Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Newcastle boss Eddie Howe
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Newcastle United boss Eddie Howe
An amendment to the new Football Governance Bill, which seeks to establish an independent football regulator, has been proposed that could ban state-owned clubs from English football. However experts agree that it is highly unlikely to be included on the Bill.
The bill is currently in the committee stage in the House of Lords where Labour peer Lord Bassam of Brighton has suggested a change that would force the current owners of Manchester City and Newcastle to sell if accepted.
According to Lord Bassam's proposal, the legislation would state: "No state-controlled club may be granted an operating licence, and any affected club must satisfy the IFR [independent football regulator] that they have divested themselves of their state-control before applying for an operating licence."
A state-controlled club is defined as one wholly or majority-owned by individuals, entities, or entities controlled by individuals deemed by the IFR or the secretary of state to be under the influence of any state actor. This includes members of any government or their immediate family, a head of state or their immediate family, diplomats, lobbyists, or other state representatives, or their immediate family, and sovereign wealth funds.
This amendment would directly impact Manchester City and Newcastle, owned by Sheikh Mansour, the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) respectively.
The likelihood of a proposal to ban state ownership in English football making it into the final bill is deemed 'small', according to The Times. Experts are sceptical about the government's willingness to impose an outright ban on such ownership models, reports the Mirror.
"The bill will not address state ownership, it very much makes it clear the government doesn't want to get involved in moral or ethical decisions," said Kieran Maguire, a football finance expert, while speaking to Sky.
Echoing this sentiment, Jon Tonge, a politics professor at the University of Liverpool, told sources: "State ownership is not going to disappear, it's actually likely to increase. I think Labour would be reluctant to ban it, first of all because the horse has already bolted - if you've allowed it for one, how could you stop others following suit?"
Last year saw a Qatari group headed by Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani, a member of Qatar's Royal family, attempt to acquire Manchester United from the Glazer family. However, their bid was unsuccessful as Sir Jim Ratcliffe stepped in to purchase a minority stake in the club.
How to follow our NUFC WhatsApp channel
Did you know you can now get Newcastle United stories on WhatsApp? As well as our NUFC communities, we also have a channel dedicated to sending you the best news, opinion and analysis on all things black-and-white.
All you have to do is follow our channel on WhatsApp by clicking this link or you can find us by searching Chronicle Newcastle United.
Updates will then automatically appear if you select the Updates option on your WhatsApp menu and selecting the 'Chronicle - Newcastle United' channel. It's as easy as that. There are already thousands signed up, but remember to turn your notifications on so don't miss out.