Football regulator: UK sports minister backs need for reforms
- Published
Independent regulator will strengthen English football - Tracey Crouch MP
Sports minister Stuart Andrew has backed the need for reforms in football following a meeting with supporters.
The government announced plans in April for an independent football regulator after endorsing a fan-led review.
It was due to outline its plans in a White Paper this summer, but reports last week suggested new Prime Minister Liz Truss could put the idea on hold., external
Andrew tweeted, external that reforms would be at "the heart of our next steps on football governance".
He added: "I absolutely get the need for football to be reformed to make it sustainable in the long term."
The new sports minister, who replaced Nigel Huddleston after Truss replaced Boris Johnson as prime minister, met the Football Supporters' Association (FSA) on Tuesday.
FSA chief executive Kevin Miles was on the fan-led review panel whose central recommendation last November was the creation of an independent regulator for football.
A regulator would have legislative power to sanction clubs in English football who break financial and other rules.
The call for a regulator was among 10 recommendations made by the fan-led review, chaired by former sports minister Tracey Crouch, on how to improve football governance.
The review followed a number of high-profile crises in the sport, such as the failed European Super League and the collapse of Bury FC.
The Premier League acknowledged the need for reform but argued a statutory-backed regulator was "not necessary".
Following Tuesday's meeting, FSA vice-chairman Tom Greatrex said: "We explained the history and ongoing importance of this to the minister who confirmed that the government would aim to publish its White Paper this autumn."
The White Paper had been due to be published in the summer but was delayed because of the Conservative Party's change of leadership.
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