The billionaires of English football have scored a spectacular home goal by participating in the failed project of the European Super League. In two days, the owners of the six clubs concerned (Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham, Chelsea, Arsenal, Liverpool) managed to turn the supporters and the political class against them, who had so far been coping very well with the flood. money that fell on the Premier League, the elite championship of English football.
They face a very serious threat from the UK government to fundamentally reform the organization of football. Objective declared: to be inspired by the German system known as “50 + 1”, where the owners do not have the right to own more than 49% of the capital of a club, and where the remaining 51% of the voting rights must remain under the control of the club association.
Oliver Dowden, the British Minister for Culture and Sport, says he is ” hit “ by this model:
“The German clubs did not participate [au projet de Super Ligue], because the supporters have a more important voice. [En Angleterre], we have seen the weight of the supporters erode over time. We need to see how to give them more influence and more control. “
Another threat from Mr. Dowden: the establishment of a football regulator. Currently, this sport is self-regulating, without real supervision. The Football Association, the national federation, takes care of the national team and amateur sport. The Premier League controls the main professional division and the Football League deals with the three lower divisions. Between the three organizations, the battle is often fierce and the richest are generally the winners.
“This crisis must not be wasted”
To launch his reform, the minister commissioned MP Tracey Crouch for a report to review “From top to bottom” the organization of English football. This will have to look at “The financial sustainability of men’s and women’s football, the way in which the money is distributed from one division to another, the governance and the interests of a regulator”, as well as “How supporters can have more influence”.
Jim O’Neill, a member of the House of Lords and influential in the world of football, would almost pinch himself to believe it. “To my surprise, the government seems to be really pushing towards a German model. “ With his Mancunian accent to cut with a knife, the man represents an explosive mixture. The son of a postman, he was for a long time the chief economist of the American bank Goldman Sachs and he does not fear the world of finance.
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