Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has called for no further delays to the Football Governance Bill, urging politicians to “get on with this for the sake of football.”
This statement comes as Nandy believes that politicians are purposely delaying the Bill, which remains at the committee stage in parliament – a stage where members of the Lords can discuss amendments for several days.
Former Labour Cabinet Minister Lord David Blunkett also shares this sentiment, as he said on Monday that opponents of the bill are trying to “filibuster” its passage through the Lords.
The Football Governance Bill, first tabled in March, was delayed by the general election in May but was reintroduced in October by the current government. It grants a regulator the power to review the Premier League’s parachute payments every five years, potentially deciding on financial redistribution models between the top flight and lower leagues.
Additionally, the legislation also requires clubs to consult fans on key issues, including ticket prices and any plans to move home grounds, as well as other significant issues.
Though many supporters have urged the government to take action, many stakeholders in football, including Karen Brady, Vice Chair of West Ham United.
Brady said: “This unprecedented intervention into private commercial rights must be carefully scrutinised.
“It very obviously has a differential and disproportionate impact on the clubs within the Premier League. It is also clear that the consequences of this seismic and deeply flawed intervention have not been fully understood.”
The Premier League has raised concerns about the Football Governance Bill, warning it could harm the league’s value, particularly regarding state-owned club ownership. This issue is significant, as Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) owns a majority stake in Newcastle United.
Earlier this week, Prime Minister Keir Starmer held discussions with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman. While it remains unclear if club ownership was a topic of conversation, Starmer has been vocal about supporting Saudi investment as part of his broader strategy to bolster the UK economy.
Pressure from fans to push the Football Governance Bill forward has been growing in recent weeks. Many supporters have voiced frustration over issues like rising ticket prices, with Manchester United drawing significant criticism for increasing the cost of children’s tickets from £25 to £66.
Amid this rising pressure, Nandy noted that too many fans have been in the situation of seeing their clubs collapse or be on the verge of collapse, explaining that they have no tools or powers to effectively be able to do anything about it.
She said: “This is a bill that has had cross-party support consensus for a long time, it was a manifesto commitment from this government.
“It is not acceptable to use parliamentary procedures to try to block a piece of legislation on which so many hopes and dreams rest”.
Earlier this month, Insider Sport spoke with Ben Thomas, Senior Associate at Bates Wells, a law firm which worked with the Fair Game football campaign group on the government’s amendments to the Football Governance Bill.
Thomas explained some of the practical challenges of bringing some of the new laws into effect and how this new version differs from the old one under the Conservative government.
