UEFA warns UK government of European ban following plans to establish watchdog

Uefa has issued England a warning that they could face a ban at Euro 2028 if the government goes ahead with its plans to establish a national men’s football watchdog.

In response to the government’s plans, UEFA wrote a letter to culture secretary Lisa Nandy, in which they stated that there should be ‘no government interference in the running of football’.

Not only would England be banned from taking part in Euro 2028, English clubs would also be prohibited from taking part in European competitions, such as the Champions League.

Speaking to the PA news agency, 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.”

Ex-FA chairman David Bernstein expressed his exasperation at UEFA’s threats, deeming them ‘desperate’ and berating them for attempting to block a ‘progressive’ implementation.

In an interview featured on Sky News, “Government interference of various forms is nothing new, but this is now being raised as some sort of bogeyman to try and scare us away from this very important reform.

“I spoke, to parliamentarians last week about this and emphasised that if anything, I think this potential bill that coming forward needs to be strengthened. I thought the previous bill on the Conservative Party was not strong enough in this area of finance, because finance is absolutely key.”

Fair Game chief executive Niall Couper added: "The DCMS have been over this ground a hundred times. This is nothing short of a scare story. With 58 per cent 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."