Ministers are set to begin the search for the inaugural president of football’s new watchdog, even as it faces growing signs of opposition to its creation from the Premier League.
Sky News understands that the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) will launch the appointment process for the position at the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) later this week.
The chairman, who is expected to receive a six-figure salary, will be responsible for overseeing a landmark period in English football.
The regulator will have three main objectives, including promoting the financial sustainability of clubs and the financial resilience of English football as a whole.
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It will also be responsible for safeguarding the clubs’ heritage, including their emblems and traditional playing colors.
The IFR will have the power to prevent clubs from participating in breakaway competitions, inspired by the alleged efforts of the six big English football clubs to join a European Super League.
Its creation through primary legislation comes amid an ongoing impasse between the Premier League and the English Football League over future financial distributions.
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Gordon Brown, the former prime minister, is among the names mentioned as potential presidents of the IFR.
Last week, Richard Masters, chief executive of the Premier League, warned in an article for The Times that more intrusive regulation could “undermine the global success of the Premier League, thereby hurting the golden goose of English football”.
A DCMS spokesperson declined to comment Thursday morning.
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