6 months ago
122 The owners of Man United, Liverpool and rest of the so-called Big Six will welcome Rishi Sunak’s decision to call a general election.
The prime minister, who is obliged to schedule an election before January 2023, has been under pressure to announce a specific date for months.
And The Guardian are among a number of outlets now reporting that Sunak will, in a surprise move today, announce that a general election will be held on 4 July.
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Why United and Liverpool will welcome general election announcement
A general election will mean that MPs will turn their attention to campaigning, while Parliamentary activity will stop altogether 25 days ahead of polling day itself.
What’s more, if a new government is elected, as most polls show it will be, Parliament’s legislative agenda and priorities will change entirely.
This will be celebrated by figures in the boardrooms at Liverpool and Man United as it means that the introduction of an independent regulator for English football will likely be delayed.
As reported by The i and many others, Premier League clubs are universally opposed to independent regulation – and none are more so than English football’s two biggest sides.
United and Liverpool were the driving forces behind the Super League and Project Big Picture plots, which were directly cited as reasons for the development of the regulator.
And while both have publicly distanced themselves from the Super League plot, an independent regulator would curtail their ability to launch similar restructurings on a domestic basis in the future.
While the exact scope of the regulator has not been finalised, it is expected to block owners from moving their clubs’ locations, playing competitive matches abroad, changing club colours and so on, as well as introduce a number of measures to ensure financial sustainability and suitable ownership.
In short, the regulator will have a material impact on how the owners are allowed to run their clubs, with more restrictive parameters likely to decrease the franchise value of United and Liverpool.
The longer the regulator is delayed, the better it is for Liverpool’s John Henry and Fenway Sports Group, as well as the Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Glazer family regime at Old Trafford.
Analysis: When will the independent regulator be implemented?
Both the Conservatives and Labour are committed to the regulator, so it is a question of when not if.
The bill has already started making its way through Westminster’s legislative process, and some forecasted that it could be introduced as soon as the summer.
That is now an impossibility. And there is no way of knowing exactly how much of a priority the bill could be for a potential new Labour government, who will likely have what they perceive to be more pressing issues to address, at least in their initial period in office.
Either party will want to continue to sound their support for the regulator, however. Polling indicates that it is a clear vote-winner and will be relatively low-cost for the government.
