England and English football teams could be removed from UEFA competitions if a new regulator is considered to be “government interference” in the sport.
In a letter sent by UEFA to the UK’s culture secretary, Lisa Nandy, European football’s governing body raised concerns about a proposed independent football regulator (IFR) in English football. The regulatory body will ensure the financial sustainability of clubs and stop teams from joining breakaway competitions like the European Super League.
UEFA regulations state there should be no government interference in the running of football.
“We have specific rules that guard against this in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition,” UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis wrote in his letter, which has been seen by The Associated Press.
England, who have finished as runners-up in the last two European Championships, is co-hosting the 2028 edition of the tournament.
If UEFA imposed its ultimate sanction of excluding the English Football Association, the England team would be barred from competing in the Euros. It could also mean Premier League clubs being barred from the Champions League and other competitions.
The UK government’s Football Governance Bill would give an independent regulator powers to safeguard the future of clubs. It includes strengthened tests over who can run or own clubs.
In the letter, UEFA said: “Normally football regulation should be managed by the national federation.”
It said it was concerned by what it described as “scope creep” by a regulator into areas beyond “the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets.”
UEFA said if all countries established regulators with wide-reaching powers it would hinder its ability to maintain effective governance across Europe. It wants England’s regulator to be “strictly limited” to the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets.
A UK government spokesperson said: “The Football Governance Bill will establish a new Independent Football Regulator that will put fans back at the heart of the game, and tackle fundamental governance problems to ensure that English football is sustainable for the benefit of the clubs’ communities going forward.”
