Labour plans to give stake in clubs to fans

Labour plans to give fans a 25 per cent stake in clubs that are put up for sale if it is re-elected.  Fans would also be given a window to put together their own bids when takeovers occurred.   Legislation would also give the FA a deadline to sort out its governance issues.

Labour plans to give fans a 25 per cent stake in clubs that are put up for sale if it is re-elected.  Fans would also be given a window to put together their own bids when takeovers occurred.   Legislation would also give the FA a deadline to sort out its governance issues.

This is all good populist electioneering, but it also represents a reversion to an emphasis on regulating football that was evident when Tony Blair was first elected in the shape of the Football Task Force.   This policy approach was dropped under pressure from the Premiership and also because it did not fit well with the Government’s own free market stance.

It will be interesting to see if and how the Conservatives respond to these proposals.

Further Reading: Labour’s Football Fascism – Charles Crawford, former British Ambassador turned blogger and policy pundit at Business and Politics .org