Independent Football Regulator

[claretburns]

The government has announced a Independent Football Regulator will be established when the Football Governance Bill is passed tomorrow.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/68602074

[NewClaret]

Good news.

Hopefully it will develop a clearer and more robust sanctions regime to act as a proper deterrent for financial misconduct.

[Chester Perry]

Good news.

Hopefully it will develop a clearer and more robust sanctions regime to act as a proper deterrent for financial misconduct.

I wouldn't necessarily expect that being within its remit, and I also expect legal challenges (with a reasonable chance of success) over the proposed backstop on Premier League share of monies with the EFL

[dushanbe]

Regulators work really well in other industries like telecoms, energy and water.

[NewClaret]

I wouldn't necessarily expect that being within its remit, and I also expect legal challenges (with a reasonable chance of success) over the proposed backstop on Premier League share of monies with the EFL

I’m pretty certain it’ll be in its remit (if a regulators role is to promote sustainability it should have an appropriate set of tools that act as deterrents). Although I prefer pre-emotive action too. Like on a revenue:wages ratio, you could say target is 80% and upper tolerance is 85%, but anything over 80% has a transfer ban or additional approval processes to follow when signing players to prove it will not put them over the limit. I’m more of a fan of that approach than immediate point penalties.

No idea on the backstop piece.

[groove]

I'm a bit sceptical about this. Sounds like a step towards football being state run.

[claretonthecoast1882]

Depending on which government is in charge at time we will likely end up with Boris Johnson or Dianne Abbot

[bfc8]

One function will be to grant operating licences to clubs. One of the essentials for a licence seems to be financial reporting. Maybe we'll find out a bit more about bfc finances, like who ultimately owns us !

[equinox]

Is it not illegal in other industries to trade at a loss year after year, why should football be any different?

[bfc8]

I'm a bit sceptical about this. Sounds like a step towards football being state run.

like Manchester City and Newcastle United...

[Dyched]

I’m not sure what exactly is wrong with someone buying a football club and spending millions to improve that club.

You can’t have it the way it is. It isn’t a sport as is. Man Utd will always be light years ahead of Burnley, say. Why doesn't an investor who wants to invest in Burnley have the right to want to grow that club and challenge teams at the top of European football?

We either let clubs spend what they want or we clamp down massively on transfer fees and wages to a point where the majority of teams in the world can compete evenly.

[bfc8]

I’m not sure what exactly is wrong with someone buying a football club and spending millions to improve that club.

You can’t have it the way it is. It isn’t a sport as is. Man Utd will always be light years ahead of Burnley, say. Why doesn't an investor who wants to invest in Burnley have the right to want to grow that club and challenge teams at the top of European football?

We either let clubs spend what they want or we clamp down massively on transfer fees and wages to a point where the majority of teams in the world can compete evenly.

PL about to change its ffp rules to more in line with uefa, ie moving from allowed losses to player costs - transfer fees, wages, agents fees - as a proportion of revenues. Think the uefa % is lower than the PL and that both are reducing %s over coming years, uefa even mooted a flat cap - independent of revenues - that could come one day, although unlikely, football probably needs glamour clubs like Real Madrid and Manchester United.

[jrgbfc]

If the Tories are involved at all i haven't got much faith in it solving anything.

[Peter Loo]

Another job for one of the boys or girls I expect in practise.

[ClaretTony]

FA & Football League in favour, Premier League not.

[Peter Loo]

FA & Football League in favour, Premier League not.

No surprise there then.

[CrosspoolClarets]

Is it not illegal in other industries to trade at a loss year after year, why should football be any different?

That isn’t always true though, if a country, who shall remain nameless but it begins with CH and ends in INA, has companies that deliberately undercut our domestic firms with “loss leaders” to try to swamp the market, we then should use measures to address it, such as import tariffs (a main reason for leaving the EU in the eyes of many).

Companies who have backing to make loss after loss (lets say, Tesla and Space X as they developed) are actually few and far between. Most wouldn’t survive. Football clubs shouldn’t either but are being bankrolled for reasons nothing to do with future profitability.

So the real issue here is should football clubs be allowed to make losses as a way of gaining influence and “soft power”, such as Chelsea with Abramovich? I’d suggest no.

This regulator is welcome, and overdue.

[LincsWoldsClaret]

The only thing you can say with any certainty is that there will be a lot of expense account lunches

[Colburn_Claret]

There has to be some regulation, has to be, and the Premier League have shown again this week with Forrest and Everton, that they just aren't willing to upset the clubs.

Without regulation what is to stop every club doing a Leeds, spending millions you don't have and then happily paying 10p in the Pound to all the creditors when it goes tits up. Consider all the people outside of football who lost out in that debacle, the people who lost jobs, lost businesses and lost the money. Leeds were more than happy to let them suffer the consequences.
If you really put your foot down then relegation should be guaranteed, and more than 1 league if the figures are substantial, but then the owners can just walk away with their pockets lined, and as well as the creditors, it's the fans and the communities that pay the price. How do Forrest sustain their business model if they do ultimately go down this season, any business that doesn't have a fall back is living on a wing and a prayer.

Profit and sustainability has to be good for football. I am unhappy, but willing to accept, that owners can put in as much money as they like, but THAT money has to be a gift, and never a loan. Owners are custodians, and they have no right to gamble the history of any football club.

[Paul Waine]

Regulators work really well in other industries like telecoms, energy and water.

and Financial Services...

[Paul Waine]

I'm a bit sceptical about this. Sounds like a step towards football being state run.

State run industry where all the "stars" earn £millions. It's an odd one.

[Paul Waine]

Is it not illegal in other industries to trade at a loss year after year, why should football be any different?

It's illegal for directors to run up debts they can't pay, i.e. trading while insolvent.

It's not illegal to make losses. There are many start ups make losses year after year. They either then give up, or another business buys them out. A few even eventually make profits. There are numerous examples of state run businesses that always make losses until the politicians change and, one way or another, they are sorted out.

[Spike]

Hopefully we get someone who has morals and is in favour of honesty.
Hopefully not like the Evil Football Chairmen who robbed the other 72 .
Hopefully not like Gordon Taylor
Hopefully not a mate of any of the Cabinet

[gawthorpe_view]

Would Caroline Dineage be in the frame for the role?
After resigning asan MP.

[helmclaret]

Heard something about Gary Neville being the CEO of this new body.

Lineker expected to leave his role at MOTD and become a director.

[equinox]

Heard something about Gary Neville being the CEO of this new body.

Lineker expected to leave his role at MOTD and become a director.

There has to be role for Rooney, surely?

[jos]

uefa even mooted a flat cap

Any Whippets mentioned?

Sorry!

[aggi]

Well this is predictable
https://news.sky.com/story/fa-urged-by- ... e-13098207

It's a complicated area and I wouldn't like to say either way what the decision should be but I do think it's not an area for the government to be weighing in on and pressuring a regulator (who they will be appointing).

[bobinho]

If the Tories are involved at all i haven't got much faith in it solving anything.

Only a few months to wait and all will be well again...

Yeah...Sir Keir and his team will sort it. Phew...

On a serious note, all the big clubs will be kicking and screaming over this. Eight of 'em, plus all the "we're massive as well ya know..." (you know, the Leeds types) hangers on will be crying out for a bigger slice of the pie - after all, they are the reason we watch the game right?

70 other clubs will be screaming FOR it...

I'm in the "let 'em all sod off to a European Super League - one way ticket, no coming back - and leave the rest of us to it" camp.

Football was told a long time ago to sort itself out...

[dougcollins]

Regulators work really well in other industries like telecoms, energy and water.

Don't they just.

[CombatClaret]

Football regulator laying down the law.

https://twitter.com/Exploding_Heads/sta ... 7944867283