The UK government announces a proposal to regulate the elite in English football

The UK government is presenting a project this Thursday to regulate the elite structure of English football. The main measure is to create a regulatory body to oversee financial distribution, to prevent clubs from joining a breakaway league such as the Superliga, and to improve the power relationship between fans in their teams.

The creation of this regulatory body would mediate the licensing process for clubs in England. They will have to show management models to prove ‘financial sustainability’. In addition, you will monitor auditions for new owners on potential sales of clubs to an investor group.

This first proposal is known as the “white paper” and began to take shape in 2021, due to a document stating that English football has weaknesses and needs to be fixed. The main metrics of the plan are:

– the establishment of an independent regulatory body to mediate conflicts of interest;

– banning clubs from joining foreign leagues, such as the European Premier League;

– improved testing for owners and landlords to avoid financial problems in clubs;

– improve fan representation and decision-making power;

– Improving the distribution of funds in the English football pyramid.

The English Football Association (FA) and English Football League (EFL) were supportive of the project. For its part, the English Premier League showed some resistance and said it was concerned about the potential consequences that might affect the league and reduce its competitiveness.