Yahoo Finance The future of football: Our five-point manifesto for change after European Super League shambles
In the wake of the Super League collapsing before it even got off the ground, football now has the chance to change more about the game.
The Premier League’s ‘Big Six’ came close to tearing the game apart and now action must be taken to ensure it cannot happen again.
So here is Standard Sport’s five-point manifesto for the future of football...
Complete a fan-led review
This was due to take place after the pandemic, but culture secretary Oliver Dowden has vowed it will now be brought forward.
It needs to happen swiftly as the past 72 hours have shown how supporters’ interests are being ignored and overlooked, particularly with ticket prices.
Bring in a 50+1 ownership model
This ownership structure was a key reason why no German clubs signed up to the Super League. It ensures supporters have a 51 per cent stake in their clubs and a majority of their own voting rights.
Private investors cannot take over clubs and potentially push through measures that prioritise profit over the wishes of supporters.
Create an independent regulator
This was part of Gary Neville’s now famous, impassioned speech on Sky on Sunday night. The former Manchester United defender, however, has been calling for it for over a year now.
An independent regulator would provide checks and balances to ensure events like the past 72 hours cannot happen.
Scrap the new Champions League reforms
Amid the furore of the Super League, the new Champions League format has been missed. It, however, panders to the elite clubs.
The tournament is now 36 teams instead of 32, but two of the additional four slots will be allocated on the basis of past performance to the clubs with the highest Uefa co-efficient, who did not qualify for the Champions League automatically but did qualify for another European competition.
Governing bodies to replicate swift action in fighting racism
The speed with which the Super League was condemned was impressive but, as has rightly been pointed out, it needs to be seen elsewhere.
Racism has been plaguing the sport for decades and still hasn’t been stamped out.
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