Labor promises to create a regulatory body for football in the UK, with a focus on business

Labor has promised to set up a football regulatory body and said it could regulate ticket sales and review proposals to impose a transfer tax on Premier League clubs if it wins next month’s general election.
Labor Party leader Keir Starmer told reporters at the party’s headquarters in Bristol Rovers that the party intends to introduce a football management bill that sets out checks and balances on how football clubs are run, in an attempt to ensure their financial stability and protect fans in southwest England, this Monday (17 ).

Thangam Debonaire, Labour’s shadow secretary of state for digital, culture, media and sport, said although the project’s main aim was to prevent the formation of “super leagues” bringing together the country’s top clubs. Bloomberg The opposition party is also considering regulating ticket prices to ensure they are not too expensive. She added that proposals to impose a tax on player transfers by major clubs are also being studied, while redistributing resources to grassroots football.

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Labour’s proposals are important because the party enjoys a significant lead in the opinion polls with less than three weeks until the general election scheduled for July 4, meaning Starmer is likely to become Britain’s next prime minister. The government’s Conservative Party submitted a bill to Parliament last March to create a football regulatory body, but its approval stalled when Prime Minister Rishi Sunak surprised much of Westminster last month by calling a snap election.

Debonaire told reporters in Bristol that Labour’s version of the bill would “return to first principles”. He added: “By giving fans greater influence over how their clubs are run and by strengthening the checks on owners and managers, we will make England the best place in the world to be a football fan.”

“I’m going to take a look at everything because obviously ticket sales represent a significant portion of revenue,” Debonaire said when asked about regulating ticket sales. “But there are a number of ways clubs can generate income. A club like this [o Bristol] -It is not the richest club in the world and wants to be able to invest in infrastructure. You want to be able to ensure that the facilities are good for the future. This requires money, so I will look at everything that can help increase financial sustainability.

Although the Conservatives had already promised a review of football governance in their 2019 election manifesto, the need to strengthen regulation came to the fore in 2021 when six English clubs – Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur – joined forces. Clubs from the European continent announce the establishment of the new European Super League. They all withdrew within days of public protests and government threats to prevent them.

Starmer, an Arsenal fan, said in a statement: “On my watch, there will be no Premier League-style disruption to English football.” “We are fortunate to have historic football clubs at the heart of communities across our country. But too often, clubs and fans are let down by the ‘Wild West’ within the football pyramid. That is why we will legislate for a long overdue independent football regulatory body.” “.

Conservative MP Tracey Crouch chaired a review of football governance, and in late 2021 proposed the creation of a regulatory body. Although his report included proposals for a transfer fee – which he said could raise £160 million ($203 million) a year to be redistributed to lower league clubs – the idea was not included in the government’s draft bill.

© 2024 Bloomberg LP.