Government should be able to order football regulator to review decisions – MP

The Government should be able to ask a football governing body to “look again” on key decisions, a Conservative MP has said.

Luke Evans told a debate on football governance in England that a mechanism similar to the Government asking the Parole Board to review a decision could work.

The Hinckley and Bosworth MP gave the example of the Football Association scrapping replays in the FA Cup beyond the third round.

The decision last year has been criticised by lower league and non-league clubs for depriving them of a replay if a game is drawn, which could lead to smaller sides earning hundreds of thousands of pounds for a replay to decide the tie.

Premier League teams had complained replays added unnecessary games to their calendars alongside league games, other domestic cup competitions, European ties and international football.

Dr Evans said: “If there’s a sentence for a criminal that is passed and they got to the Parole Board, there’s a mechanism where the Government can ask the Parole Board to have another look. I think that would work really well in this situation.

“We need to have an independent regulator to satisfy Fifa and Uefa, but we also need to have the ability for Parliament to be able to hold people to account.

“If you’re looking for example, we only have to look to last year when FA Cup replays were taken away. The public were upset, the clubs were upset, but the decision was taken.

“I argue that a Parole Board mechanism put in this place would enable the Government to say to the regulator, have another look.

“If they still decide to do it, that’s fantastic, but at least we’ve had our say.”

Parliament is debating the introduction of an independent football regulator, with the House of Lords due to discuss the Football Governance Bill at report stage on Tuesday.

It would govern the men’s sport from the Premier League through to the National League, and hopes to “improve financial sustainability of clubs, ensure resilience and safeguard the heritage of English football”.

Among the changes would be a new licensing scheme, a new owners’ and directors’ test, and seeking to instil fan engagement in clubs’ decision making process. It is hoped it will avoid clubs going into administration or out of business altogether.

The Conservative Party is opposed to the Bill, despite introducing a broadly-similar piece of legislation when the it was in government last year.

Labour sports minister Stephanie Peacock said: “A new Government lord’s amendment will require the secretary of state to review the whole regime after five years.”

Dr Evans later added: “With FA Cup replays being taken away, that was a decision by the FA itself to do so without any consultation. This is a prime example of the heritage of the game that is taken away, which that mechanism wouldn’t quite address.”

Ms Peacock replied: “Government can’t be involved and don’t want to be, and neither will the regulator be able to cover all issues.”

Labour MP for Earley and Woodley Yuan Yang, who called the Westminster Hall debate on Thursday, said a regulator would allow fans to focus on on-field matters rather than administrative chicanery off it.

Ms Yang referred to Reading FC, who have faced a protracted battle with their owner Dai Yongge over a potential sale. The Royals have had points deducted in recent years over financial issues.

The debate heard 50 clubs have gone into administration in the top six tiers of English football since the formation of the Premier League in 1992.

Ms Yang said research by the group Fair Game found the majority of the 92 clubs in the English Football League are insolvent, as their liabilities exceed their assets.

She said: “Life needs to be a lot simpler for fans, just to be able to follow the game, not worrying about whether the game is up for their local club.

“So many fans have experienced what Reading has gone through and we owe it to them to give voice to the problems that we see across the football pyramid.”

However Rupert Lowe, who spent more than a decade as chairman of Premier League club Southampton, said a football regulator would damage English football and instead provide an advantage to European leagues.

The Reform UK MP (Great Yarmouth) said: “Britain doesn’t have many success stories left, but our domestic football is one of them. My message to all of you is ‘leave it alone’.

“The Premier League projects unrivalled soft power, rakes in a fortune for HMRC and is actually good fun, usually often competitive football despite Southampton’s woeful record this season.

“It’s ludicrous and does nothing to protect lower league clubs. It should be revoked. Let’s encourage and campaign, not regulate.”