Posted on 25th November 2021
Sports minister Nigel Huddleston today faced questions from MPs on the fan-led review into football governance and the wider role of Russian money in the ownership of football clubs.
Image - thanks to melfoody under Creative Commons license (www.flickr.com/photos/melfoody/)
Posted on 25th November 2021
Sports minister Nigel Huddleston today (25th November 2021) responded in the House of Commons to yesterday’s Fan-led Review of Football Governance report and said the Government would work “at pace [to] deliver the independent regulator and any powers that might be needed.”
The minister was responding to an Urgent Question from Jo Stevens MP, the shadow secretary of state for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, which asked whether the report would receive Government backing.
The House of Commons was united with MPs from the Conservatives and Labour speaking in favour of the Fan-led Review recommendations – their voices were joined by MPs from the Liberal Democrats, DUP and SNP.
Not a single MP opposed the concept of an independent regulator in football.
As well as thanking the review’s chair, Tracey Crouch MP, Huddleston also paid tribute to the expert panel, which included the Football Supporters’ Association, and the thousands of fans across the country who contributed via live evidence sessions and surveys.
“The report shows that fundamental change is needed in our national game and fans deserve that. We are at a turning point for football in this country,” said Huddleston.
“The primary recommendation of the review that football requires a strong, independent regulator is a recommendation that I and the Government endorse in principle today.
“The Government will now work at pace to determine the most effective way to deliver the independent regulator and any powers that might be needed. That is what the fans want and this Government is on the side of fans.”
Speaking on the opposite bench Jo Stevens MP paid particular tribute to “the Football Supporters’ Association and every fan who took part in this review” (see below) and said there was cross-party backing for an independent regulator.
“We have known for a very, very long time that football is broken,” Stevens said. “This is not a new thing and we on this side of the House have called for years for an independent regulator to fix it.
“We’re therefore delighted that it forms the key recommendation of the report.”
Stevens also called upon the Government to not just accept the “principle” of the recommendations – but to enshrine them in law. The shadow minister asked the Government to ensure supporter involvement on the independent regulator board – calling for the FSA to sit on this body alongside the FA.
(FSA note: Our volunteers committed hundreds of hours to draft the FSA’s evidence submission and steer it through our AGM. Huge thanks go to Dave Pennington and Roger Ellis in particular for that, with additional acknowledgement to Robbie Whittaker and James Young for their efforts.)
You can watch the entire debate here (starts 10.35.11).
Sports minister Nigel Huddleston today faced questions from MPs on the fan-led review into football governance and the wider role of Russian money in the ownership of football clubs.
Football governance was debated in the House of Lords yesterday and the Government once again gave its backing to an independent regulator, via its representative in the second chamber.
Boris Johnson has given his backing to an independent regulator for football, ahead of his own Government’s official response to the Fan-led Review of Football Governance.
The Government took another step towards fixing football governance by committing to create a new independent regulator for English football in today’s Queen’s Speech.