Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer has been grilled on a new historic Football Governance Bill, which is set to be introduced in the House of Commons today.
The independent football regulator will give fans a greater voice in the running of their beloved football clubs.
The legislation would grant powers to an independent body, not of government or football authority, to oversee clubs in England's top five tiers.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said it is "a historic moment for football fans" and will "make sure their voices are front and centre."
Paul Coyte questioned the new Football Governance Bill
GB News
Discussing the bill on GB News, Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer said the new legislation will "protect fans" and stated that football has been "the heart of the British nation for 200 years", making it a "massive cultural export" for Britain.
Frazer said: "The Premier League is so important, but what we've seen is fans so disappointed when their clubs go into administration and we've seen devastation of communities like Bury and Derby."
Frazer explained that many football clubs are "not financially stable" and so the Football Governance Bill will "make sure that those clubs have the financial stability that they need".
Football commentator Paul Coyte pressed Frazer on the bill and questioned if it is "a good idea" to have fans involved, particularly at board level, and noted that "a lot of the time, heart will rule over head".
Lucy Frazer says the regulator will enable football clubs to become more financially stable
GB News
Frazer agreed, responding: "It's really important to get that right balance, so what we want to see is more fan engagement on really critical things that matter to fans, like badges, like colours, whether the stadium should move.
"We've seen examples of when a stadium move really destroys the local community in the club, so it will be a proportionate approach."
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Frazer continued: "We're not setting out exactly what that fan engagement should look like in a particular club, because it will work differently in different areas. A regulator will have powers to decide and have some discretion to ensure it works on a local club level, club by club."
Eamonn reacted to the proposed bill and Frazer's argument, highlighting that there "are problems in the football industry" such as foreign ownership and point deductions.
Coyte agreed, claiming: "We're probably going to see more and more of this. I think the thing that I find interesting is when we talk about fans again, it seems to be fans that suffer these situations when we get points taken away, and it always seems to come back to the fans, maybe not to the club."
Reaffirming that the bill is "all about the fans", Frazer reassured Coyte: "In terms of financial sustainability, I should make clear what we're doing today is making sure that clubs have good financial plans in place, that our owners are fit and proper, that they don't go into administration, because they're properly looked after."
Paul Coyte argued that fans 'may suffer' as a result of the new regulator
GB News
Frazer continued: "What the regulator will not do is get involved in the game. That's for the football authorities, that's for the clubs. So the legislation is very tightly defined to make sure that what we do is make sure that these clubs don't go into administration.
"Since the Premier League was formed in 1992, we've seen 64 administrations. That destroys the fan base, it destroys communities. And that is what this bill is all about."
