Why English football must do more to safeguard the ownership of our clubs

By Brian McNally

Published 14:50 02/10/09

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In 21st century England everything is for sale to the highest bidder from energy companies, and water suppliers to airports and banks.

When foreign investors can grab control of our key industries it is hardly surprising that our national sport is also an ever increasing target for overseas predators.

Half the clubs in the Premier League are now controlled by foreign owners and with the Government and the football authorities clearly unwilling to intervene that figure will almost certainly increase in years to come.

It is a situation that doesn't seem to unduly worry people such as Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore or a host of other influential figures in the game.

The argument seems to be that foreign investment has helped to expand the Premier League's position as the wealthiest and most popular football competition on the planet.

And, in any case, in a free market economy it would be impossible to prevent overseas investors from snapping up the crown jewels of our national game.

But I fear that unless some restrictions are placed on this unbridled takeover of English football then we are heading for a painful future.

Intriguingly, the most powerful voices against the route English football is taking have come from foreigners.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter and his UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have both been outspoken in their concerns about overseas control of English clubs, while Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has warned that the long-term effects could be "catastrophic."

I am not opposed to foreign ownership per se but we have already seen the weaknesses of the Premier League's "fit and proper persons" test with the ease with which the controversial Thaksin Shinawatra's was allowed to take over Manchester City in 2007.

Shinwatra assets were frozen when he began the process of buying City. He had also been charged with corruption offences and was heavily criticised by Amnesty International and Human Rights for alleged human rights abuses.

The Premier League argued it could not go beyond the law of the land, but it has since tightened up the "fit and proper person" guidelines.

However, with the flimsiest of ownership restrictions and the lure of generous tax advantages and the Sky television cash bonanza, England is still the destination of choice for the international speculators.

Unlike Italy, Spain, France and Germany our top clubs are being sold to overseas tycoons without the buyers being properly vetted or their finances being seriously investigated.

This dereliction of responsibility began when the Glazer family borrowed hundreds of millions of dollars to tranform our biggest club Manchester United from England's most profitable club to the most debt-ridden.

No lessons were learned from that fiasco and so messrs Hicks and Gillett were allowed to plunge Liverpool into a similar mess.

Chelsea fans may be happy with the effect Russian Roman Abramovich's wealth has had on their club, but many supporters at Manchester United and Liverpool are alarmed at the off-the-field direction their clubs have taken under their American owners.

It is time for English football to bring in much stricter regulation and legislation on who can buy a football club.

The Government must also do its bit to protect the game by blocking some of the lucrative tax advantages that are on offer to foreign owners.

And the fit and proper persons test needs to be far more rigidly applied to all owners whether they be foreign or English.

Failure to tackle the problem will leave English football open to further damaging exploitation.

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