Chesterfield FC bids to be pilot for Independent Football Regulator February 19, 2026 League Two club Chesterfield have offered to be a pilot club for the Independent Football Regulator to ensure their financial controls are aligned. It comes as the Spireites released their accounts to shareholders for their first season back in the football league after a six-year absence. Chesterfield cites that the club – sixth in the [...]
Macclesfield FC: FA Cup heroes in talks with ‘huge’ foreign investors February 15, 2026 FA Cup giant-killers Macclesfield are in talks with two wealthy foreign groups over a transformative investment in the non-league club’s bid to continue their rapid rise. The sixth-tier team pulled off one of the biggest shocks in FA Cup history by beating holders Crystal Palace last month and are back in the spotlight on Monday [...]
National League 3Up bid takes step forward and gains Nandy backing February 13, 2026 Culture secretary Lisa Nandy has backed the National League’s 3Up campaign for a third promotion place into the English Football League (EFL). The EFL has come under increasing pressure to introduce a third promotion place from the National League and bring it in line with the system in place in the Championship, League One and [...]
Leicester City’s points deduction shows the tail doesn’t always wag the dog February 6, 2026 The Premier League’s victory over Leicester City shows that clubs can’t lose money with impunity, but is it one battle in a much bigger war, writes Aaryaman Banerji. Every ruling tells a story. And so it is that English football has become something of an anthology. This week’s verdict by a three-man independent commission, finding that Leicester City had breached EFL Profit and [...]
Football regulator may have popular support but many will be disappointed January 22, 2026 The Independent Football Regulator will not be the panacea for all of the English game’s ills that some are hoping for, says Ed Warner. To a stimulating conference titled “The Independent Football Regulator: challenge or opportunity?” There I found myself a minority voice in an echo chamber of regulatory advocates. An opening poll of the [...]
Swindon Town face expulsion for picking player who was serving seven-game ban January 16, 2026 Swindon Town face being thrown out of the EFL Trophy after the League Two club fielded two ineligible players – including one who was serving a seven-match ban. The Robins named captain Ollie Clarke in the starting line-up for Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Luton Town and brought on Aaron Drinan as a substitute at half [...]
Reading owner Rob Couhig considers selling training ground to raise funds December 31, 2025 Reading owner Rob Couhig is considering radical measures including downgrading the club’s Academy or selling the training ground to increase the funding he can make available to the first team. The American, who paid around £25m to buy the League One club from Dai Yongge at the end of last season, has been an outspoken critic of [...]
Is the Premier League decoupling from the rest of English football? December 18, 2025 Ed Warner pores over a report on the polarisation of English football and comes up with a solution to the Premier League’s stand-off with the EFL for the new regulator. “I just hope they don’t mess it up.” The Premier League club chairman’s answer to my question about his hopes for the Independent Football Regulator [...]
Manchester City v Premier League battle set to drag on beyond season December 17, 2025 Manchester City will face another lengthy wait to discover their punishment if they are found guilty of breaching the Premier League’s financial rules, as the much-anticipated verdict of the independent commission will be delivered in stages. The initial judgement of the commission, which finished hearing the case 13 months ago, will only deal with matters [...]
English football clubs facing financial distress drops by 50 per cent December 10, 2025 The financial health of English football appears to be improving, with the number of clubs in the EFL deemed to be facing distress halving since last year. Only three of the 72 teams in the English Football League, which comprises the three professional divisions below the Premier League, meet that bar, according to an annual [...]