Source · Select Committees · Culture, Media and Sport Committee
Recommendation 3
3
The recommendations and reforms proposed in the fan led review of football governance should not...
Recommendation
The recommendations and reforms proposed in the fan led review of football governance should not be hanging over the Football Association as it goes into a bidding process for the 2028 EUFA EURO. The Government must ensure implementation of the review’s principal recommendation, the establishment of the independent regulator for English football in legislation, is completed by the time the campaign to host the 2028 competition begins in earnest. (Paragraph 26) Communicating a vision
Government Response
Acknowledged
HM Government
Acknowledged
The Government is fully committed to reforming football governance to enable a long- term, sustainable future for the game. We have already set out in principle our support for a new independent football regulator, and are now working at pace on the details of the regulatory model, which will be outlined in a White Paper for publication in the summer. As indicated in the Queen’s Speech, we will legislate to establish the new independent regulator when parliamentary time allows. This means that the process will run alongside the bidding process for EURO 2028, with the objective of submitting the bid dossier to UEFA for their key deadlines in late 2022 and Spring 2023. This is a separate process involving government and football partners from across the UK and Ireland - while the football governance outcomes are predominantly an English issue - and needs to continue unencumbered by other priorities that could otherwise disrupt the bidding process and partnership. Legislation as important as that which will be drafted in respect of a new, independent regulator for football cannot be rushed and must be considered with care. Designing a regulator and its functions, powers and building a model of financial regulation are complex policy issues. Rushing the design risks making clubs’ finances worse, potentially allowing unsuitable owners into the game and compromising the long term-sustainability of the game, while harming the success of the game on the pitch. We owe it to football fans and to all the communities that support and are supported by football clubs to get this right.