English football needs better regulation. When people who are anything but fit and proper are allowed to take control of football clubs, it shows the current system is dysfunctional and not working. The price can be high: clubs like Bury with over 100 years of history cease to be.
Highly leveraged takeovers which shouldn’t be allowed load debt onto clubs like Manchester United, with the fans paying off or servicing those debts. Owners act in their own interests and against those who have supported their clubs all their lives. Clubs signed up to a proposed European Super League without bothering to communicate with their fans, staff, players and managers. That would have destroyed the concept of sporting merit and open competition. It was a cynical power grab. There was a significant backlash and the plans were dropped, but it must not happen again.
The UK government is planning a fan-led review into football which could lead to lasting change to an array of important concerns including co-ordinated strategies to deal with racism, supporters’ representation within clubs, ticket costs, kick-off times and the distribution of income and other important issues.
This is all encouraging, especially for fans who have not had their voices heard sufficiently. Past government interventions have been limited, but football needs an independent referee to safeguard the game impartially.
The appointment of a regulatory body to represent the interests of fans, to protect against bad practices, adjudicate as the overarching body on matters involving the English Football Association, Premier League and English Football League would prioritise the wider good of the game rather than the self-interests of a few.
Water companies, energy companies and the media all have an independent regulator. Football should have one too.
Tracey Crouch, Member of Parliament and former sports minister, will oversee the fan-led review. I hope she will recommend the appointment of a regulator with significant powers.
The Premier League recognises the need for stronger regulation, but the league's chief executive Richard Masters said last week that he didn't think football needed an independent regulator. A group of former England players including Gary Neville, Rio Ferdinand, Jamie Carragher, Micah Richards and Jamie Redknapp are behind a petition calling for one, which needs 100,000 signatures from UK citizens before it is heard.
Andy Mitten is The National's European football correspondent, the author of several books and editor of the United We Stand fanzine
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The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Veil (Object Lessons)
Rafia Zakaria
Bloomsbury Academic
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
What is the FNC?
The Federal National Council is one of five federal authorities established by the UAE constitution. It held its first session on December 2, 1972, a year to the day after Federation.
It has 40 members, eight of whom are women. The members represent the UAE population through each of the emirates. Abu Dhabi and Dubai have eight members each, Sharjah and Ras al Khaimah six, and Ajman, Fujairah and Umm Al Quwain have four.
They bring Emirati issues to the council for debate and put those concerns to ministers summoned for questioning.
The FNC’s main functions include passing, amending or rejecting federal draft laws, discussing international treaties and agreements, and offering recommendations on general subjects raised during sessions.
Federal draft laws must first pass through the FNC for recommendations when members can amend the laws to suit the needs of citizens. The draft laws are then forwarded to the Cabinet for consideration and approval.
Since 2006, half of the members have been elected by UAE citizens to serve four-year terms and the other half are appointed by the Ruler’s Courts of the seven emirates.
In the 2015 elections, 78 of the 252 candidates were women. Women also represented 48 per cent of all voters and 67 per cent of the voters were under the age of 40.
