UK government responds as England could be banned from next Euros despite it being in country
For once, saying 'football's coming home' is totally valid.
Euro 2028 will be hosted in the UK and Ireland - but England might not be there to play in it.
This comes after the governing body of European football, UEFA, threatened the government's plans to introduce a men's football regulator.
Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy was reportedly sent a letter from UEFA, leaked to The Times, issuing their concerns that an independent regulator would cause too much government interference in sport.
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UEFA general secretary Theodore Theodoridis reportedly wrote that there should be 'no government interference in the running of football'.
He also noted that if a regulator was introduced, it would put England at risk of not being able to compete for the Euros trophy in four years time.
"We have specific rules that guard against [state meddling] in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition," Theodoridis reportedly penned.
However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has now come out and said it thinks that an independent football regulator will not jeopardise England's chances of participating in the next European tournament.
A DCMS spokesperson said: “The Football Governance Bill will establish a new Independent Football Regulator that will put fans back at the heart of the game, and tackle fundamental governance problems to ensure that English football is sustainable for the benefit of the clubs’ communities going forward.
“The previous Conservative government failed to get its Football Governance Bill through Parliament due to the calling of the general election in May, but Labour committed itself to the plan in its manifesto.”
Meanwhile, a statement from the Football Supporters’ Association said that it is 'confident there’s no risk to England’s participation in tournaments'.
“The regulator will be fully independent of the Government as it aims to strengthen financial sustainability, improve supporter engagement and prevent the participation of clubs in a breakaway European Super League,” it said.
“The FA's evidence did not suggest there would be any problem in complying with UEFA or FIFA rules.
“The Football Governance Bill has the FSA's full support and we look forward to working with politicians on all sides of the house as it passes through Parliament.”
Niall Couper - chief executive of campaign group Fair Game - added: "The DCMS have been over this ground a hundred times. This is nothing short of a scare story.
"With 58 percent of the top 92 (clubs in England) technically insolvent, annual losses of £10 million a year in the Championship viewed as 'a success', football is an industry in desperate need of financial reform.
"The Government should not be derailed by such nonsense."
LADbible Group has contacted UEFA and DCMS for comment.
Anish Vij