English Football League Chair Rick Parry said that the Football Governance Bill “could become law by the summer,” according to Simon Stone of BBC. The bill, which was reintroduced by the Labour government in October, “will reach its report stage” today, when it will be examined in the House of Lords. It will establish a first independent regulator for the professional men’s game in England and was initially tabled under the former Conservative government in March 2024. A “number of amendments” have been proposed but Parry “anticipates a third reading” taking place March 31 before it goes back to the House of Commons. Parry, “whose organisation has failed to agree a funding package with the Premier League, says the new version of the bill is ‘better than the last one’” (BBC, 3/10).
DISAPPOINTMENT AND DISAGREEMENT: In London, Paul MacInnes reported that Parry “has expressed disappointment” with Kemi Badenoch, a member of Parliament who serves as the Leader of the Conservative Party, for “not speaking to the league before coming out against an independent football regulator.” Parry has asked Badenoch to consider taking “a more balanced view.” In February, Badenoch called the regulator a “waste of money,” claiming that “people in the industry don’t think it’s going to work.” Before the return of the Football Governance Bill to the House of Lords this week, Parry, a leading advocate for a regulator, said that he had “written to Badenoch requesting a meeting on the topic.” In response to Parry’s remarks, a spokesperson for Badenoch said that the Conservative leader “had made a principled decision to oppose the bill” (London GUARDIAN, 3/10).
TRADE TENSIONS: In London, Martyn Ziegler wrote that the incoming football regulator “may have to assess the risks of an international trade dispute before taking action against foreign-owned clubs under an amendment put forward in the House of Lords.” He noted that former Conservative sports minister Colin Moynihan “has submitted an amendment around foreign ownership.” The original bill submitted by the previous Conservative government “included a clause that the regulator would have to take into account the UK’s foreign and trade policy when approving club takeovers or banning rogue owners.” That, however, was something UEFA had “raised concerns over,” and had “been dropped” by the Labour government. However, Moynihan’s amendment revisits the issue. It says that due to “the high number of international owners in the Premier League,” there is a “potential impact on trade and investment from the decisions of the independent football regulator (IFR).” His amendment reads: “The IFR must consult with HM Treasury and the Department for Business and Trade before any major intervention affecting financial distributions or commercial operations, to assess whether the proposed action risks an international trade dispute or investor-state claim against the United Kingdom” (London TIMES, 3/10).
