England threatened with ban from European football competitions over regulator

England and English football teams could be removed from European competitions, if a new regulator is considered to be “government interference” in the sport.

In a letter sent by UEFA to new UK culture secretary Lisa Nandy, European soccer’s governing body has raised concerns over a proposed independent football regulator in English football. The regulatory will ensure the financial sustainability of clubs and stop teams from joining breakaway competitions like the European Super League.

UEFA regulations state there should be no government interference in the running of football.

“We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition, the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition,” ” said UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis in his letter, which has been seen by Associated Press.

‘Scope creep’

England, which has been runners-up in the last two European Championships, is co-hosting the 2028 edition of the tournament.

If UEFA imposed its ultimate sanction of excluding the English Football Association, the England team would be barred from competing in the Euros. It could also see English Premier League clubs barred from the Champions League and other competitions.

The UK government’s Football Governance Bill would give an independent regulator powers to safeguard the future of clubs. It includes strengthened tests over who can run or own clubs.

In its letter, UEFA says “normally, football regulation should be managed by the national federation”.

It is concerned by what it described as “scope creep” by a regulator into areas beyond “the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets”.

UEFA says, if all countries established regulators with wide-reaching powers, it would hinder its ability to maintain effective governance across Europe. It wants England’s regulator to be “strictly limited” to the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets.

A UK government spokesperson says “the Football Governance Bill will establish a new Independent football regulator that will put fans back at the heart of the game and tackle fundamental governance problems to ensure that English football is sustainable for the benefit of the clubs’ communities going forward”.