scrutiny of sportswashing projects.

I'd prefer the clubs work together to end state ownership and multi-club models, but that seems increasingly unlikely as more and more clubs tie their profits to these models. The fact that LFC is looking into feeder clubs sickens me and is pushing me closer to the exit.

I guess the ideal is a transparent negotiation between government and all levels of football (can't just be the PL due to hyper concentration of wealth) that sets clear and strong regulations and a framework for wealth redistribution. It's a long shot but I'd rather they try and fail than meekly accept the status quo, and even through the trying maybe you wake the public up to the need for change.

[Hazell]

Basically the Government can now use football clubs as tools to their "foreign policy." The football world needs to reject this entirely, they are not fit to govern. 

Yeah, no one's interested in actually looking after the game - the clubs and the Premier League are only interested in engorging themselves and the government likewise. It's expected with the former but not the latter. Hope it does get rejected.

I firmly believe the government are involved in the Abu Dhabi case, which is why it’s taking so long.
The game really is dead.

The Athletic reported this last year:

22 Sep 2023 The UK government has admitted its embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) in London have discussed the charges levelled at Manchester City.

[oojason]

'Richard Masters, who recently told a DCMS committee that he would not be lobbying against the introduction of an Independent Football Regulator, is hosting a drinks reception at the House of Lords where he will lobby against the introduction of an Independent Football Regulator.' - https://twitter.com/KieranMaguire/status/1780242373919834309




^ 'It seems the National League and Premier League are on the same side when it comes to the football regulator.' - https://twitter.com/sistoney67/status/1780241736087794033

[oojason]

'Football regulator to be based in Manchester, with chairman on £130k':-

Person heading up new regulator will earn significant salary for working three days a week, with expectation that he or she will be based in the north.

www.thetimes.co.uk/sport/football/article/football-regulator-130k-salary-manchester-qxrwgmpkp - article is free and in full, here: https://archive.ph/i0y7D




^ Several sites in and around Manchester are being considered as a base for the new independent football regulator

[Hazell]

New independent football regulator appoints Sheikh Mansoor, Amanda Staveley and Todd Boehly as part of their team.

[JRed]

The regulator will move into plush new offices at the Emptyhad stadium.

[mattD]

New independent football regulator appoints Sheikh Mansoor, Amanda Staveley and Todd Boehly as part of their team.

I mean, fair play to the cheats at City.

They ain't even bothering to dress it up as a trojan horse. They well and truly have the FA and Premier League in their pockets.

[oojason]

After a long and exhaustive search for the inaugural independent regulator for football... Trinh Thu Trang, CEO of 8xBet and photoframe model, has been announced in the role:-



(just kidding... though you never know...)