Bill to give football fans more power is red carded by Black Country MP

The issue was discussed in the House of Commons amid fears of where the game is heading due to rising foreign ownership and astronomical sums of money coming into the Premier League.

Renewed talk of a European Super League, an exclusive club for the biggest richest teams on the Continent, has also been met with widespread alarm.

Labour's shadow sports minister Clive Efford is seeking to move a football governance bill which would make it easier for fans to intervene in the running of their clubs.

The right to buy shares and mandatory fan representation on the board are among measures which have been suggested.

Wolves, West Brom and Aston Villa are all facing uncertain futures at boardroom level.

Wolves and Villa are both up for sale while Albion chairman Jeremy Peace has made no secret of the fact he is seeking fresh investment.

Amid protests at Villa and widespread discontent at Wolves, the opportunity for supporters to have a say in the running of clubs would likely be an attractive proposition to many football fans in the West Midlands.

Mr Efford said his proposals had received the backing of dozens of supporters' groups.

He told the Commons: "When we look around football today, it is clear that football fans are under-represented and not listened to. No matter what level of the game we look at, we see examples of where things could be improved if football fans had greater representation.

"Fans are becoming increasingly important because big business is moving into our football clubs in a way that it never has before."

However, while stating he was in favour of greater supporter involvement in clubs, James Morris, MP for Halesowen and Rowley Regis, said he was opposed to the bill.

He said he was unsure whether the proposal 'adequately addresses some of the complexities of encouraging supporter ownership and participation'.

The Conservative MP said: "We must have a much tighter regime of football club licensing, and the FA has a role to play in that.

"How do we define a football supporters' association? Can we be sure that the best fans are being selected, and by what process? Who has the final say on the appointment to that supporters organisation? Does every supporter get a vote?

"Greater supporter participation in football is critical, but I am not convinced that the mechanism he outlines in the bill is the most appropriate way of dealing with the problem he identifies."