MPs pass vote of no confidence in Football Association amid lack of reform

MPs have passed a motion of no confidence in the Football Association (FA) following a debate in the House of Commons on Thursday (9 February).

While the motion is largely symbolic, MPs warned it could pave the way for legislation to be brought in to force change.

Sports Minister Tracey Crouch has also said the football governing body could lose up to £40m of public funding if it doesn't modernise.

The motion had been proposed on behalf of the Commons' culture committee chairman Damian Collins MP.

Since 2010, his committee has made repeated recommendations for the FA to give fans and those at the grassroots of the game greater representation, and to dilute the dominance of the Premier League.

It has also called for more diversity in the organisation – the FA having only one female board member – and greater transparency in decision making.

Collins said: "We believe now that legislation is the only way in which this can be delivered. That was the recommendation of the last three chairmen of the FA to the select committee – to say that the FA cannot reform itself, the turkeys won't vote for Christmas, there has to be external pressure and external action through legislation to achieve it.

"What I'm asking in this debate today is that if the government is unsuccessful in getting reform from the FA, that a bill is prepared to be introduced into the next session of parliament after the Queen's speech, to deliver the reform the FA so badly needs."

On 12 December 2016, five former FA executives and chairmen had written an open letter to Collins expressing concern about the inability of the FA to "reform and modernise in a fast-changing world".

FA Chairman Greg Clarke said he would resign should he be unable to convince Crouch of the progress of his planned reforms, which he must outline to the government by April.

In an open letter published on Tuesday, he wrote: "Our governance needs changing. We do need to be more diverse, more open about decision-making and we do need to better represent those playing the game.

"But we are not sitting idly by. The FA has a set of proposals to improve our governance which we will ratify and then take to the minister of sport in order to get her approval. Change won't be easy but I am confident it will happen – and it will be substantial.

"Delivering real change is my responsibility and I firmly believe this is critical for the future of the game. If the government is not supportive of the changes when they are presented in the coming months, I will take personal responsibility for that. I will have failed. I will be accountable for that failure and would in due course step down from my role."