The Football Regulator

[ExiledAjax]

If anyone is keen for a new job. Would be great to have a City fan in there:

Role details – Independent Football Regulator - Chair – Apply for a public appointment – GOV.UK (apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk)

[Davefevs]

9 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

If anyone is keen for a new job. Would be great to have a City fan in there:

Role details – Independent Football Regulator - Chair – Apply for a public appointment – GOV.UK (apply-for-public-appointment.service.gov.uk)

Sounds like you’re the man for the job…assuming you’d take a pay cut!

[ExiledAjax]

Just now, Davefevs said:

Sounds like you’re the man for the job…assuming you’d take a pay cut!

3 days a week for £130k...it's tempting  

[phantom]

 

The National League joined the Premier League last night in expressing concerns over the introduction of a football regulator.

The Football Governance Bill will be debated in the House of Commons today as it receives its Second Reading.

 

[phantom]

TAKEN FROM : https://thefsa.org.uk/news/football-governance-bill-progresses-to-committee-stage/

Football Governance Bill progresses to committee stage

Posted on 23rd April 2024

 

Last month the Government announced it would launch legislation to introduce an Independent Football Regulator – and that legislation continued its progress through Parliament with its second reading today.

 

The FSA has backed an independent regulator for many years as the Premier League has proven time and again it is incapable of regulating its own clubs – as highlighted most famously by the European Super League debacle.

The regulator will prevent domestic clubs from entering such competitions, embed supporter consultation mechanisms within the game and protect club heritage items such as badges, kit colours and stadium locality. 

There was a broad cross-party consensus on those matters with many MPs making important points around protecting clubs from bad owners.

 

Culture secretary Lucy Frazer said: “Too many fans have been taken for granted, too many fans have seen their team’s owner change club badges and colours without any fan input, or seen their club sell their stadium and upsticks or try to join closed shop breakaway leagues.

“There have been 64 instances of clubs falling into administration since the Premier League was founded in 1992. Clearly, not all clubs are feeling the benefits of English football’s global success and something has to change.”

 

Shadow culture secretary Thangam Debbonaire welcomed the Bill and said the Labour Party was “absolutely committed to passing this bill into law and to making it work. It is a once in a generation chance to change the game.”

She also questioned the Government’s decision to define parachute payments as being outside the regulator’s remit – something which many MPs pointed out was a significant gap given the impact they have upon the game.

 

Clive Betts MP – chair of the Football APPG and a member of the FSA’s APPG for Football Supporters – described the Premier League as having a “veto” over the issue of parachute payments and called for this to be reviewed at the next stage of legislative scrutiny.

“Parachute payments are deliberately excluded from the remit of the regulator. Why has that been done when it is one of the most distortive elements of the current arrangements?” asked Betts.

 

Crouch reports

The final word goes to ex-sports minister Tracey Crouch MP, who chaired the Fan-led Review and namechecked the FSA’s role in Parliament today in bringing this legislation to fruition. 

“It is always important to remember that the Premier League asked the Government to intervene when six clubs sought to join the European Super League. The Fan-led Review was the outcome of that request from the Premier League – in preparation for this speech I reread their submission to the review,” said Crouch.

 

“They thought there could be use for an institution with the capacity to intervene should they manifestly have failed to uphold their rules. Their submission also went on to say, and I quote, ‘Such a body could also set the general principles required for standards for governance and transparency, including for financial regulation; could strengthen the independent operation of the Owner and Director Test; support the principles of standards for owners responsibilities as custodians, and protect decision making over key issues for fans.’

“This Bill is exactly all those things shaped brilliantly to reflect the words of the Premier League itself of what a great regulator could look like – and leaving many of us scratching our heads as to why they’ve spent the last few weeks lobbying to stop the Bill progressing.”

 

Next steps

The legislation will now enter committee stage where a detailed examination of the Football Governance Bill will take place. Amendments to the Bill can take place at this stage and the FSA will publish a list of proposed amendments soon, alongside some simple actions that supporters can take to ask that their MP supports these amendments.

The Bill itself does have a remit on football ownership, finance and supporter engagement – it was never set up to fix VAR, lower ticket prices, or stop TV messing around with fixtures – so we have to be realistic about what can be proposed. 

More on that to come soon – and we’ll need your support.

[ExiledAjax]

Frazer was shit, almost felt like she'd not read it. Debbonaire was much better.

Crouch's bit quoting the PL submission to the FLR was exceptional.

Largely a bunch of grandstanding, and some of the MPs who spoke were clearly just there for the banter and didn't have any idea about football.

But it was interesting, and hopefully some of the amendments we've suggested get accepted.

Edited April 23 by ExiledAjax

[ExiledAjax]

A general election was announced yesterday and I know everyone's first thought was "but what does this mean for the Football Governance Bill!?".

Well what I am hearing today is that the Bill is likely not going to be rushed through in what is known as "wash up". Likely not. Tbc later today I believe.

This is good.

The Bill as drafted had problems. It was good in places, probably excellent in a few, but it was defective in quite a few key areas.

As it stands it looks likely to go away and then be reintroduced under the next government. If that government is Labour then we can expect a stronger Bill that grants the IFR stronger powers and better teeth.

Look for mentions of this in manifestos and watch this space as this is developing at pace today.

[Sir Geoff]

39 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

A general election was announced yesterday and I know everyone's first thought was "but what does this mean for the Football Governance Bill!?".

Well what I am hearing today is that the Bill is likely not going to be rushed through in what is known as "wash up". Likely not. Tbc later today I believe.

This is good.

The Bill as drafted had problems. It was good in places, probably excellent in a few, but it was defective in quite a few key areas.

As it stands it looks likely to go away and then be reintroduced under the next government. If that government is Labour then we can expect a stronger Bill that grants the IFR stronger powers and better teeth.

Look for mentions of this in manifestos and watch this space as this is developing at pace today.

Watch the Premier League quickly settle the redistribution dispute with the EFL.

[ExiledAjax]

2 minutes ago, Sir Geoff said:

Watch the Premier League quickly settle the redistribution dispute with the EFL.

If our amendments get into the Bill in some form then the Regulator will be able to review any deal. I'm relaxed about it, and think it's pretty unlikely they will sort it anyway.

[W-S-M Seagull]

43 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

A general election was announced yesterday and I know everyone's first thought was "but what does this mean for the Football Governance Bill!?".

Well what I am hearing today is that the Bill is likely not going to be rushed through in what is known as "wash up". Likely not. Tbc later today I believe.

This is good.

The Bill as drafted had problems. It was good in places, probably excellent in a few, but it was defective in quite a few key areas.

As it stands it looks likely to go away and then be reintroduced under the next government. If that government is Labour then we can expect a stronger Bill that grants the IFR stronger powers and better teeth.

Look for mentions of this in manifestos and watch this space as this is developing at pace today.

But the unfortunate thing is that this is now going to be booted into the long grass as it won't be an immediate priority for Labour. 

[ExiledAjax]

3 minutes ago, W-S-M Seagull said:

But the unfortunate thing is that this is now going to be booted into the long grass as it won't be an immediate priority for Labour. 

I wouldn't be too sure of that. Labour have been incredibly supportive of it. Andy Burnham, Thangam Debbonaire, Steph Peacock etc are all very on board with it.

I think all parties see it as a relatively easy win and Labour would want a couple of those early on if they can.

Also, a lot of the work has already been done. It really would be something that could be implemented pretty quickly and could give the next government a "look what we did" thing within its first 100 days.

[KegCity]

There's no need for it to be rushed through, amendments are being drafted etc.

[Mr Popodopolous]

1 hour ago, Sir Geoff said:

Watch the Premier League quickly settle the redistribution dispute with the EFL.

 

1 hour ago, ExiledAjax said:

If our amendments get into the Bill in some form then the Regulator will be able to review any deal. I'm relaxed about it, and think it's pretty unlikely they will sort it anyway.

I'd hope the EFL have significant red lines.

Edited May 23 by Mr Popodopolous

[ExiledAjax]

I'm now hearing it maybe washed up anyway. Ie passed without amendment.

God knows. Should be confirmed in the next 30 minutes or so.

Isn't it great knowing that laws can be made like this

[chinapig]

20 minutes ago, ExiledAjax said:

I'm now hearing it maybe washed up anyway. Ie passed without amendment.

God knows. Should be confirmed in the next 30 minutes or so.

Isn't it great knowing that laws can be made like this

Is this an attempt to sabotage a Labour government from strengthening the bill? One last favour for the Premier League?

[ExiledAjax]

7 minutes ago, chinapig said:

Is this an attempt to sabotage a Labour government from strengthening the bill? One last favour for the Premier League?

It can be seen as that.

In the situation we are in - where it's generally assumed that the GE will see a switch of party - wash-up is generally a game of the outgoing party trying to throw grenades or set traps for the incoming one, and the incoming party cautiously accepting some of those knowing that if it doesn't it has zero control over the situation.

So this can be spun either as:

1) Conservatives trying to leave a steaming dog turd of a regulator on a Labour government's lap - teeing up the ability for Penny Mordaunt's opposition party to claim the Labour government has failed to properly implement the regulator: OR

2) Starmer pragmatically accepting that any regulator is better than no regulator, and that it needs to be in place. He'd also be gambling that any imperfections can be sorted through the actual regulations and secondary legislation.

FWIW I don't think the current government is in cahoots with the PL. I think the 17 MPs on the committee were redoing a good job of listening to all stakeholders, and some pretty good amendments were going to be accepted. 

This my desire for the Bill to not be washed up and rather be re-tabled by the next government.

Edited May 23 by ExiledAjax

[ExiledAjax]

Not being washed up.

https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/may/23/football-independent-regulator-plans-paused-general-election

The leader of the House of Commons, Penny Mordaunt, is to confirm on Thursday the bills that will be expedited into law before parliament dissolves next week and the FGB is not expected to be on the list.

Despite making swift progress through the house, and with estimates that the bill could have completed its passage in a matter of weeks, there remain too many stages in the process for it to be incorporated in the wash-up process, government sources have suggested.

Nice to have Fair Game mentioned here as well. We're trying.

Edited May 23 by ExiledAjax

[chinapig]

4 hours ago, ExiledAjax said:

Nice to have Fair Game mentioned here as well. We're trying.

Good news and we're all benefiting from your work.