Leeds United silent on government action despite previous noise as fan groups issue response — YEP 20/3/24

Few will need no reminding of Leeds United CEO Angus Kinnear's 2021 views on an independent regulator.

By Graham Smyth

The only recorded linking of Elland Road matters and Maoist collective agriculturalism in club history, it quickly went viral and national, as football responded to proposals from a fan-led review. It will have become lost among the headlines but Kinnear was in support of the majority of the review's recommendations, taking serious issue with only the idea of an independent regulator in English football and a transfer levy on Premier League clubs.

He wrote in his programme notes: "The two most significant recommendations are as flawed as they are radical. The first is the demand for independent regulation and the second is an increased transfer levy to redistribute increased funds further down the football pyramid. These proposals have been conflated to address the very separate issues of the demise of Bury, the threat of the European Super League and the takeover of Newcastle United. Football is a private sector business and has flourished that way. Enforcing upon football a philosophy akin to Maoist collective agriculturalism (which students of ‘The Great Leap Forward’ will know culminated in the greatest famine in history) will not make the English game fairer, it will kill the competition which is its very lifeblood.”

April 2023 and the publishing of Leeds United's accounts reiterated the Elland Road view of the proposals. The annual report, which showed an operating loss of £34m, said: "An additional risk has emerged in the form of the Government white paper in response to the fan led review into football. The paper recommends the appointment of an independent regulator, the precise powers of this body remain undefined, but are predicated to materially impact both the club's finances and elements of the way it currently operates."

This week legislation to reform football governance was introduced in Parliament. The bill aims to enshrine in law an independent regulator to 'give fans a greater voice in the running of their clubs,' promote financial sustainability and strengthen owners' and directors' tests.

In the intervening period between April 2023 and this week, Leeds United have been taken over by 49ers Enterprises, whose views on most issues, let alone a regulator, are yet to be made known. Chairman Paraag Marathe, his fellow directors and their investors have kept a relatively low profile and the club line is that when there is something to say, they will say it. Talking has been done on the pitch instead, impressively so it has to be said. The YEP contacted the club for comment but none was made.

However the idea of a regulator sits with those in the Elland Road boardroom, it has been welcomed, cautiously, by a hat-trick of supporters’ groups. Leeds United Supporters Club wants more than is being proposed, however. Chairman John Mann told the YEP: "We welcome the creation of a regulator. However we believe that the bill does not go far enough and should give supporters a right to be consulted on all the decisions on club location, name and identity, and to have a legal veto on such changes. Why should a government appointee decide what a club's badge, home colours or ground location should be? It is the club's loyal fans who clubs need to persuade."

There are similar concerns for Leeds United Supporters Network [LUSN], who represent 12,500 members from 50 independent groups, and want the practise of fan consultation to be given some real teeth. Chairman Clive Miers said: "We cautiously welcome the bill. It is a very small step in the right direction. We are concerned that the concept of fan engagement has been too loosely defined and we can see this being further diluted by the clubs, particularly those like Leeds United who see the move as interference in their business trajectories. There is therefore a need to ensure that the supporters consulted are democratically appointed, representative, and totally independent of the club. Leeds United are ranked 89th out of 92 in respect of fan engagement." That fan engagement ranking was handed out in the 2021/22 season, since which Leeds have installed a Supporters Advisory Board which meets with the club on a monthly basis.

An attempted breakaway by so-called 'Big Six' clubs looking to join a European Super League was met with protest at grounds including Elland Road, and Leeds United made their feelings known by giving players t-shirts that read 'football is for the fans, earn it on the pitch' for their game against Liverpool. Miers' wish is that the regulator will keep those clubs and their commercial ambition in check.

He told the YEP: "It is hoped that the eventual Act will serve to curtail the excessive influence of the so called 'Big Six' in respect of many areas of football to the detriment of the pyramid and supporters. With ownership models changing, spectators being increasingly seen as a source of data, and the ominous spectre of AI [Artificial Intelligence] it is essential that the regulator has sufficient powers to stop this tsunami of commercialisation. Whilst we welcome the appointment of Martyn Henderson as interim chief operating officer, and LUSN have had an excellent working relationship with his previous employer, the Sports Grounds Safety Authority, we have lingering concerns that powerful influences will adulterate the subsequent Act and further legislation may be needed to provide the regulators with the structure and authority to control the vested interests. The Government may of course be playing to the balcony of popularity and there is no real ambition for effective regulation."

Leeds United Supporters Trust were approached for comment by the YEP, but their initial response to the news, on social media platform x, was: "Excellent news and a progressive move to safeguard clubs, heritage and legacy. Well done to all involved."