The majority of fans back the new Independent Football Regulator but are divided on its remit, a new study has shown.
Sport’s latest quango, the Independent Football Regulator, is up and running with a remit to make the English game more sustainable.
Early plans suggest the regulator could have the power to force the sale of badly-run clubs – something that could have stopped the saga that saw Sheffield Wednesday enter administration – while dodgy owners and directors may face prison time.
But while Milltown Partners’ “The Trust Deficit in English Football” report concludes that 59 per cent of fans think the introduction of the Independent Football Regulator is positive, versus 12 per cent who are against it, the consensus on what its remit should be is fractured.
“Awareness remains mixed and understanding limited,” the report reads. “Some fans are only now learning about the regulator; others confuse it with existing football authorities or misconceive its scope.
“There is also division about the regulator’s remit. While there’s broad consensus on financial sustainability and fairness, fans diverge on other priorities.
“This reflects that there’s no single view of what’s broken in football – or of how to fix it.”
Independent Football Regulator supported by fans
Richard Monks was recently named the Independent Football Regulator’s first chief executive, with media rights expert David Kogan his chair.
Kogan’s appointment came under fire after it emerged he had donated to the Labour party leadership bid of now Department of Culture, Media and Sport secretary of state Lisa Nandy and current Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer.
Nandy was found to have breached the Government Code on Public Appointments while Starmer was forced to admit he signed off on the appointment despite officials saying the process was under the remit of DCMS.
“There is also scepticism about how the regulator will work in practice – particularly whether it will have sufficient independence and robust enough powers,” the report adds.
“These views are still forming, creating both opportunity and risk as the regulator becomes operational.
“Nonetheless, the scale of the appeal for the new regulator underlines the extent of fans’ discontent with football in England today.”
Milltown Partners’ wider report states that social media is now the most popular information source for fans, while greed is blamed for unreasonable price rises across the sport.