Tottenham and Crystal Palace in talks today over issue Steve Parish called 'unprecedented'
Today at 01:00 PM
Tottenham and Crystal Palace – alongside Liverpool – have been named as members of talks taking place today regarding a potentially seismic moment in English football history.
Daniel Levy and Steve Parish, the respective chairman of Spurs and Palace, are among the two most outspoken and respected stakeholders when it comes to matters of Premier League governance.
After the failure of the European Super League plot, when the ‘Big Six’ lost a lot credibility, Parish in particular has been put forward to represent Premier League clubs as a collective at times of crisis.
And in light of recent events, it looks like we could be seeing a lot more of him in the media, with the Premier League straining under the weight of multiple legal and financial issues at once.
Separate from Man City’s trial for 115 alleged financial offences, City have been at least partially successfully in their challenge to the Premier League’s rules on associated party transaction rules.
Tottenham were one of the clubs to give evidence supporting the Premier League at the tribunal, while Crystal Palace were one of around half the clubs in the top flight to remain neutral.
And now, amid the chaos and anarchy that has broken out internally, the Premier League is facing what they perceive to be another threat externally.
And Spurs and Palace have seemingly been chosen as representatives as they attempt damage limitation.
Palace and Spurs at government talks today
The idea of an independent regulator for English football – like Ofcom for TV or Ofgem for the energy sector – has existed for years now.
But after Tottenham and the five other members of the so-called Big Six failed in their attempts to launch the breakaway European Super League, calls for a regulator grew louder.
It was confirmed last year that a bill for an independent regulator was making its way through Parliament, but the general election in May postponed its progress.
Now, the new Labour government reportedly wants to beef up the regulator, giving it additional powers as well as the ability to implement a new financial distribution system and stop breakaway competitions.
The regulator is almost universally opposed among Premier League clubs.
But like it or not, the regulator is coming and Sky News have now reported that Palace, Spurs and Liverpool were present at talks with with culture secretary Lisa Nandy regarding its scope.
The exact nature or content of the talks is not known, but Nandy is also thought to have scheduled meetings with a number of Football League clubs later in the week.
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Tottenham and Crystal Palace’s stance on an independent football regulator
Tottenham have not said anything publicly about the independent regulator, but TBR Football understands that they are against its implementation, as is almost every other top flight side.
Their silence on the subject is not surprising given the additional scrutiny they are under as one of the former Super League conspirators.
Steve Parish, who owns 10 per cent of Palace but has a seemingly outsized influence in the boardroom, has been diplomatic in his language but is also opposed to independent regulation.
Speaking to BBC Newsnight in February 2023, he said: "It's unprecedented. We'll be the only sporting industry to be regulated by Government.
"Of course, there are a lot of fantastic, broad brushstrokes in the press release and I'm sure in the White Paper – but the devil will be in the detail, and I think there's a lot of very intense detail to work out how these things will work.
"The owners' and directors' test was mentioned, for example. Exactly what is it we want to change? Who currently would, or wouldn't, be an owner under these rules?“
