Premier League Unveils New Ownership Rules

Following Portsmouth’s collapse into administration last season, the Premier League has introduced a number of new financial regulations aimed at ensuring that prospective club owners can sustain their investments.

The new regulations, which are believed to being already applied to the sale process currently going on at Liverpool, will require prospective Premier League club owners to prove they have funds to bankroll a takeover and sustain the team for one year.

The league board will be entitled to request a direct meeting with any potential buyer and to obtain quarterly information from every club to make sure tax and social security contributions are in order.

The Premier League can also ask for updates straight from the tax authorities.

Commented Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore: ‘The object of the Premier League is to reduce risk to try and prevent the worst happening, but ultimately we cannot eliminate risk entirely because that would involve us interfering almost as shadow directors and running clubs and we are not going to do that.’