Despite being co-hosts for the next Euros, England could be banned from the 2028 tournament, UEFA has warned.
Thousands of football fans are set to descend on stadiums across the UK and Ireland in four years time in the hopes of seeing their country reign victorious - but the Three Lions might end up being unable to play.
Seen as though Euro 2028 will be the first time that England has hosted an international football tournament since the 1996 European Championships, it really would be quite the tragedy.
And it's all because UEFA don't want Sir Keir Starmer supposedly meddling with the beautiful game.
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The governing body of European football said that if the Prime Minister proceeds with plans to introduce a men's football regulator, it could be curtains for the England squad.
The general secretary of UEFA, Theodore Theodoridis, has had a stern word with culture secretary Lisa Nandy in a letter sent earlier this month, which was seen by BBC Sport and The Times, which stated that there should be 'no government interference in the running of football'.
Ministers had suggested setting up an Independent Football Regulator (IFR) which would monitor all clubs competing in England back in March, while Rishi Sunak was still in office.
The government hoped that it would prevent the wealthiest clubs creating another European super league. Since the Conservatives were ousted following July's general election, the Labour party have committed to continuing with the idea.
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Theodoridis made it clear UEFA isn't keen on the proposal though and told Nandy that independence in football is a 'fundamental requirement'.
He warned that if the watchdog was to be established, England would be at risk of being banned from competing for the Euros trophy on British soil in 2028, writing: "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."
The UEFA bigwig slammed the ideas announced in the King's Speech to create a regulator to oversee clubs across England’s top five leagues, which had been endorsed by the Football Association (FA).
If the independent regulator was introduced and the national team were prohibited from taking part in Euro 2028, it would also disrupt the chances of UK clubs competing elsewhere too.
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Brit teams could be suspended from competing in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
However, a UEFA source suggested officials didn't expect the row to go that far.
An insider also told the Times that the letter outlines the potential consequences if 'a line is crossed' by the government, adding: "The letter is clear that Uefa is watching closely, especially in relation to the FA’s role, and is more than prepared to intervene given their concern this may be the thin end of the wedge."
However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) reckons that the introduction of a watchdog would not impact England's participation at the next Euros, which will be hosted across the UK and Ireland.
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As per Sky News, a spokesperson told PA: "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."
Campaign group Fair Game have also voiced their support for the independent regulator being brought in and dismissed UEFA's letter as a 'scare story'.
Chief executive Niall Couper said: "With 58% of the top 92 [clubs in England] technically insolvent, annual losses of £10m 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 have contacted UEFA and the DCMS for further comment.
Topics: Euro 2024, Football, Keir Starmer, Sport, UK News, Politics
Olivia Burke