EFL Fit and Proper Owners Process | Vital Football

EFL Fit and Proper Owners Process

Stan_disher

Stan_disher

Vital Squad Member
Good afternoon all, Wigan fan here.

The reason for my post is to make you aware of a petition, started by Wigan fans, to get the EFL Fit and Proper Owners Process debated in parliament with the hope that the EFL will be forced to review, revamp and make it fit for purpose to protect the future of football clubs in England.

For those of you not familiar with Wigan Athletic's current problems, very briefly, Wigan Athletic was sold by one offshore business to a second offshore business during June this year. Within days of acquiring the club, the new owners put it into administration resulting in a 12 point EFL penalty and ultimately relegation from the Championship.

The club was well managed, did not have any outstanding bills, there was no notice or rumour that this was going to happen and currently no sensible explanation why this was done so quickly. However, the new owners had been approved by the EFL.

Subsequently, many people have lost their jobs, charitable projects have ceased, fantastic work within schools and the local area has been adversely affected and the whole community is in a state of shock and devastation. The club is having to sell players to pay wages and bills and even if we survive and win our appeal against the 12 point penalty, it is very likely that our current squad will be decimated.

If this can happen to Wigan Athletic, it can happen to any club.

In recent times we have seen other Football League clubs suffer similar problems, some even go out of business altogether (eg Bury) and each time the EFL states that we must learn lessons......... but nothing ever changes.

Wigan fans feel this is now a watershed moment. Many clubs are likely to experience serious financial problems due to the effects of the Covid 19 crisis. We need a governing body that will look after and protect its members in the best possible way, starting with the Fit and Proper Owners review.

If you feel you would like to support our cause then please follow the link below and sign the petition.

This is not about getting Wigan's 12 point penalty removed, it is about demanding the EFL take responsibility and become accountable for their actions.

Thanks for your time.

https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331589
 
Forgive my ignorance Stan, but who appoints the EFL board? I always assumed it was the member clubs themselves - in which case, it is surely the other clubs you should be petitioning.
I’m always very dubious about self-important MP’s getting involved, as most of them know very little about anything - except their own aggrandisement!
However, I take your point about the short-comings of the EFL board and you have my sympathy with regard as to how your club has been treated.
 
This petition is not about Wigan Athletic, it's about protecting ALL football clubs. The EFL is unregulated. The only way to make change, unfortunately, is through government intervention hence the petition which requires 100,000 signatures before it gets debated in parliament.
 
Stan_disher said:
This petition is not about Wigan Athletic, it's about protecting ALL football clubs. The EFL is unregulated. The only way to make change, unfortunately, is through government intervention hence the petition which requires 100,000 signatures before it gets debated in parliament.
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And then ignored after the 6 MPs in the House 'debate' it.
 
Stan_disher said:
This petition is not about Wigan Athletic, it's about protecting ALL football clubs. The EFL is unregulated. The only way to make change, unfortunately, is through government intervention hence the petition which requires 100,000 signatures before it gets debated in parliament.
Click to expand...

I fully sympathise with your situation and wish you all the best, but I'm sorry to tell you that there won't be any government intervention as FIFA don't allow it (countries who have done it anyway have been banned from FIFA competitions as a result.)

Also, it's a common misconception, but the 100,000 signatures figure only means that it has to be considered for debate. In order to get one there has to be an MP who chooses to take it up, at which point it is debated by a handful of MPs in a secondary chamber. It can only be moved forward to a full debate in the House of Commons with government support. To my knowledge, since the process was first introduced there has never been a change of law made as a result of an online petition.
 
Wigan and its support have my fulI sympathies. Its been shown several times now that 'Fit and Proper' means no such thing, and the EFL is in a dubious position regarding almost everything that they come into contact with.

I believe the MP for Wigan is Lisa Nandy, the shadow Foreign Secretary. Whats she done so far?
 
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FatherKnowsBest said:
Wigan and its support have my fulI sympathies. Its been shown several times now that 'Fit and Proper' means no such thing, and the EFL is in a dubious position regarding almost everything that they come into contact with.

I believe the MP for Wigan is Lisa Nandy, the shadow Foreign Secretary. Whats she done so far?
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She will blame the Tories, or as we now know them tenbobbers :ROFLMAO:
 
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