M

Member

Speaking in the House of Lords on 18 December 2024

Debate

Football Governance Bill [HL]

Contribution

At that stage, they were totally dependent on their owners to bankroll them—in this case, Tony Bloom. A reasonable regulator could then say, “Ah, well, you’re dependent on your owner; what if they change their mind? How sustainable is that?” Or we could have unintended consequences. Matthew Harding, I think we would all agree, was a very reputable owner of Chelsea; he tragically died in a helicopter crash. Chelsea then were in severe financial difficulties. Again, I do not think any of us could have catered for that. Roman Abramovich, until the invasion of Ukraine, was seen as a pretty reputable owner. I do not think anyone could have predicted that, either.

About Hansard

Hansard is the official verbatim record of proceedings in the UK Parliament. Every word spoken in the Commons and Lords is recorded and published — this page is a single contribution from that record.

Partner sites