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UEFA has warned England that they could miss the next European Championships hosted in their own country if Prime Minister Sir Kier Starmer pushes ahead with plans for a men’s football regulator.
The Labour leader has outlined plans to introduce an Independent Football Regulator for the professional men’s game, which could impact the nation’s plans to host Euro 2028 alongside the Republic of Ireland.
As per reports from The Times, a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy from Theodore Theodoridis states that there should be ‘no government interference in the running of football’.
Theodoridis, general secretary of UEFA, warned against the plans to allow the regulator to oversee clubs in England’s top five leagues.
The letter from Theodoridis also reveals that UEFA believe a ‘proposed licensing system’ could be problematic as it could inspire other countries to set up their own regulators – therefore making the sport hard to govern.
“We have specific rules,” Theodoridis said. “That guard against [state meddling] in order to guarantee the autonomy of sport and fairness of sporting competition; the ultimate sanction for which would be excluding the federation from UEFA and teams from competition.”
If England were to be excluded from the European Championships, clubs in the country could also miss out on the Champions League and other UEFA competitions.
England’s future in the European Championships could also alter their plans to feature in future World Cups, with UEFA in charge of the qualifiers for European teams.