FOOTBALL is by far the most- followed sport in Britain, with up to 25million fans watching every week.
Yet only a tiny sliver of them will know what is coming — or how this government is about to score the mother of all own goals.
It is no exaggeration to say that the plan for a to govern the top five flights in England threatens the very future of the
As a season ticket holder, I do not spend much time going to games in the top tier.
Yet nobody can deny that the Premier League is one of Britain’s great global icons and the jewel in our sporting crown.
And it is now at risk of being suffocated into a shell of itself by a instead of safeguarding the unique competitiveness of our beautiful game.
Armed with Robin Hood powers, the so-called Independent with the lower divisions.
Cack-handed
That may sound like a nice idea — taking from the rich clubs to fund cash-strapped smaller teams — but getting it wrong could punch a hole in their budgets to the extent the league struggles to keep its world-beating status.
Maintaining Premier League clubs as giants of the international game is already at risk because of the Football Governance Bill, which is currently passing through Parliament.
Only last year, general secretary Theodore Theodoridis wrote to Culture Secretary with serious concerns about the regulator’s scope.
Government interference in the autonomy of sport is banned by Uefa and .
Could this cack-handed legislation lead to semi-finalists and our other top teams being banned from elite European competitions?
Redistributing club finances is just the tip of the iceberg, with the regulator given legal backing to stick its beak into almost every aspect of .
Meanwhile, the teams — meaning the fans — will have to pay an annual levy to this quango for the privilege.
And who honestly believes that the regulator will stick to its given remit?
It is the same old story: The big boys of the Premier League might be able to afford extra costs piled on by the regulator, but what about those in the lower divisions already struggling?
Lord Goodman
Regulators always seek to expand their powers, and it should have no such trouble finding enthusiastic cheer- leaders on the Labour side.
When the bill was debated recently, backbenchers piled up endless amendments proposing to widen the quango’s scope to police everything from fan safety to reducing carbon footprints, advancing and combating modern slavery.
To its credit, the Government fought most of these off. But it is an alarming sign of the direction of travel.
Dodgy owners
It is the same old story: The big boys of the Premier League might be able to afford extra costs piled on by the regulator, but what about those in the lower divisions already struggling?
We football fans love a good moan, and below are ten complaints I fear will be levelled at the new regulator.
Any semblance of cross-party unity has been destroyed by Labour lining up one of their own donors to run the damn thing.
Lord Goodman
As you can see, the regulator risks being a source of misery to fans and a hammer blow to the football industry.
It is telling that the Government has itself inserted a mandatory review after five years — i.e. an exit ramp if it all goes wrong.
The original fan-led review was commissioned with the best of intentions — to weed out dodgy owners who risk pushing beloved community clubs into financial ruin.
But it is clear the once-noble aim to protect fans has been contorted out of all recognition with plans for this meddling regulator.
And any semblance of cross-party unity has been destroyed by Labour lining up one of their own donors to run the damn thing.
The goalposts have been well and truly moved.
