FA and PL voice differing stances

Bodies discuss game's growing debt and foreign ownership

Last updated: 7th October 2008

FA and PL voice differing stances

Triesman

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The Football Association and Premier League have expressed differing views over the debate of the game's growing debt and foreign ownership.

Speaking at the Leaders in Football conference at Stamford Bridge, FA chairman Lord Triesman revealed English clubs currently owe an estimated £3billion.

Triesman said this posed a 'terrible danger' in the current global climate, while he addressed the issue raised by Fifa president Sepp Blatter that it is 'easy' to buy a football club.

"Transparency lies in an unmarked grave," Triesman said. "We now have a position where it is very hard to track things.

"It is not transparent enough and we don't know if we are able to track it, if the debt is held by people who are financially secure or not. More and more clubs are in trouble, with a number of owners leaving abruptly.

Disregard

"It is certainly true that fans are apprehensive if their club is touted around in the market place. You can't have a complete disregard for people's passion for their club."

Without mentioning any club by name, Triesman said the Premier League's fit and proper persons test needed an urgent review.

"If there is a prima facie case of someone's human rights record being regarded internationally as being very serious, it's reasonable to question whether that person should be running a football club," he continued.

"Nobody has real confidence in what they cannot see. The fit and proper persons test does not do the job sufficiently robustly.

"A review is now inevitable because football clubs are not mere commodities. They are the abiding passion of their supporters. We forget that at our peril."

Speaking later at the same conference, Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore said: "The FA themselves know about all these things because they are one of the most indebted organisations in the world.

Heavily regulated

"Our clubs are all heavily regulated but they've also got directors and owners who will assess the level of risk of their overall debt.

"This is at the top of clubs' agendas and I think they are managing it responsibly."

On the Premier League's approach to individual ownership of clubs he added: "We are a good example of a self-regulatory progressive organisation.

"The fit and proper person test may perhaps not have the correct name but it is not inadequate.

"There are people who are not owners of our clubs precisely because of the test."