Opinion: Premier League employing increasing desperate measures to try and avoid regulation

What should anyone who plays fairly and by the rules fear about being examined by a regulator asks Rob Fielding. Perhaps that question should be put to the desperate, self-obsessed Premier League?

Rob Fielding writes…

Last week, it was revealed that the Premier League has placed ads warning of the “risk” of the incoming independent football regulator. It begs the response – who else but an organisation obsessed with money would label financial sustainability as a “risk”?

You may have seen previous articles on here ridiculing the Premier League response to the introduction of a football regulator. In them, I make the point that the regulator will be for the greater good of the game – making sure there are stronger checks on football club owners and ensuring financial sustainability in the game. It would look like a package that would meet with the approval of everyone in the English game. As Guardian columnist Aaron Tims put it – “Any measure to curb the financial excesses of the past two decades, even the playing field between English football’s giants and minnows, and put the sport on a more sustainable economic footing is surely a good thing”. A good thing seemingly for everyone, except the Premier League.

Last week, it was revealed that the Premier League has placed ads warning of the “risk” of the incoming independent football regulator. It begs the response – who else but an organisation obsessed with money would label financial sustainability as a “risk”? It prompted Salford City part-owner Gary Neville to comment on social media: “The Premier League stooping to a new low putting paid ads out attacking the New Regulator for football!”

Why does the Premier League think it can do a better job. Is this the same organisation that hands out seemingly random points deductions to lower-ranked teams such as Nottingham Forest and Everton but has sat on over ONE HUNDRED financial charges against their poster boys, Abu Dhabi owned Manchester City? Charges that stretch back to 2009!

What else could the Premier League fear? Could it possibly be that a League that permits Abu Dhabi owned Man City and Saudi Arabia owned Newcastle United have worries about the fit and proper ownership rules?

After all the Newcastle takeover was so transparent and the owners so decent (editorial note: I detect sarcasm) that it initially failed the Premier League’s own inhouse test. Wow, that takes some doing! The eventual takeover deal which, according to the Premier League, prevented the Saudi Arabian government having any influence in the club (everyone else: yeah, right!) was sealed in October 2021. In April 2023 the Premier League changed its ownership rules to disqualify potential owners and club directors who have committed human rights abuses. Convenient timing that considering Amnesty International accuses the Saudi Arabian government of torture, discrimination and numerous other violations. Good job the Premier League can confirm that the Saudi Arabian government is definitely not in charge of a top-flight football club then.

It begs the question – if the Premier League is incapable of putting its own house in order, what right does it have to attack a piece of legislation which was supported by supporter groups across the nation? It’s not like the Premier League is offering any alternative to financial sustainability. Only last month, the Premier League refused to offer the Football League a new financial deal, news that was greeted by a Football League statement which said it was “clearly disappointed at (Premier League clubs’) repeated failure to put forward any new funding offer for EFL clubs.”

It seems the Premier League wants to happily ignore the financial gaps caused by parachute payments in the Championship, the damage caused by dodgy owners at clubs like Reading, to ignore financial charges levelled at its own clubs and simply carry on making huge TV deals and dishing out the cash to themselves. Luckily for fans who genuinely care about the future of the game, it looks increasingly likely that the Premier League’s latest complaint is a last throw of the dice and regulation is going to come whether they like it or not.

In my opinion, it can’t come soon enough!