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.”
