UEFA has cautioned the UK government over its plans to regulate the country’s football scene, warning that England could be excluded from the European Championships.
A letter sent to Lisa Nandy, the Culture Secretary – the UK government Minister with chief political oversight of the country’s sports sector – has been seen by BBC Sport, the public service broadcaster claims.
Europe’s football governing body is primarily concerned with the potential for the Football Governance Bill to set up an independent regulatory body for football. This is the primary caveat of the legislation, first introduced under the Conservative Party administration in March 2024.
All legislation halted during and after the July general election, which saw the Labour Party come to power with a large majority. The Bill was quickly introduced by Labour, however, which seems to share its predecessor’s vision for football governance.
UEFA, however, has warned the government that the regulator could violate its rules around government interference in football. The legislation could threaten the Football Association’s (FA) autonomy as English football’s main regulator, UEFA officials state.
“One particular area of concern stems from one of Uefa’s fundamental requirements, which is that there should be no government interference in the running of football,” the letter reads, according to BBC Sport.
“We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from Uefa and teams from competition.”
If UEFA is not satisfied with the final incarnation of the Bill, if and when it is finally approved by MPs and signed off by King Charles III, English clubs and the national team could face potential exclusion from European competitions – the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League in the case of the former and European Championship and Nations League in the case of the latter.
The legacy of the European Super League
The Football Governance Bill passed its second reading back in April, then under Rishi Sunak’s Conservative government, and entered the Committee Stage of the House of Commons.
This would have seen the Bill face more intense scrutiny from the Culture, Media and Sports Committee cross-party group of MPs, chaired by the now-reappointed Dame Caroline Dinenage of the Conservative Party.
As mentioned above, it was postponed when Rishi Sunak called an election in May. The legislation was then unveiled in the King’s Speech when parliament reopened with a Labour majority.
In his speech to MPs and Lords, King Charles explained that “a bill will be introduced to establish an independent football regulator to ensure greater stability in the game, and ensure protections for fans”.
The Bill’s main provisions are the creation of an independent regulator, which legislators believe is needed for the long-term stability of men’s professional football. This regulator will oversee licensing and a test for owners and directors.
Interestingly, despite UEFA raising some concerns about the Football Governance Bil, both the football governing body and the UK government may have some shared ambitions. This is due to the Football Governance Bill being launched as a result of the Fan Led Review of Football.
The Fan Led Review of Football was, in turn, launched due to the extensive fan backlash against the European Super League (ESL). Although not explicitly stated, the regulatory body would likely play a role in preventing the ‘Big Six’ Premier League clubs – Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – from joining a deeply unpopular pan-European breakaway league.
Regardless of any shared sentiment, UEFA remains adamant that any regulatory action over football in England must not cross the line into direct government interference in the sport. The body has requested ‘further clarification and understanding’ to ensure that the Bill will meet its statues.
English football is confident that this will be achieved, however. The BBC cites comments made by FA Head of Football Operations, David Newton, back in May that the Bill would not ‘present huge or significant problems’ relating to UEFA or FIFA statutes.
Governance of football is just one of several areas of sporting governance that the Labour Party has to put its own spin on, or just continue outright, leftover from its Conservative predecessor.
Another key area will be football’s relationship with the betting industry. Throughout the duration of the nearly three-year-long Gambling Act review, Labour and the Conservatives were shown to be broadly on the same page.
The Premier League would ultimately vote in favour of ditching front-of-shirt sponsorships after the 2026/27 season. Football had been facing mounting pressure to reduce the visibility of betting during fixtures, with some calling for a complete ban on sponsorship and marketing deals with the industry entirely.
So far there has been no indication that the Labour government will expand on the Conservative government’s reforms, and it appears Keir Starmer and Lisa Nandy’s DCMS is going to let the Gambling Act review reforms run their course.
