Government bill amendment could see Newcastle United owners forced to sell and the reality | OneFootball

You may have read about how the Newcastle United owners ‘could’ be forced to sell the club.

This story has come about due to an amendment put forward to change the Football Governance Bill.

The Football Governance Bill was reintroduced by the Government in October 2024.

The bill will see a new Independent Football Regulator introduced, with certain powers to try and influence and improve the current situation in football in this country.

As with all Government bills, they go through numerous stages of scrutiny that usually take months and months, before becoming law.

Countless amendments are always put forward to any major bill, when the bill is being scrutinised in the House of Commons and the House of Lords.

The amendment that has made headlines regarding the Newcastle United owners and Manchester City owners, has been proposed by a peer, Lord Bassam of Brighton, this is at the committee stage in the House of Lords.

If his amendment was included, it would change the legislation to state:

“No state-controlled club may be granted an operating licence, and any affected club must satisfy the IFR [independent football regulator] that they have divested themselves of their state control before applying for an operating licence.”

So obviously it doesn’t name Manchester City and/or Newcastle United but clearly this is who it is aimed at.

What then is the reality, the truth of this story, behind the ‘shock’ headlines?

Well, it is true that this amendment has been put forward by a peer in the House of Lords, as described.

However… it is worth pointing out the small fact that this is just one of 373 (THREE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE) amendments that have been put forward (see HERE) and that is just at this House of Lords committee stage.

The fact is that all kinds of suggested amendments are put forward, many minor, some major.

Of those, the overwhelming majority that do end up becoming part of the very final bill are simply improving the wording.

Unsurprisingly, not many amendments make it into the final version that significantly alter the major elements of any bill.

In this case, such as putting something in which would force the Newcastle United owners and Manchester City owners to sell their respective clubs.

When the headlines say this ‘could’ happen, it is a bit like saying that a massive asteroid ‘could’ hit the Earth and none of us would then have any worries abut the Football Governance Bill, or indeed anything else!

There is less than no chance of this happening, this amendment to become law that would force the Newcastle United owners to sell the club.

The original proposed Football Governance Bill under the last Government made this clear and the same now with this new Government and their plans/intentions.

Our old friend and Football Finance expert Kieran Maguire, has made this clear when speaking to Sky:

“The bill will not address state ownership.

“It very much makes it clear the government doesn’t want to get involved in moral or ethical decisions.”

Naturally, these kind of nonsense stories, regarding something that has no chance of happening, simply give those who want to, another chance to have a go at Newcastle United and/or Manchester City.