We need a fit and proper Owners’ and Directors’ Test

The  Owners’ and Directors’ Test of the English Football League (EFL) does not keep unsuitable owners out of the game. The test did not prevent Bury from being ruined by its owners and being thrown out of the League. As a Guardian article commentated at the time, “it shows that there is no protection in this world for the social and cultural capital that football clubs exemplify, for the regulatory systems designed to protect them are broken.”

Now Wigan have been relegated, after 12 points were deducted when the club was put into administration. The new owner put it into administration just weeks after taking over the club. Their fans have launched a petition asking the government to review the need for a statutory owners and Directors test to ensure it is fit for purpose and protects clubs in the future.

The Government will respond to any petition that receives more than 10,000 signatures and Wigan’s petition already has more than that. If a petition gets more than 100,000 signatures, it will be debated in Parliament; Wigan fans need some help in reaching that number. What happened to Bury and to Wigan could happen to other clubs too. Birmingham City fans should understand that. One of our previous owners was convicted of money laundering and ended up in prison. Blues Trust is keen to see this issue debated in Parliament, it is a step towards better protection for football fans from unscrupulous owners.

So click here to view the petition and consider signing it.

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7 Comments

  1. Sausage n Egg

    We all know who’s to blame for most of the rubbish coming out of the club…. The one who sacked everybody who knew more than him … Genius! The one who ignored warnings and got us points deducted….even if the owners did pass fit and proper you can’t legislate for putting a Dick in charge. Step forward and Take a bow Ren Dong.

  2. Paul Oakley

    If they had done a test on Carson Yeung, when he bought the club, he would have passed.

  3. R Smith

    Makes no difference to us, we are stuck with this lot.

  4. Wallyb

    I wouldn’t care if a troupe of chimpanzees owned our club if they got us promoted to the Premier League!

  5. John flavel

    Stuff Wigan I’m sorry but but no one came to our aid when we will having problems we still having problems now but no one is helping us so why should we care about what’s happening at Wigan. Shame for their fans but their Club it’s tough. And there was one of the first lot to be laughing at us when we got a 9 points deduction the same as all the other clubs all laughing out thinking it was great that we get points deducted. So I don’t care what happens to Wigan.

    • Margaret

      When we play another team, I agree that I want Blues to win and the other team to lose. But there are some areas where fans of different clubs could combine to have more of an effect than just one club campaigning. Getting reform of the EFL and who checks on owners is one of those areas. A few thousand fans from one club cannot get that debated in Parliament but 100,000 fans from many clubs could

  6. WayCoolBlue

    I only really care about what happens with Birmingham I don’t care about any other clubs. The fit and proper person’s test is not fit for purpose. And neither is the EFL.

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