Ten local MPs have asked Liverpool and Everton to adopt the fan-led review’s proposals and the establishment of new sustainability standards for clubs.
In November 2021, the fan-led inquiry submitted its recommendations to the government, with the adoption of an independent regulator backed by legislation and a new Premier League transfers charge to offer further financial support to the pyramid at its core.
It demanded that the regulator be given the authority to impose a financial settlement between the Premier League, the EFL, and the rest of the pyramid if the football authorities were unable to reach an agreement.
A government white paper responding to the fan-led review is scheduled to be released within the next two weeks; however, the Sun claims to have seen a leaked version, prompting Lucy Powell MP, Labour’s Shadow Culture, Media, and Sport Secretary, to urge for the paper’s immediate full release.
The Sun suggested that multimillionaires who cannot demonstrate the origin of their riches will be unable to acquire clubs. It also stated that clubs will support a regulator with the authority to prohibit them from joining breakaway leagues.
MPs encourage football teams to accept fan suggestions
Powell stated that it was time for the government to issue the long-awaited football white paper. More than a year after the fan-led assessment, in the wake of the European Super League debacle. And with several clubs on the edge of extinction, its arrival is long overdue. However, it will not become actual law for many years.
While we await the publication of the specifics, Labour strongly supports football regulation and a significant fan voice. The government has been indecisive and slow to act.”
The Premier League and its clubs are apprehensive of the effects of increased regulation, with Aston Villa’s chief executive Christian Purslow cautioning against “killing the golden goose.”
However, the ten MPs from Merseyside want their local premier league teams to support the plans and join the Fair Game group. Which pushes for a more sustainable football industry.
“The fan-led review included recommendations that would reset the governance of football and, for the first time, integrate financial sustainability, good governance, equality standards, and proper fan and community engagement into the national game through the use of an independent regulator,” the MPs wrote.
“We feel that these ideas are essential for the preservation of our footballing institutions for future generations. The nationwide problem has affected northwest clubs Bury, Macclesfield, and Bolton. Our Premier League clubs are a source of immense influence in the world of football and a source of pride for Liverpool and the surrounding area. Their support could be decisive for the success of Fairer Game.”
Index for Premier League clubs
Kim Johnson (Riverside), Dan Carden (Walton), Paula Barker (Wavertree), Ian Byrne MP (West Derby), Marie Rimmer (St Helens South), Conor McGinn (St Helens North), Bill Esterson (Sefton Central), Peter Dowd (Bootle), Mick Whitley (Birkenhead), and Derek Twigg (Birkenhead) are the members of parliament who signed the letter (Halton).
Fair Game has developed a Sustainability Index, which measures not just the financial viability of teams, but also their governance, equality standards, community engagement, and fan engagement. It is in favor of at least a percentage of Premier League solidarity money being paid based on a club’s Index performance.
Last week, Fair Game announced that Liverpool topped its Index for Premier League clubs, while Everton ranked sixth.
Niall Couper, its chief executive, stated, “Football is at a crossroads.” Since the turn of the century, thirty-three percent of English clubs have gone bankrupt. Several clubs were brought to their knees by the epidemic, and the cost-of-living issue threatens to deliver the final blow.
“We must begin advocating for financial viability, good governance, equity standards, and fan engagement. Liverpool and Everton can play a significant part in defining the new future of football. A fairer future.”
Following the start of the Super League in April 2021, the government initiated the fan-led evaluation. Liverpool was one of the twelve founding clubs and a key architect of the ideas.
The owner of the Reds, John W. Henry, apologized to fans after his team withdrew from the competition in response to outrage from supporters.
