January 22 – UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy calls on the Conservative Party to “destroy” the Football Regulatory Bill, which is designed to bring a degree of oversight to English football’s top five professional levels.
Nandy (pictured) says some Conservatives sitting in the House of Lords are “intent on ruining” the Football Governance Bill by delaying it “for next year”. The Conservatives are the opposition party to Nandy’s ruling Labor Party.
Last October, the legislation, which would establish the first independent regulator in England, was re-introduced to Parliament and is working its way through the House of Lords, the second level of the parliamentary process, before being passed into law.
Nandy noted that it was the previous Tory government that undertook the governance review, but amendments proposed by the Tories could have derailed the bill for years.
“I want to give a strong message to those on the Conservative frontbench who are intent on scuttling the bill,” Nandy said in a speech in the Houses of Parliament. “I want to say to the handful of peers who decide to take this approach: ‘All you’re doing is killing the hopes, dreams and legacies of supporters.’
“I would remind them that it was a Tory government who conducted the fan-led review [into football governance] And Labor and the Tories pledged to continue these reforms in their manifestos. We will not rest until we deliver on that promise to our supporters. This is what the people voted for and nothing less than what the fans deserve. Change is coming and no one will stand in its way.”
An amendment proposed reclassifying the legislation as a ‘hybrid bill’, which would require consultation with clubs.
A hybrid bill is supposed to target specific private interests. The regulatory bill was introduced at a critical time for English football, due to attempts to break away from the European Super League and the financial mismanagement of numerous clubs in both the Premier League and the EFL.
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