Manchester City and Newcastle United owners could be set to be banned from English football if a new proposal is accepted.
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Labour peer Lord Bassam of Brighton has proposed amendments to the Football Governance Bill which would have a massive implication for the two Premier League sides.
The proposal is to ban state-controlled clubs from English football, introducing an independent regulator for the sport.
City and Newcastle would have to change their ownership if the bill is accepted and passed in Parliament to continue competing in England.
The amendment set to affect Manchester City and Newcastle United
The Labour peer has submitted the paper to the House of Lords which would prevent sovereign wealth funds or government ministers from any country owning an English football team.
The amendment to the legislation reads: “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.
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“A state-controlled club is one which is wholly or majority-owned by individual(s), entities, or entities controlled by individual(s) who are deemed by the IFR or the secretary of state to be under the influence of any state actor, including but not limited to: members of any government or their immediate family, a head of state or their immediate family, diplomats, lobbyists, or other state representatives, or their immediate family, and sovereign wealth funds.”
Manchester City are owned by Sheikh Mansour who is the vice-president of the United Arab Emirates. Whilst Newcastle are owned by Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).
However, in practice, the paper would need to be backed by MPs in the House of Commons, which will only happen if the government agree to it.
Sources close to Parliament suggest the bill is unlikely to be passed, however the suggestion of the ban has been put forward by other Premier League teams in the past.
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