the times | Thursday November 25 2021 77
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a European Super League. It included
the Everton chief executive, Denise
Barrett-Baxendale, the former England
manager Roy Hodgson and the former
Professional Footballers’ Association
chairman Clarke Carlisle. Together they
listened to more than 100 hours of
evidence from fans’ groups as well as key
stakeholders. Among the key recom-
mendations are:
6 The formation of the new regulator.
6 The introduction of the 10 per cent
“solidarity levy” on all Premier League
transfers from abroad and from other
top-flight clubs.
6 A review of the Premier League para-
chute payments system, which gives a
huge financial advantage to teams rele-
gated to the Championship.
6 A new owners’ and directors’ test to
provide greater protection to clubs.
6 The creation of a “shadow board” for
supporters at every club.
6 Granting fans’ groups a “golden share”
allowing them power of veto over club
“heritage” issues, such as joining new
competitions, moving stadium, chang-
ing club colours or crests.
6 Introducing standard promotion and
relegation clauses into player contracts
to help clubs’ finances.
6 A government review of how agents
are regulated.
6 A review of the laws on alcohol con-
sumption at grounds, with a pilot scheme
proposed for the National League.
6 Improving equality, diversity and
inclusion at clubs.
6 Commissioning a separate report into
the women’s game to ensure greater pari-
ty with the men’s game.
6 A review of the welfare for players
exiting the game, particularly from acad-
emies.
If the majority of the recommenda-
tions are adopted, the publication of the
report will be remembered as a seismic
day for the way football is run, but several
potential measures are likely to face
opposition from clubs.
These are the details of the most
significant proposals:the 10 per cent transfer levy
The attempt to take money from
Premier League transfers to redistribute
down the pyramid is certain to be a
battleground. Top-flight sources were
privately pointing out last night that such
a levy already exists: it is set at 4 per cent,
with the money distributed between a
player pension fund and the Premier
League and EFL academies.
Further to that, the clubs point out, is
the proposal for an additional 6 per cent
levy from Fifa. Add the new levy of 10 per
cent, and a £20 million transfer costs a
buying club £24 million, which the clubs
will argue could affect their ability to
remain competitive in the market with
their European rivals.
The report argues: “If a 10 per cent levy
had been applied in the last five seasons,
an estimated £160 million per year could
have been raised for redistribution. This
would be a relatively modest cost to
Premier League clubs, but annually
could be game-changing to the rest of
the football pyramid.”up to Kroenke and Glazers
what fan groups want – and deserve
meant we could have individual
meetings with dozens of individual
club supporter groups. We all worked
hard at it, but Clarke Carlisle in
particular showed as much stamina
on Zoom as he used to on the pitch.
The sessions demonstrated
something very encouraging.
Naturally supporters are passionate,
but what was impressive was that
every club had fans who were
articulate, intelligent and creative.
We very rarely endured rambling or
pointless contributions. Frankly, in a
lifetime of political meetings that is
fairly rare and I began to think it
quite remarkable.
The other noteworthy thing was
the consistency of the evidence. Early
on it became apparent that there was
a high degree of agreement among
fans, and the panel was comfortable
with their proposals. A regulator to
prevent another Bury, a golden share
to ensure the European Super
League fiasco cannot happen again,
proposals to improve the financial
sustainability of the whole pyramid,
each of these policies began to seem
obvious.
Tracey Crouch, as it turns out, is a
very skilled politician. A combination
of rigour, charm and diligence led to
a very good working atmosphere and
a strong consensus. But we all know
we have proposed something quite
tough and quite radical. We are ready
to defend it.
The Independent Regulator for
English Football will stop things that
fans may think they want — an
unsustainable transfer splurge, an
unsuitable owner — and may
sometimes be unpopular. Again and
again we put this to fan groups.
Again and again they said they
understood it. And it is what they
wanted. It is what they should get.Members of the review panelTracey Crouch Chairwoman
Kevin Miles Chief executive,
Football Supporters’ Association
Roy Hodgson Former Crystal Palace
and England manager
Professor Denise Barrett-Baxendale
Chief executive, Everton FC
Clarke Carlisle Former Burnley player
and former chairman of PFA
Dan Jones Partner, Football Finance
Dawn Airey Chairwoman, FA Women’s
Super League
David Mahoney Chief operating
officer, England & Wales Cricket Board
James Tedford Former Secretary,
Southport FC
Godric Smith Director, Cambridge Utd
Daniel Finkelstein Independent
member, Times columnistCrouch’s review
was initially
proposed after
the collapse of
Bury in 2019,
marked by fans,
left; the impact
of Covid, right,
on finances
reinforced the
need for action,
as did the plan by
United, far right,
and the rest of
the “big six” to
set up a much
criticised Super
League, main
Premier League
clubs ready to fight
£160m transfer levy
While one year’s money could provide
“a grant to ensure that League One and
League Two clubs break even”, it could
also provide “80 adult 3G pitches, 100
adult grass pitches, 100 children’s/small
sided grass pitches and 30 two-team
changing rooms”.the independent regulator
The regulator’s board would be appoint-
ed by experts independent of the govern-
ment and supported by a staff of experts
in various fields. The call for a regulator
is a devastating judgment on the FA,
which the report says is old-fashioned,
unwieldy and not a reflection of modern
football fans.
The FA may get observer status on the
board, which would be accountable to
parliament and the digital, culture,
media and sport select committee.
The cost of creating such a body, the
report suggests, should be covered main-
ly by the Premier League, and it will have
“strong investigatory powers”.
“If a club is found to have breached its
obligations, sanctions will be needed,”
the report says. Sanctions could include
fines, points deductions, transfer bans
and potential bans from football for own-
ers and directors.
“At the most extreme, owners could be
forced to pass stewardship/control of
decisions to an regulator-appointed
administrator,” the review states.owners’ and directors’ test
Motivated principally by the demise of
Bury, the review seeks to protect clubs by
introducing a more stringent test for
owners and directors, replacing the tests
operated separately by the Premier
League, EFL and FA.
Prospective new owners should be
required to submit a business plan,
provide a financial history and undergo
an integrity test. Further to that, the
review also recommends “enhanced due
diligence checks on source of funds to be
developed with the Home Office and
National Crime Agency”.golden share
The report recommends the foundation
of a community benefit scheme for sup-
porters, with a “golden share” that will
protect key aspects of a club’s heritage.
Under the “golden share”, owners will
require the consent of fans before selling
the club’s stadium, relocating the club
outside of the local area, joining a new
competition such as a European Super
League and changing the club’s name,
badge or home shirt colours.Last night the FA and Premier League
issued statements saying they welcomed
the review but would need time to study
its contents. The Football Supporters’
Association said the recommendations
“represent a massive step forward”.
Crouch said: “What’s really important
is this is not an à la carte menu. This has
to be done holistically. This is a whole
package of reforms.”
Crouch said change would begin with
the formation of a “shadow regulator” in
the new year. “That means it can start
soon,” she said. “And then I would
suspect that we could get this fully
operational by 2023.”continued from back