West Ham chairman David Sullivan has spoken out against plans to implement an independent regulator as he believes that such an act would harm the Premier League.
West Ham United owner David Sullivan has insisted that English football does not need an independent regulator – and that the implementation of one could lead to the Premier League “ceasing” to be the world’s best division.
The Football Governance Bill was introduced in Parliament on Tuesday after years of work behind the scenes. It’s hoped that the bill will lead to seismic change within the game as well as a reform in how funds are distributed from the top division throughout the football pyramid.
A regulator will play a significant role in said changes and it’s understood one of the first key acts will be the implementation of a new financial deal to ensure clubs outside the Premier League receive a larger slice of cash from those at the top of the game.
The 20 Premier League clubs are currently in a deadlock with the EFL over a new and improved deal worth over £900million across six years. But despite the league’s failure to agree to such terms, Sullivan has hit out at some of the plans laid out in the bill.
Nothing is going to change the competitiveness of the Premier League,” Parry said. “The gap [in terms of wages paid] is just getting bigger and bigger between the Premier League and the rest [of Europe], so the idea that the Premier League is going to be unduly constrained or no longer competitive, I just don’t even see how that argument gets to first base.”
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said of the bill: “Football is nothing without its fans. We are determined to put them back at the heart of the game, and ensure clubs as vital community assets continue to thrive. The new independent regulator of football will set the game on a sustainable footing, strengthening clubs and the entire football pyramid for generations.”
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Speaking to BBC Sport, the Hammers chief said: “The Premier League is the top league in the world. It is a big export – other countries want to buy it off us and we do very well in Europe generally. Anything to water down our income will make us less competitive. We may cease to be the top league so they may ruin an asset that we have.”
Sullivan then went on to add: “You tend to put a regulator in when things are going very badly and something has to be done to sort it out. We have the best football in the world.”
Despite Sullivan’s claims, EFL chair Rick Parry has welcomed the introduction of an independent regulator. And importantly, he believes there is no danger that such a thing would pose any sort of threat to the top-flight.
