Lisa Nandy explains how new regulator will 'end the misery of so many football fans'

As a Manchester-born Wigan Athletic fan, it is hardly surprising that Lisa Nandy is as plain-speaking a Member of Parliament as you are likely to find. But the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport is also adept at couching strong messages in political, even diplomatic, words.

As the Football Governance Bill became law, Nandy spoke to Mirror Sport about the wide-ranging implications which will be felt throughout the game, including at the very top. The new independent regulator’s remit is extensive but dealing with the impasse between the Premier League and the English Football League (EFL) will feature prominently.

Over a year ago, a proposal that would have seen the Premier League give the EFL £900million over six years was shelved. And the two parties have not even suggested an agreement has been close since then.

“The Premier League and the EFL have not been able to reach an agreement for years now - the regulator will work with them to try to get an agreement,” says Nandy. “The regulator is a backstop.

"The bill incentivises football to come to its own agreement by creating this backstop … which we hope will never need to be used. But if an agreement cannot be reached, the regulator will be able to take a view about what the right financial distribution is and will be able to enforce that.”

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So, reading between the lines of the political parlance, the message to the Premier League is to get it sorted soon or the regulator - almost certain to be former sports media rights specialist David Kogan - will sort it for you. Perhaps that is why the Premier League was, at best, sceptical of the introduction of a regulator and, at worst, downright horrified by the move.

But Nandy insists that while the regulator will, if needed, be able to impose a financial settlement of the Premier League-EFL stand-off, she says the Act will not mean top flight clubs being told what they can and cannot charge fans for tickets. The clubs will, though, be compelled to speak to supporters before making any decisions that significantly affect the fanbase.

Nandy says: “Some clubs are very good at consulting with fans, some are not. There is now protection in law for key club heritage aspects like shirt colours, club badges, stadium moves - a new standard for fan engagement.”

While the passing of the Football Governance Bill might not have gone down well with the Premier League, it has been heartily welcomed by the EFL. And Nandy is keen to stress that the main purpose of the bill is to protect and help ALL clubs in the football pyramid.

She says: “The Premier League is the model of how you lead the world when it comes to football but, beneath that, the foundations of football are incredibly fragile. From grassroots to the National League to the Championship, we’ve got to make sure we protect the foundations of football.

“I was very rude to the EFL when my club’s (Wigan Athletic’s) ownership was transferred to somebody who then put us straight unto administration. But the truth is that the power to intervene at that stage and block it simply did not exist.

"Well, it does now. Finally, the misery of so many football fans is going to end. Up and down the length and breadth of the country, fans have had to deal with the misery of poor ownership, lack of oversight, financial irregularities and football not being able to come together to get its own house in order.

"The time is long overdue for this. We made a promise that we would put fans back at the heart of the game where they belong and I’m delighted we have kept that promise.”

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