2024-09-15 13:19:15
UEFA has warned the UK government that England risk missing out on co-hosting Euro 2028 if Prime Minister Keir Starmer goes ahead with plans to set up a regulator in men’s football, British media reported.
In a letter to Culture Minister Lisa Nandy, obtained by The Times and the BBC, UEFA general secretary Theodor Theodoridis said there should be no “government interference in the running of football”.
According to the letter, Theodoridis warned against plans outlined in the King’s speech to give the new regulator the power to oversee clubs in England’s top five leagues, saying the independence of the game was a “fundamental requirement”.
“One particular area of concern stems from one of UEFA’s core requirements, which is that there should be no government interference in the running of football,” UEFA’s general secretary.
“We have specific rules to prevent this in order to ensure the autonomy of the sport and the integrity of the sporting competition, the sanction for which will be the expulsion of the federation from UEFA and the teams from all tournaments,” the letter added.
The previous government announced plans to appoint a regulator last year, saying it was necessary to protect clubs from financial mismanagement and stop attempts by wealthy teams to join newly formed tournaments.
UEFA did not respond to a Reuters request for comment.
England, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Scotland and Wales are joint hosts of the European Football Championship in 2028, BTA reports.