“Football is in our national DNA,” he told the House of
Commons. “We invented it, we helped export it around the world and it’s been at
the heart of British life for over a century.” He added: “We will not stand by
and watch football be cravenly stripped of the things that made millions across
the country love it.”
But Dowden said although the government will launch a
fan-led review of the sport, it will hang back for now in the hope that
existing football bodies will work out how to block the plan, with sanctions
and other measures under discussion.
He insisted: “Be in no doubt. If they can’t act, we will.
We will put everything on the table to stop this from happening.” Ministers
will consider governance reform in football, he said, as well as tweaks to
competition law, higher taxes and stripping clubs of their coronavirus support
funds.
But the government could have a fight on its hands if it
tries to step in and impose new rules on the sector. “I would quietly advise
against the government getting sucked into this in a regulatory manner, because
I think it’s a minefield,” said a senior Conservative MP who holds a season
ticket for one of the clubs in question.
The super league would hand a guaranteed place every year
to the same 15 “founder” teams, even if other sides outperform them, with only
five additional places available on merit to outside teams each year. It would
prevent rivals from accessing television and sponsorship cash. The move has
already sparked the ire of U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson and French
President Emmanuel Macron.
But there are questions over what the government can do
to prevent the plan going ahead. Jonathan Compton, a lawyer with expertise in
competition law, said it could be the English Football Association that falls
foul of the rules if it goes ahead with threats for a retaliatory ban on super
league teams from taking part in other domestic competitions.
“If you’re a member of the super league and you’re being
excluded, by virtue of the fact you’re setting this up, from all competitions
regulated by the Football Association, that I think is a real problem,” he
said. He added that when it comes to the government blocking the super league
plan, “I’m not sure that there is a rule that the government can step in and
use here”.
Former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch will lead the
government review, which will consider financial sustainability in football as
well as governance and whether an independent regulator could help. It will
also look at implementing a German-style system whereby supporters hold a
majority of voting rights over their clubs.
Club owners, Dowden said, “should remember that they are
only temporary custodians of these clubs and that they forget fans at their
peril”.
The opposition Labour Party was also supportive of the
government’s stance. Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens welcomed the review,
but called for more details. “Labour stands ready to do whatever it takes to
stop this plan,” she said.
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