The dispute between the Premier League and the British government seems just as exciting as the fight for the English championship. Three weeks ago, the Ministry of Culture, Media and Sport submitted a bill to introduce a football regulatory authority that is independent of the league and will in future monitor the business conduct of professional clubs for the benefit of football fans and the common good. Such a supervisory body was recommended by former sports minister Tracey Crouch in her final report (“Fan-led Review of Football Governance”), which was based on the demands of fans. Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson commissioned the report on the state of island football after six top English clubs took part in the ultimately failed establishment of a European super league in April 2021.
The live status of the 130-page application can be followed on the Parliament’s website. The draft is currently in its second reading marked with an hourglass in the House of Commons; the first reading has already been checked off in green. A new regulation must go through five steps in the lower house and then in the upper house before it can receive royal assent – and thus become law.
“We could stop being the top league,” fears West Ham co-owner David Sullivan
The Premier League was skeptical about the proposed resolution from the start. The clubs argue in strong terms that over-regulation would jeopardize the competitive advantage of the financially and commercially very successful Premier League. “We could stop being the top league,” fears West Ham United’s co-owner David Sullivan in the BBC. In order to prevent the control body, which can hardly be averted, the league is leaving no stone unturned – and is making an increasingly desperate impression.
This week the Premier League appears to have an exclusive advert in the twice-daily digital release London-Playbook-Magazine newsletter Politico switched on, which is likely to be read primarily by experts in the political world. The bulletin on Monday and Tuesday was “presented by the Premier League” in the header, even with the official league logo.
In the list of the most important news, under the heading “A message from the Premier League” it is always stated in a prominent position: “The Premier League is the most watched competition in the world […] Despite this, the UK will soon become the first major country to regulate football. We must be wary of the unintended consequences that would threaten the success of English football.”
The text marked with two asterisks at the beginning and end also contains a link to your own website. It touts how the league helps “the communities and the game as a whole.” Your own social commitment is also emphasized further down in the newsletter and a contact address is even included. The Premier League’s advertising looks like a counter-statement to the failed years-long negotiations with the English Football League, which is responsible for the lower professional leagues, about a new solidarity contract.
The advertisement, which is definitely not cheap, seems to be more likely to increase the popularity of the “Politico” newsletter
However, based on the first impression, the certainly not cheap advertisement seems to be more beneficial to the awareness of the Politico newsletter than to the Premier League itself. Former Manchester United professional Gary Neville posted a screenshot of the advertisement on his Instagram account. Commenting on this, Neville, who is a passionate supporter of the regulator, said the league had “reached a new low” by running paid advertisements “to attack the new regulator”. His conclusion: “How to embarrass yourself and look small!”
In fact, the Premier League’s current approach underlines the need for an independent control body. Because the league currently lacks not only transparency, but above all the trust of the fans in England. The football people consider the decisions about the integrity of new club owners and the point deductions for clubs for ignoring financial rules to be hardly stringent. In contrast to the English title fight, the winner in this duel seems to have already been determined: UK politics.
