March 30, 201016 yr Labour's latest election gimmick: Give football clubs back to the fans By DAILY MAIL REPORTER Last updated at 10:45 PM on 29th March 2010 Comments (30) Add to My Stories Manchester United supporters show their opposition to American club owners, the Glazer family Labour is considering giving football fans first refusal on the purchase of shares in their clubs when they are put up for sale. Clubs could even be required to hand over stakes of up to 25 per cent to supporters' groups, the Guardian claimed. The move is apparently set to be included in Labour's general election manifesto as part of an attempt to increase the influence of supporters in football clubs. It comes amid increasing concern about the degree of foreign ownership of teams and the perceived low levels of commitment from shareholders with little affinity with the clubs. The Guardian reported that Number 10 was involved in the plans, which include introducing a window during which fans would have time to gather the support and resources for a takeover of clubs that were put up for sale. The Government is also said to be looking at an overhaul of the governance of football in order to deal with issues such as youth development. Other plans include giving the football authorities a deadline to reform the FA and remove 'vested interests' from the board and streamline decision-making. More... Lord Two Jags? John Prescott 'under pressure from wife Pauline' to become a peer New Saatchi poster aims to 'tear lumps out of Brown' Labour also wants to give the FA additional oversight of club takeovers. The plans are likely to prove unpopular with the Premier League, which has championed its free-market model in recent years, but Gordon Brown will insist the proposals will benefit the game. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1261466/Labours-latest-election-gimmick-Give-football-clubs-fans.html#ixzz0jcZ8kvl6
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