Legislation threatened to reform football

Football authorities have received their most explicit warning yet that ministers will legislate to modernise the way the sport is run.

MPs lambasted modest reforms that merely reinforced the Premier League’s dominance over the game.

Politicians’ concerns about commercialisation and increasingly indebted clubs forced the Football Association, the Premier League and the Football League to draw up reforms last year, including a licence for clubs.

But their proposals “failed to go far enough”, the culture, media and sport committee said. MPs said that unless the situation improves in the next 12 months, the government “should introduce legislation as soon as practically possible”. The laws could include curbs on how much clubs are allowed to spend.

Hugh Robertson, sports minister, endorsed the MPs’ report, saying there was a will across parliament for football to modernise and change. Mr Robertson added that he expected the proposed reforms to be in place by the start of next season. “If football does not deliver then we will look at bringing forward legislation,” he said.

The threat of legislation has hung over football since Mr Robertson described football two years ago as “the worst-governed sport in this country”.

Football’s hierarchy doubts whether the government has the stomach for legislation and has largely resisted more far-reaching reforms set out by FA chairman David Bernstein.

The MPs regard the FA as weak in the face of the financially powerful Premier League and said the proposed reforms had done nothing to alter the balance of power.

“It is inevitable that under these proposals, the Premier League will retain its dominance over the Football Association”, the MPs said.

Mr Robertson has made no secret of his dissatisfaction with the governing body. At the FA’s 150th anniversary celebrations this month, he told journalists that it was “crazy” not to extend Mr Bernstein’s term of office beyond July when he reaches the mandatory retirement age of 70.

The MPs chastised the FA for failing to reduce the size of its board to 10, attacked its lack of representation and said the proposed licensing model failed to give the board clear responsibility and powers.

While welcoming progress by Premier League clubs to adopt rules on spending controls, the MPs said if the regulations were not enforced “legislation will be required to impose some financial discipline on clubs”.

They also called on the Premier League and the Football League to give evidence to the FA to identify the ultimate owners of clubs and for the FA to make that information publicly available.

The government was criticised for failing to set up a working group to look at how to overcome barriers to supporters owning clubs.