• Aston Villa, Crystal Palace and West Ham executives among those to openly express opposition
  • Former sports minister Tracey Crouch outlined proposal for regulator last week

All 20 Premier League clubs have called for a meeting this week to outline their opposition to the proposal of an independent regulator for English soccer, according to The Telegraph.

The report says that clubs share several concerns, including a regulator potentially making it more difficult to attract new owners and investors. There is also a fear that the Premier League will be forced to increase its redistribution of funds to the rest of the English soccer pyramid.

A UK government-backed review led by former sports minister Tracey Crouch proposed the introduction of an independent regulator.

In an interview with the BBC last week, Crouch said: “We’ve seen football lurching from crisis to crisis over the past decade and unfortunately we haven’t had the right levels of regulation in place to stop that from happening.”

Crouch believes that an independent regulator would stop plans such as a breakaway European Super League, as well as prevent clubs going out of business and being expelled from the English Football League (EFL) in the manner Bury did in 2019.

Several top executives at Premier League clubs have voiced their criticism of the proposal, including Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow, Crystal Palace chairman Steve Parish, and West Ham vice-chairman Karren Brady.

The reported meeting this week is set to establish the clubs’ collective stance on the review, which makes 47 suggestions and has purportedly been backed by several fan groups. The Telegraph adds that mid-table clubs not regularly competing in European soccer are most opposed to an independent regulator.

Richard Masters, the Premier League’s chief executive, had told the BBC that English soccer’s top flight is “open to an independent regulator”, a stance The Telegraph says has been met with ‘consternation’ by many clubs.

Elsewhere in the Premier League, The Times reports that the top flight plans to look further into partnerships between clubs and cryptocurrency companies.

It comes after Manchester City suspended their deal with 3Key Technologies earlier this month, amid concerns over the company’s legitimacy.

According to The Times, the Premier League has no current regulations for cryptocurrency partnerships, which have grown in popularity recently amid reports of an upcoming ban on betting sponsorships.

The Premier League is also reportedly considering its involvement in a cryptocurrency partnership that would produce non-fungible tokens (NFTs). The Times reports that the league is taking ‘a slow and cautious approach’ on this front.

At least half of the Premier League’s teams currently have deals with a company that promotes cryptocurrencies or tokens.