'Historic moment for football fans' - New English football regulator to be announced that will vet prospective owners and block breakaway leagues

Upon passing the bill, the legislation will appoint an independent football regulator to oversee the activities of the clubs across the top five leagues in England. Following a fan-led review in 2022, the UK government decided to appoint a regulator.

Speaking on appointing an independent regulator, UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said: "It is a historic moment for football fans. It will make sure their voices are front and centre. Football has long been one of our greatest sources of national pride. But for too long some clubs have been abused by unscrupulous owners who get away with financial mismanagement, which at worst can lead to complete collapse - as we saw in the upsetting cases of Bury and Macclesfield Town."

The English Football League's chairperson Rick Parry claimed that the regulator will be able to fix football's broken financial model and bring stability. He said: "If delivered on the right terms, this landmark legislation can help fix the game's broken financial model by offering the independent input ultimately needed to help ensure that all clubs can survive and thrive in a fair and competitive environment."

A statement from the Premier League read: "With our clubs, we have advocated for a proportionate regime that enables us to build on our position as the most widely watched league in the world. Mindful that the future growth of the Premier League is not guaranteed, we remain concerned about any unintended consequences of legislation that could weaken the competitiveness and appeal of English football. The Premier League remains fully committed to delivering its world-leading funding to the wider game, through £1.6bn distributed to all levels of football across the current three-year term."

Once a regulator is appointed, new club owners and officials will be kept under check to prevent the possibility of putting clubs out of business. A new licensing system for all clubs across England could be imposed. Under the new license rule, clubs would have to consult fans on important off-the-pitch decisions like club heritage and important strategic decisions.

The appointment of a regulator will also prevent Premier League clubs from joining the breakaway European Super League, despite the new league getting a favourable judgement from the European Court of Justice last year.