TWO Premier League clubs could be forced to find new owners if a proposed major rule change comes into effect.
Labour politician Lord Bassam has argued that no club should be state-owned and “receive an operating license”.
Both Manchester City and Newcastle United are currently under the control of the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabian Public Fund (PIF), respectively.
Should Bassam’s proposal be passed into law, then owners would be required to sell their stakes in the clubs if they want to maintain their Premier League status.
The proposal would aim to stop state-owned clubs being a threat to the competition and integrity of British football.
The Times has reported that some clubs in the Prem have supported the proposal.
However, it is claimed that legal and political obstacles would prevent it from being implemented.
Man City were acquired by the UAE in 2008, which catapulted the club to new heights of success.
Since the takeover, the club has won eight Prem titles, one Champions League and multiple domestic cup honours.
Meanwhile, Newcastle were purchased by PIF from Milke Ashley in 2021.
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The new investment has seen the Magpies rise up the table away from mid-table and compete with the traditional big six.
Newcastle have qualified for the Champions League and signed star players such as Bruno Guimaraes, Sven Botman and Alexander Isak.
Meanwhile, the Football Governance Bill was created by the Conservative Party before the General Election.
The Labour Party have pushed through the bill in order to establish a regulator for football.
The aims of the bill are to provide more protection to clubs to avoid the death of clubs such as Bury in 2020.
MAN CITY began the season as favourites to win the Premier League title yet again – but there is one elephant in the room that threatens to put the skids under the Etihad giants.
Sunsport’s MARTIN LIPTON discusses what the next few months could hold with Head of Sport SHAUN CUSTIS….
Custis: So the big question – will there be a resolution this season?
Lipton: Yes…. probably! It will take at least a month to go through the evidence. So I suspect around March, April time, we will get a result. But that’s where it starts to get tricky.
Custis: Why is that?
Lipton: If the result is in City’s favour, that’s the end of the matter. They will be cleared. They will have no punishment to face.
But if City are found guilty, these will be the heaviest penalties ever imposed by the Premier League.
I suspect if they are found guilty, they will be expelled from the league or given a massive points deduction and a huge fine so that they’re not in the Premier League next season.
Check out the full discussion on Man City’s future.
