Petition: Review the Need for a Statutory Owners and Directors Test in Football

Me writing positively about a Wigan Athletic fan initiative. I really hope this is not that new normal people are talking about because I’m not fond of it. But needs must I guess.

I am, in all honesty, getting rather bored of all this ‘poor old Wigan’, ‘oh they were so well run’ coverage going around. I suspect I am not the only one who feels that way given the football worlds continued indifference to the way Bolton Wanderers were run by a certain someone and how the clubs financial woes continue to be all the underlying clubs fault.

I digress. The point of writing this was to throw support behind the petition which has been launched by Wigan fans. You can find the petition by following this link: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331589.

In the last year alone we have had, so far as I am aware/remember; Bolton in administration, Bury kicked out of the league, Southend United not paying wages on time, Macclesfield Town not paying wages on time, Wigan being dumped into administration and most recently threats to Charlton Athletic’s continued existence.

You would think that Bolton and Bury’s plight at the start of the season might have triggered systemic change. Has this happened? Well no. Charlton and Wigan have both changed hands in that time and well, look at them now, not ideal.

Although the last year brings these issues into sharp focus, we do not have to look too far back to see issues in relation to Coventry City and Portsmouth, with the latter becoming an ownership hot potato at one stage. You even get owners approved in this country who do not realise that relegation from the Premier League exists, well done Venkys of Blackburn Rovers, who to their credit do continue to financially back the club.

When you put all these issues, which really only scratch the surface, on one page you realise you have a major issue. Well, most of us realise that but seemingly not our law makers or the EFL. Or maybe they are simply unwilling to look into this properly?

Well that is where a Government petition comes into play. After 10,000 signatures, petitions get a response from the government. After 100,000 signatures, petitions are considered for debate in Parliament. We are already beyond 10,000 signatures, but no one wants to just get some Boris Johnson’s waffle in response. No we need this to reach the big 100,000, get it debated, force a discussion to start within Parliament.

With that in mind, please take two minutes out of your day to sign this petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/331589.