Football regulator to investigate bad club owners from next week
Time is ticking for poor football owners as the Independent Football Regulator will be able to investigate unsuitable club bosses from next week.
The Independent Football Regulator was set up following the passing of the Football Governance Bill in Parliament earlier this year, with Richard Monks and David Kogan tasked with being chief executive and chairman respectively.
And the quango today punished its final “Owners, Directors and Senior Executives (ODSE)” criteria, giving the Independent Football Regulator powers to investigate and take action against scrupulous owners from 12 December.
And from next year, new club owners, directors and senior executives will need to be approved by a specialist regulator test.
IFR Chair David Kogan said: “Following Royal Assent in July, the IFR has been steadily developing its regulatory regime through a process of public consultation over its new powers.
“This is the latest step to ensure that the precepts of the Act will be followed to ensure stability and sustainability are reinforced throughout the football pyramid.”
The regulator will be able to work with the National Crime Agency and Serious Fraud Office to aid them with their work.
It was revealed earlier this year that rogue club owners could face jail time, with acts such as destroying documents potentially being seen as a crime by the Independent Football Regulator.
Independent Football Regulator powers
Added chief Monks: “A new era for football governance is here. The test applies to every club across the top five tiers, and we have the tools to act quickly to help foster sustainable investment in the game.
“We will be able to gather information, investigate and demand action – including, in the most serious cases, the removal of an unsuitable owner.”
The Football Governance Bill, and the subsequent regulator, was formulated by the previous Conservative government and passed by the current administration.
The process that led to Kogan’s appointment has led to widespread scrutiny after three breaches to the Governance Code on Public Appointments were found by Sir William Shawcross.
Sports minister Stephanie Peacock said: “As a Government, we worked tirelessly in the face of opposition to pass the Football Governance Act and have kicked on since to bring the Regulator’s powers online as quickly as possible and deliver on our promise to fans.
“Our message has been clear throughout: that owners and directors are, first and foremost, custodians of their clubs – and they must act with the best interests of those clubs at heart.
“The Regulator now has the power to hold those who do not to account, giving fans confidence that the institutions so central to their communities and their lives will be protected long into the future.”