UEFA General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis has written to UK Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy on the matter, warning that exceeding their remit could lead to sanctions against Champions League clubs.
A Times article was published earlier this week that detailed some of Theodoridis’ questions about the bill.
UEFA is concerned
“Several aspects of the Bill raise specific concerns about the independence of the IFR and the risk of political and government interference, including (the clause) which requires the IFR to take into account the UK Government’s foreign and trade policy objectives when determining the suitability of future and current owners.”
The letter then outlines the potential sanctions on the table, should the UK government overstep the mark and come into conflict with UEFA regulations, warning that ”
The ultimate sanction would be the exclusion of the UEFA federation and the teams from the competition.”
The regulator is being set up to monitor and regulate English football’s ownership structures, protecting clubs and communities from irresponsible owners. The UK government has proposed changing some of the terms of the bill, and UEFA has insisted it does not want to prevent the regulator from being set up or interfere. The Times goes on to say that there is no risk of English clubs being excluded from the Champions League as things stand.
It seems highly unlikely that they will face heavy sanctions, as UEFA has struggled to punish powerful clubs in general in recent years. The idea of a regulator was first conceived in response to the idea of the Super League, which, by contrast, has not met with opposition from the Spanish government.
