Government's plan to fix football.

[SIZE="5"]Exclusive: Radical proposals designed to overhaul the way the game is governed

Owen Gibson,
Sunday 28 March 2010 21.30 BST



The government is to unveil radical proposals that would give football fans first option to buy their clubs when they were put up for sale and require clubs to hand over a stake of up to 25% to supporters' groups.

The ideas, due to be included in the Labour manifesto with a promise of action in the first year of a new government, are designed to give fans a far greater say in how their football clubs are run and overhaul the way the game is governed.

It is believed that No 10, which has been working secretly on the plans for weeks, has resolved to deliver concrete proposals to tackle growing public disquiet at the level of debt carried by some clubs, the ownership model of others and the dysfunctional structure of the Football Association.

The plans include:

• Requiring clubs to hand a stake of up to 25% to fans in recognition of their links with their local community.

• Implementing a change-of-control clause that would allow fans a window to put together a takeover of their club if it was up for sale or went into administration.

• Giving the football authorities a deadline to reform the FA and remove "vested interests" from the board, and streamline decision making.

• Introducing a unified system of governance that co-ordinates issues such as club ownership and youth development.

• Allowing professional leagues and the FA additional oversight of club takeovers.

The plans are likely to put Gordon Brown on a collision course with the Premier League, which has vigorously defended its free-market model in recent years, but he will claim that the proposals are for the good of the game.

Two policy ideas have emerged as frontrunners to improve supporter representation around the boardroom table, both of which would see fans taking a meaningful ownership stake in clubs.

Portsmouth's financial collapse, the outpouring of anger in response to the leveraged buyouts at Manchester United and Liverpool that loaded the clubs with combined debts of more than £1bn, and last week's shock resignation of the FA chief executive, Ian Watmore, in protest at the "vested interests" on the board are all understood to have persuaded the prime minister to act.

Reflecting the view that they will succeed in democratising ownership only if there is stronger leadership from the top, it will also set football a deadline of up to a year to overhaul its governance system.

Under the scheme to give fans a stake, supporters' trusts with elected representatives, audited accounts and Financial Services Authority recognition would be responsible for maintaining the link between clubs and their community and ensuring fans are not priced out of the game.

The government could, however, face legal challenges from existing owners over the dilution of their shares. It has echoes of the model proposed by the so-called Red Knights attempting to buy Manchester United. Wealthy fans will contribute 74.9% of the overall purchase price, but supporters will hold a "golden share" of just over 25%, giving them a blocking stake on any change of ownership and an influential boardroom voice.

Legal advice is being sought on the idea of a change of ownership at a club triggering a mandatory window for fans to take the opportunity to shape the ownership structure and buy the club at a price set by an external, independent auditor.

Under the proposals, fans would be free to set up their co-operative style model, shareholding trust or other structure that enabled them to have a say in the club.

While the government will reiterate that it has no desire to regulate football directly, the prime minister believes the democratisation of football club ownership taps into wider themes about the "mutualisation" of public services and the need for regulatory reform.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2...all-clubs-fans

aren't election campaigns wonderful things


they've got until the beginning of june before the election has to happen. why not just do the £#%&!ing thing now

Should win the @#%&!s a few more votes. But I'll bet good money £#%&! all gets done if the current lot are re-elected.

Originally Posted by The Watcher

Should win the @#%&!s a few more votes. But I'll bet good money £#%&! all gets done if the current lot are re-elected.

erm, it's the current governments proposals. you been at the courvoisier agan?

Originally Posted by Camel

erm, it's the current governments proposals. you been at the courvoisier agan?

Not at all. I'm just saying politicians will say almost anything to get elected. Nothing will come of this imo. Ditto if the tories get in.

Same shit, different name.

Originally Posted by The Watcher

Not at all. I'm just saying politicians will say almost anything to get elected. Nothing will come of this imo. Ditto if the tories get in.

Same shit, different name.

i know. i realised your original post was intended in a different way to which i interpreted it. sorry. i'm just a bit bored. i think i might go to bed soon.

Originally Posted by Camel

i know. i realised your original post was intended in a different way to which i interpreted it. sorry. i'm just a bit bored. i think i might go to bed soon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urqYWWo2ZJo

Originally Posted by The Watcher

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urqYWWo2ZJo

you're too kind, grasshopper

edit: fantastic film, btw. beat takeshi at his finest apart from battle royale, maybe.

Correct me if I'm wrong but if the government did actually act on this then FIFA could ban English/ British teams from all European/ international tournaments as government interference is agaisnt FIFA rules

why would fifa ban the english sides from its competitions?

would uefa really follow their lead? and virtually destroy its prize competition in the process?


comedy bit in that report is the bit where it suggests that an "external, independent auditor" will set the price. yeah, okay. how about an independent auditor sets the price for the TV rights and sets the ceiling on transfer, player wages and thus ticket prices instead.

and what does it mean when it claims that the proposals are "due to be included" in the manifesto? everything in the manifesto must be due to be included, seeing as the election is only a few weeks away.

easy to be cynical about this, of course. or to pretend that it's all about united. then again, seeing as it's all been secretly discussed, maybe they've secretly spoken to the barren knights.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

why would fifa ban the english sides from its competitions?

Because they're mental and none of them have a £#%&!ing clue how to run football anyway hence the huge £#%&!ing pile of shit it is now?

Originally Posted by forzagarza

Because they're mental and none of them have a £#%&!ing clue how to run football anyway hence the huge £#%&!ing pile of shit it is now?

apart from that though?

I thought football was fixed already? Well, at least it is according to one set of vermin.

Originally Posted by Tumescent Throb

apart from that though?

None but that's why I said could rather than would. I just can't see FIFA/ UEFA liking government interference and I don't trust them.

Mute point anyway as the government won't and can't really do much.

Labour and Tories on the same day appealing to their grass roots. With Labour the football fan, with the Tories the fox hunter. Both with hollow promises as well, I'll believe it when I see it.

There is no problem so big that Government intervention can't make it worse.



NFT

It's a shame that it's taken an election to do something to protect our national game. Glazers, Hicks and the rapists at Pompey were all allowed or even encouraged to buy their clubs whilst loading the debt on the club. When Murdoch tried to buy United the tories blocked it, now we're supposed to believe Gordon Brown has our best interests at heart. Gordon Brown only has his best interests at heart.

I'm not suggesting the tories will do anything to help but at least they aren't pretending to be getting involved. £#%&! all will come of this except a few more votes for labour. I'm still waiting for the manifesto pledges of previous elections to be kept. NHS dentists for all, full 3rd term for Blair, no student top up fees, no rise in NI, referendum on the EU treaty and I could go on. Still let's all live in hope that they will honour this one and let's vote them back in. What's the worst that could happen? Oh yeah, ruin the country.

Originally Posted by Spiffy

It's a shame that it's taken an election to do something to protect our national game. Glazers, Hicks and the rapists at Pompey were all allowed or even encouraged to buy their clubs whilst loading the debt on the club. When Murdoch tried to buy United the tories blocked it, now we're supposed to believe Gordon Brown has our best interests at heart. Gordon Brown only has his best interests at heart.

I'm not suggesting the tories will do anything to help but at least they aren't pretending to be getting involved. £#%&! all will come of this except a few more votes for labour. I'm still waiting for the manifesto pledges of previous elections to be kept. NHS dentists for all, full 3rd term for Blair, no student top up fees, no rise in NI, referendum on the EU treaty and I could go on. Still let's all live in hope that they will honour this one and let's vote them back in. What's the worst that could happen? Oh yeah, ruin the country.

Lets hope if the tories get back in we don't have a return to what was happening when they were last in eh? High unemployment and strikes everywhere with us economically unable to keep up with the countries in mainland europe.

Originally Posted by BryanRobson'sLiver

Lets hope if the tories get back in we don't have a return to what was happening when they were last in eh? High unemployment and strikes everywhere with us economically unable to keep up with the countries in mainland europe.

That was happening to Britain before the tories got in. It was like it is now, Labour ruined the country and left the mess for the tories to sort out. As such, every cut they made they were blamed for. TBH I don't want Cameron to win the general election. It won't help in the long term. I want Brown to win and let him sack nurses and teachers and then hopefully, people will grow up in future generations hating labour as people now hate the tories. We're £#%&!ed for a good few years in this country, we may as well hold the people responsible to account rather than their replacements.

Originally Posted by Spiffy

It's a shame that it's taken an election to do something to protect our national game. Glazers, Hicks and the rapists at Pompey were all allowed or even encouraged to buy their clubs whilst loading the debt on the club. When Murdoch tried to buy United the tories blocked it, now we're supposed to believe Gordon Brown has our best interests at heart. Gordon Brown only has his best interests at heart.

I'm not suggesting the tories will do anything to help but at least they aren't pretending to be getting involved. £#%&! all will come of this except a few more votes for labour. I'm still waiting for the manifesto pledges of previous elections to be kept. NHS dentists for all, full 3rd term for Blair, no student top up fees, no rise in NI, referendum on the EU treaty and I could go on. Still let's all live in hope that they will honour this one and let's vote them back in. What's the worst that could happen? Oh yeah, ruin the country.

TBF Sniffer I don't see why a government would have to intervene in the way a sport is run. The sport has a governing body with enough power to legislate itself. If it can't be bothered or doesn't have the balls then why should anybody else?