According to a report in the Times, UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis has warned England of serious consequences regarding the political plans to establish a regulatory authority for English professional football. According to the report, Theodoridis is said to have demanded in a letter to the minister responsible for sport, Lisa Nandy, that there should be “no government interference in the organisation of football”.
According to the Times, which claimed to have drawn its information from a copy of the letter, the top official of the European Football Union warned against the far-reaching powers of the regulator in question to monitor the clubs in England’s top leagues. He also criticized the idea that the authority could overrule the English professional leagues in the distribution of TV money.
Home European Championship without England?
There are “special rules” that are intended to prevent state interference in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and the fairness of sporting competition, Theodoridis is quoted as saying. The ultimate sanction for non-compliance would be “the exclusion of the association from UEFA and the teams from the competitions”. In the worst case scenario, England would then not be able to take part in the 2028 European Championship, which will be held on home soil together with Scotland, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales.
In the spring, a bill was presented for a new regulator. The body is to be given extensive powers over key issues relating to the top five leagues of men’s football in England. It is to protect clubs from financial mismanagement and, for example, prevent rich clubs from joining the Super League. The bill also proposes introducing a new suitability test for potential club owners before they are allowed to take over a club.
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