Premier League advert warns against football regulation

The Premier League has warned of the “unintended consequences” of football regulation in an advert taken out on a major politics news website.

A second reading will take place shortly after the Easter break, with preparatory work already under way to ensure the regulator is in place quickly after legislation is passed.

Top-flight clubs are uneasy with the thought of tighter controls, with West Ham co-chairman David Sullivan telling BBC Sport last month anything that had the potential to reduce Premier League revenue risked undermining its status as the world’s most lucrative football competition.

At a time when talks with the English Football League (EFL) over a ‘New Deal’ funding model have stalled as the Premier League looks to change its own financial rules, it has taken out an advert on the politico website, which it hopes will reinforce a message to parliamentarians.

“The Premier League is the world’s most-watched competition, the Championship is Europe’s sixth wealthiest league, and we have the best-attended and deepest pyramid in world football,” the advert says. “Yet the UK will soon become the first major country to regulate football.

“We must guard against unintended consequences that would put English football’s success at risk.”

The Premier League says it is already committed to paying out £1.6bn to the wider game and local communities from 2022 to 2025.

It is hoping to be able to get agreement with member clubs over new financial rules by its annual meeting in June.

This will involve a change from the current profit and sustainability rules, which have been used to sanction Nottingham Forest and Everton this season, to a system more in line with that of UEFA, which is working towards clubs being allowed to spend 70% of their income.

Further talks are likely at Thursday’s Premier League shareholders’ meeting.

As part of the changes, it is possible real-time financial reporting in shadow form could be agreed in the summer.