Jeremy Corbyn’s plan for football
Labour wants to give fans more power as leader attacks ‘bad owner’ Mike Ashley
Football fans are to be given more power and influence over the way their clubs are run under new proposals put forward by Jeremy Corbyn.
The opposition leader said that a Labour government would make new laws that allow supporters the right to appoint - and sack - a minimum of two directors to their club’s board, says The Guardian.
And the party would legislate to ensure fans had the option to buy shares in their club when it changed hands.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
“A football club is more than just a club, it is an institution at the heart of our communities,” said Corbyn.
“Clubs are part of the social fabric that binds us together. They are too important to be left in the hands of bad owners who put their business interests ahead of everything else, marginalise supporters and even put the financial security of clubs at risk,” he added.
–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
For more political analysis - and a concise, refreshing and balanced take on the week’s news agenda - try The Week magazine. Get your first six issues free–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
Corbyn, an Arsenal fan, said Labour’s measures would “empower fans” and improve football governance.
He added that a Labour government would ensure that 5% of television income was invested in grassroots football and crack down on exploitative ticket-touting.
And he said that staff at football clubs would benefit from Labour’s plan to introduce a living wage of at least £10 an hour.
Despite Premier League clubs making a combined £4.2bn last year, only four top clubs - Everton, Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham - were found to be accredited by the Living Wage Foundation, says Sky News.
Corbyn said football clubs should be run in the interests of fans, not “bad owners” like Newcastle’s billionaire owner Mike Ashley, reports talkSPORT.
“Sport must be run in the interests of those who participate in it, follow it and love it, not just for the privileged and wealthy few.
“We will ensure that supporters have a say over how their club is run and review how fans can have more of a say about how all of our sporting bodies are run,” he said.
Other proposals from the Labour leader include adding events such as the women’s football World Cup to the list of those that must be broadcast on free-to-air TV.
He also pledged to improve access for disabled fans by taking action to force clubs’ compliance with the 2010 Equality Act.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Today's political cartoons - May 4, 2024
Cartoons Saturday's cartoons - reflections in the pond, riding shotgun, and more
By The Week US Published
-
5 high-caliber cartoons about Kristi Noem shooting her puppy
Cartoons Artists take on the rainbow bridge, a farm upstate, and more
By The Week US Published
-
The Week Unwrapped: Why is the world running low on blood?
Podcast Scientists believe universal donor blood is within reach – plus, the row over an immersive D-Day simulation, and an Ozempic faux pas
By The Week Staff Published
-
Will Aukus pact survive a second Trump presidency?
Today's Big Question US, UK and Australia seek to expand 'game-changer' defence partnership ahead of Republican's possible return to White House
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
It's the economy, Sunak: has 'Rishession' halted Tory fightback?
Today's Big Question PM's pledge to deliver economic growth is 'in tatters' as stagnation and falling living standards threaten Tory election wipeout
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Why your local council may be going bust
The Explainer Across England, local councils are suffering from grave financial problems
By The Week UK Published
-
Rishi Sunak and the right-wing press: heading for divorce?
Talking Point The Telegraph launches 'assault' on PM just as many Tory MPs are contemplating losing their seats
By Keumars Afifi-Sabet, The Week UK Published
-
How would a second Trump presidency affect Britain?
Today's Big Question Re-election of Republican frontrunner could threaten UK security, warns former head of secret service
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Rwanda plan is less a deterrent and more a bluff'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published
-
How the biggest election year in history might play out
The Explainer Votes in world's biggest democracies, as well as its most 'despotic' and 'stressed' countries, face threats of violence and suppression
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'Good democracies include their poorest citizens. The UK excludes them'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By The Week UK Published