Government briefing on football reform is ‘half-hearted at best’, says Fair Game

“Reckless, unregulated gamblers are pushing our clubs to the brink and unless the proposed regulator controls the flow of money in the game and rewards well-run sustainable clubs it will miss the target entirely”

Niall Couper, CEO, Fair Game

The Government’s latest briefing on the remit of a potential new regulator for football has been dismissed by Fair Game as ‘half-hearted at best’. The proposals failed to address the gambling culture in the game and at first glance appear to be a missed opportunity.

Niall Couper, CEO of Fair Game - a group of 34 clubs campaigning for change in the governance of football, said: “Removing the potential of a European Super League is welcomed and as are new measures to monitor spending, but that barely scratches the surface of the problems in our National Game.

“There is no doubt that football is in crisis, it’s failed to get its house in order and we desperately need an independent regulator with real teeth. However, the proposals revealed today are half-hearted at best.

“Reckless, unregulated gamblers are pushing our clubs to the brink and unless the proposed regulator controls the flow of money in the game and rewards well-run sustainable clubs it will miss the target entirely.

“The government needs to incentivise good behaviour, rather than those gambling with the future of our much-loved teams.”

Fair Game believes in creating a Sustainability Index where every club is rated on five critieria: Financial Sustainability, Good Governance, Equality Standards, Community Engagement and Fan Engagement. The higher the club scores the more money the club gets.