State-controlled football clubs could be banned under proposed UK bill change

It could force the likes of Man City and Newcastle United to change ownership.

The proposal has been submitted in an amendment to the Football Governance Bill, which would introduce an independent regulator for the sport, as per a report in The Times.

A move which would have to be agreed by Parliament, it would force City and Newcastle to change their ownership so that they could be granted a license by the regulator.

The amendment to the legislation has been put forward, going through the House of Lords, which would then prevent professional clubs of England being owned by government ministers or sovereign wealth funds by any country.

For the amendment to become law, it will need to receive backing from MPs in the House of Commons, which will likely only happen if the government voices its support for the amendment.

Whitehall sources told the Times the chance of the amendment being agreed are small, although some Premier League clubs have previously voiced their support for such a ban.

City are currently owned by Sheikh Mansour - the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates.

Newcastle are under the ownership of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF).

The legislation proposed by Lord Bassam reads: “No state-controlled club may be granted an operating licence, and any affected club must satisfy the IFR [independent football regulator] that they have divested themselves of their state-control before applying for an operating licence.

“A state-controlled club is one which is wholly or majority-owned by individual(s), entities, or entities controlled by individual(s) who are deemed by the IFR or the secretary of state to be under the influence of any state actor, including but not limited to: members of any government or their immediate family, a head of state or their immediate family, diplomats, lobbyists, or other state representatives, or their immediate family, and sovereign wealth funds.”

The bill was discussed on Wednesday, with the amendment yet to be discussed.

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