We’re getting a regulator. Not just me; everyone. Every football fan is getting regulated. Well, not so much for us fans (though certain fans, of certain clubs, could indeed do with more than a little ‘regulation’; you know who you are) but the new regulator, for all of English football, is to be appointed following a ‘fan-led’ review of the (once) beautiful game (until the money ruined it). And by a ‘fan-led review’, I don’t just mean that they were singing ‘one regulator, we need one regulator; one regulaaaaaa-tor, we need just one regul..’ all the time, but that the points raised in the review were done so by the fans. Not the players, not the managers, certainly not by the owners or boards who I would barely trust with a dirty nappy, let alone the national game, but ‘us’ fans. Because when you think about it, we ARE the clubs. Everyone else is subject to a revolving door of different periods of revolution. Players come and go, managers certainly come and go, particularly at Spurs and owners, if left to their own devices, will sell anything for a fast buck, including, as recent events have shown, their own league.

The review was conducted under the leadership of Tracey Crouch (no relation), an MP. And she decided that the Premier League clubs must be answerable to a regulator. And although there is a big noise coming from all the owners about their clubs paying a ‘transfer tax’ to support lower league football, and other restrictions, which will be argued by the immense teams of lawyers at these clubs’ disposal, Tracey can trump them all. Because she can get it sorted through parliament. In which respect, this humble MP for Chatham and Aylesford carries more clout than all those mercenary billionaires combined. And part of this regulation will see a ‘test of integrity’ by anyone or any state (as happened at Newcastle, at Manchester City in real terms) trying to buy a football club.

I’m hoping this might be applicable retrospectively. The integrity of current owners too. In which case, we might have a Black Friday sale of Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, Tottenham, Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton. West Ham might pass some vague ‘integrity’ criteria but would fail on morality grounds due the pornographic history of one of their owners.

So well done Tracey. Something has to change, FFS.

Happy Thursday

A xxxx