Premier League clubs to receive £106m bill to fund new football regulator – after Richard Masters warned regulations could ‘undermine the global success of England’s elite’
- The government recommends clubs pay at least 80 percent of their operational costs
- The remaining 20 percent of the costs will be covered by the EFL and National League.
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Premier League clubs face a bill of at least £106million to fund the first 10 years of the new independent regulator in the form of a mandatory government levy.
Mail Sport has learned that the Government has recommended that top-flight clubs pay at least 80 per cent of the regulator’s operational costs, which officials expect to rise to £132.8 million in its first decade.
In addition, the Premier League will be forced to repay the vast majority of the regulator’s start-up expenses, which will initially be funded by the government, costing it millions more.
Guidance prepared by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport seen by Mail Sport indicates that “these recovery costs, once determined, would therefore be added to the levy”, with the government also specifying that “we would expect that At least 80 percent of the levy will be covered by Premier League clubs.
The remaining 20 per cent, around £2.6m a year, will be split proportionally between the 72 EFL clubs and the 24 National League clubs, with smaller clubs paying the least. The Premier League is yet to discuss how its £10.6 million annual bill will be split, which could lead to more infighting between top-flight clubs.
Premier League clubs will have to pay mandatory government tax to fund new football regulator
Richard Masters has expressed his misgivings about regulating the elite.
The Premier League remains fiercely and openly opposed to the independent regulator and being faced with additional costs of more than £100 million is likely to add to its frustration.
The impending second reading of the Football Governance Bill has also heightened tensions with the EFL, with the Premier League opting to suspend discussions over increased funding for the lower divisions.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters warned earlier this week that the regulator could harm the Premier League’s global success and help rivals such as La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A.
“There is a risk that the regulations will undermine the global success of the Premier League, thereby hurting the goose that lays the golden eggs of English football,” Masters wrote in the Times.
Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer spoke in Leyton Orient after announcing the new Football Governance Bill last month.
“It’s a risk to regulate an industry that has worked so hard to dominate the world, especially when none of its competitors are subject to the same regulation. These competitors are delighted that the Premier League is particularly limited.
“Empires rise and fall – and while I am confident about the immediate future of the league, it would be a mistake to rest on our laurels about our place as the most popular league in the world.”
