By Rob Harris, sports correspondent
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy says the “crumbling” foundations of English football will be saved by the independent regulator.
The watchdog for English men’s football can finally start putting plans into action today after the bill was passed into law.
It survived a change of government and Premier League opposition after first being conceived by the Conservatives in 2021 in the fallout from the ill-fated attempt by elite clubs to split and start a European Super League.
And the hope is the regulator has more rigorous power to scrutinise the finances of owners – particularly below the Premier League in the EFL.
“We’ve had a whole series of rogue owners that have put clubs in jeopardy,” Nandy told Sky News.
“And I don’t think there’s anybody, including the Premier League executive, who believes that this situation is sustainable.
“The Premier League is one of the best exports that this country’s ever had. It’s best in the world. It brings joy to millions of people.
“But beneath that, the foundations of football have been crumbling for some time. That’s not good for anybody. And that’s why we’ve devised a light touch regulator who should never need to step in. But if they do, then there is that final protection for fans.”
Time for Premier League to ‘step up’
The regulator could step in to force an agreement over how much cash from the world’s richest league is sent down the pyramid, although the Premier League already hands £1.6bn to the rest of English professional football.
“It’s the moment for them to step up and to be able to reach an agreement that has eluded them for several years,” Nandy said.
“That would be in the interests of football and we think that would be a preferable approach to the regulator having to step in.
“But make no mistake if the regulator does, they now will.”
The Premier League has warned of “unintended consequences” to the appeal and status of the league if the regulator is too interventionist and expands powers.
The Premier League’s biggest source of television revenue comes from Comcast companies – Sky Sports and NBC – with shared ownership with Sky News.
The football regulator passed into law on the day the government announced plans to abolish the water regulator.
But Nandy said: “There are now protections in law for fans and for clubs to make sure that we have really fit and proper owners, that there is somebody who can tackle rogue owners when problems arise, that we get a proper financial flow to ensure the sustainability of clubs throughout the football pyramid and to make that fans are put back at the heart of the game where they belong.”