Yesterday I received a reply from Hugh Robertson MP about football governance, you can find this on yesterdays blog post. Here is my follow up letter. I shall publish any reply I get in response to this.
I've also recorded an interview with Free Radio on this issue which should air in the next day or so.
Dear Hugh
Thank
you for the response that I received on the 9th July, it was much
appreciated.
My
correspondence with you and your department is of keen interest at the moment
to Coventry City fans in particular, and they feel it’s about time that they
saw real action from the Government and football authorities in terms of who
owns parts of the English game.
The
English Premier League and football league is revered worldwide, but there is a
distinct fear that if action isn’t taken swiftly, that we will see the
disappearance of a major football club because stringent rules and regulations
have not been put into place.
In
my previous letter I spoke about the cost of poor ownership to bodies such as
HMRC. I was disappointed that you did not touch upon this in your own letter,
and have since contacted HMRC to request information on how much football clubs
are costing Her Majesties Revenue and Customs.
In
terms of your recommendations and challenges to the football authorities, this
can only be welcomed by the football fans. However, recommendations do not seem
strong enough for something which is such a huge issue.
You
also state that you believe that it is for the football authorities to
determine the best way to achieve the right changes. I sadly believe that this
is something that the Government has got wrong entirely. Without the Government
pushing these proposals and enforcing legislation, change will not happen
quickly enough to prevent potential disasters.
I
worry that there is not enough urgency to address and engage this issue
thoroughly. When do all parties expect the recommendations to be put into
place? The new season is rapidly approaching.
It
was only a few years ago that my own team, Liverpool, looked threatened with
administration because of poor leadership from owners. If a club the size of
Liverpool can be threatened by such an event, then it is conceivable that it
could happen to anyone.
The
fantastic football writer David Conn of the Guardian had this to say about the
upcoming flotation of Manchester United, “One wider point should be considered, among many. This is the most
momentous event at an English club since the England team tumbled out of the
European Championship. Roy Hodgson's team of triers was accompanied by the
age-old call for a revolution in how we think about football, for Premier
League clubs, the Football Association and the whole game to the grass roots,
to pull together for the common good. Days later, English football's greatest
name is being re-routed to the New York Stock Exchange via the Cayman Islands,
to pay debts a US family was allowed to load on, to buy one of our great clubs
in the first place. That hocking of clubs in the global marketplace has always
seemed at odds with a coherent approach to building a great sport, a waste of
the great opportunities the modern era is providing” (Guardian.co.uk, 4th
July 2012).
How long will it be until we see a situation
similar to Rangers happen in the Premier League? I fear it will not be long.
I welcome any further thoughts you have on
this subject,
