The UK general election is delaying the introduction of an independent football regulator

British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak's decision to call a general election on July 4 has postponed the arrival of an independent football regulator until next year at the earliest.

It was hoped that the much-discussed Football Governance Bill would be included in what is known as the wash-up, the period at the end of a parliament when bills that have not gone through every step of the legislative process can be passed. , but it has not yet progressed far enough.

This will be a huge frustration for the English Football League in particular, which has lobbied hard to get the bills passed into law, in the hope that this will force the Premier League to offer the EFL-72 clubs a more generous financial solidarity package.

The Premier League has been considerably less enthusiastic in its support for an independent regulator, which is at the center of the bills, but will not cheer too loudly now that Labor, which has a huge lead in the polls, has made it clear that it will win the election will reform. submit the bill as soon as possible.

The delay was confirmed by former Sports Minister Tracey Crouch in a series of posts on X.

The Conservative MP, who has already announced she will not seek re-election, was the author of the Fan-Led Review of Football Governance, which called for independent regulation in 2021.

Sadly, the Football Governance Bill will not progress and although there is a ready-made bill for the next government, I will not be here to see it passed, she wrote.

Crouch then thanked everyone who put their heart and soul into the bill and wrote that she remained 100 percent convinced that there would be an independent regulator for football.

My final plea is to the Premier League and EFL, please, for the sake of football, sit back down and start negotiating a deal. The impasse is infuriating. I know it's complex. But please make a deal. The end.

Tracey Crouch (@tracey_crouch) May 23, 2024

My final plea is to the Premier League and EFL, she added. Please, for the sake of football, sit back down and start negotiating a deal.

The impasse is infuriating. I know it's complex, but please make a deal.

As for the bill, there are many in the game who will see the delay as an opportunity to reshape it when it returns to parliament under the next government.

The bill was seriously flawed, said Niall Couper, the chief executive of Fair Game, a group of 39 EFL and non-league clubs that have come together to push for a more sustainable and fan-focused industry.

It did little to bridge the growing financial gap. There was not even a mention of vested interests, raising questions about whether it would ever be truly independent. And proper consultation with fans and clubs was almost ignored.

Now there is an opportunity to reframe it and create a bill that is fit for purpose and delivers a fairer future.

While Coupers' sentiments about rethinking what the mainstream party should and should not do are widely shared, there are also many who worry that the new body will meddle in matters that go beyond the primary purpose of the party. ensuring the financial sustainability of the game.

For example, there have been calls for the regulator to reverse the decision to scrap FA Cup replays or intervene in the debate over video assistant referees (VAR).

These topics were even raised on Wednesday when Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lucy Frazer appeared before a committee of MPs to answer questions about her department.

When Frazer was asked about replays and VAR, he made it clear that it is not the government's job to solve every problem and that we should leave the game to football.

Frazer's comments about the potential for 'mission creep' followed similar comments from the regulator's first official, interim chief operating officer Martyn Henderson, at the annual Fair Games conference on Tuesday, and Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham , at the FIFA Congress in Thailand last week.

When asked about the scope of the regulators, Henderson pointed out that this could not go too far as FIFA, football's governing body, does not allow government interference in football.

A very important principle that everyone needs to keep in mind when thinking about the wish list of things that the regulator could do is that some things need to be done by the organizers of competitions and if we cross that line we will see FIFA and (European administrative bodies). body) UEFA is telling us: wait a minute, said Henderson.

The FA is the regulator of football here and the independent football regulator should focus on financial sustainability, systemic resilience and fan engagement, and not interfere in sporting matters.

It is no surprise that the FA agrees.

Our position on the regulator is that we have always been in favor of it being a financial regulator and ensuring the review of owners and directors and the sustainability of clubs, Bullingham said.

But we have always been very clear and told UEFA and FIFA that we would oppose any further changes beyond that.

(Peter Nicholls/Getty Images)