The All Party Football Group has called for a reform of the ‘fit and proper persons’ test for owning a football club. The MPs said that a prospective buyer should have their debt leveraging plans assessed to judge whether they would be suitable. They also want the test to consider the practice of directors lending clubs money for short-term gains.
The All Party Football Group has called for a reform of the ‘fit and proper persons’ test for owning a football club. The MPs said that a prospective buyer should have their debt leveraging plans assessed to judge whether they would be suitable. They also want the test to consider the practice of directors lending clubs money for short-term gains. In a statement Supporters Direct said that they particularly welcomed this recommendation, ‘having seen so many cases where owners of clubs were in no way suitable to own a community asset like a football club.’ The report also called for greater and more formal supporter representation at football clubs, using the model of supporters’ trusts. The report also recommended that supporters should be given more representation within the game’s governing bodies, including the FA Board.