The Undercurrent of Supporter Unrest in the Premier League
The 2024-25 Premier League season has been marked by a significant undercurrent of supporter unrest, a phenomenon that has not been seen to this extent since the launch of the European Super League. This season, the focus has shifted to collective fan movements against rising ticket prices, culminating in outright demonstrations at clubs such as Leicester City, Tottenham Hotspur, and Chelsea. The situation has been further exacerbated by the redundancies at Manchester United, initiated by co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, which have sent shockwaves through the club and the broader football community.
The Need for an Independent Regulator
Geoff Walters, a professor in sports business at the University of Liverpool and director of the Centre for Sports Business, has been closely following these developments. He believes that the Manchester United situation highlights the necessity for an independent regulator. "To me, the United example is why there’s been a need for an independent regulator," Walters says. "We’ve got to a point where issues could have been avoided if a regulator had been in place to identify and address them long before they escalated."
Walters has consulted with the EFL and is a proponent of the regulator, a stance informed by his extensive research over two decades. He emphasizes that football clubs are not ordinary businesses but cultural and social assets that need protection. "An independent regulator won’t be a panacea, but it will be a step in the right direction," he argues.
The Business Norms Argument
Despite the growing unrest, some argue that the sport has evolved into a business and must adopt more business norms. Walters, however, feels this argument is flawed. "Thirty years of increasing commercialization have made the finance side more prominent, and we’ve lost a little bit of the essence of what a football club is actually about," he explains. "If this were an ordinary business, many clubs would have gone bust years ago. But football clubs persist because they are different, and an independent regulator protects that essence."
This argument, however, is often used to defend the status quo. Those against the regulator argue that the persistent existence of football clubs is a sign of the industry’s health. Walters counters this by pointing to the regulation crisis within the Premier League itself.
The Regulation Crisis in the Premier League
One of the major issues Walters highlights is the Manchester City Associated Party Transaction case. The club’s legal challenges against the Premier League’s rules, both old and new, underscore the need for an independent body. "You’ve got clubs challenging the Premier League’s own rules, and finding ways to circumvent them," Walters says. "If the Premier League loses these cases, it could be extremely harmful. Even if they win, an independent regulator could provide more watertight rules and greater resistance to such challenges."
The self-regulatory model, where clubs vote on their own rules, is another significant problem. "It’s problematic because clubs vote in their own interests," Walters notes. "Historically, this has worked because the Premier League could always get a majority of 14 votes. However, with new owners coming in, the dynamics are changing, and the Premier League might start to fragment."
The Role of Government and the Super League
An independent regulator would offer more certainty and legal backing, making it much harder to challenge the rules. Walters points out that the Premier League has historically been reactive, bringing in regulations only when faced with potential government intervention. "It’s been political theater around legitimacy," he says. "The government has lacked the will to get involved until the Super League crisis."
The irony, Walters notes, is that the Premier League was happy to lean on political involvement during the Super League incident. "Now, they are resistant to the idea of a regulator," he observes. "There’s a clear delay tactic at play, with arguments rooted in self-interest."
The Competitiveness and Ecosystem of the Premier League
Walters believes that the argument that a regulator would hinder the competitiveness of the Premier League is baseless. "Look at the revenues. The Premier League is way ahead of the second-biggest generator, the Bundesliga," he points out. "The Premier League is the best football league in the world, the biggest brand, and still attracts investment."
However, the fundamental issue is the Premier League’s immense power over the English game and its reluctance to take wider responsibility for that power. "The paradox is that their resistance to interference undermines the ecosystem," Walters argues. "Revenue redistribution is critical to the wider ecosystem, but the Premier League is more focused on who gets the most of the pie."
Moral Ownership and the Future of Football
Walters is also exploring the concept of ‘moral ownership’ in football, recognizing the deep sense of ownership fans feel towards their clubs. "Owners are transitory, but fans are there in perpetuity," he says. "We need to have a wider view than just the interests of those in charge now."
In conclusion, Walters believes that the discussion should move beyond the current arguments and delve deeper into how an independent regulator can protect the cultural and social value of football clubs while ensuring the sport’s long-term sustainability.
