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15th September 2024
09:50am BST
UEFA have warned England that they could be banned from their own Euros in 2028.
England and the European Championships have become a bit of a notorious pair in recent years with The Three Lions making it to the final in the last two editions while also being the next hosts for the competition.
Last year it was confirmed that England, Northern Ireland, Wales, Scotland and Ireland would all host matches as the 2028 Euros officially became the UK and Ireland edition.
After two heartbreaking final defeats against Italy and Spain at the last two Euros, England will be hoping home advantage will be on their side, however they might not even be allowed to compete.
This comes as the British government want to set up a football watchdog, covering the top five tiers, that is intended to "protect clubs" by "ensuring their financial stability".
However, UEFA, are vehemently opposed to any kind of government interference in football.
UEFA general seceraty, Theodor Theodoridis set a letter to Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy, as reported by BBC Sport, which read: "We do have concerns remaining... as normally football regulation should be managed by the national federation.
"We have specific rules that guard against this 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."
The exclusion of the FA would also ban English clubs from competing in European competitions, but a UEFA source has reassured that it is not expected to reach that stage.
The notion of a football watchdog is not a recent phenomenon, with calls being made for a long time and plans set in place last year following an indicting fan-led review.
This review found that such a body was necessary for the long-term financial stability of the men's professional game after various issues including the shambles that was the European Super League.
The plans, that the new government now intend to follow through with, will oversee a licensing system that ensure clubs are run sustainably, take over a strengthened owners and directors test, and give fans a greater say in key decisions.
However, Theodoridis warned Nandy: "Uefa is concerned about the potential for scope creep within the IFR [independent football regulator].
"While the initial intent of the IFR is to oversee the long-term financial sustainability of clubs and heritage assets, there is always a risk that, once established, the IFR may expand its mandate beyond these areas."
He suggested that the IFR "could undermine the established structures and processes of the sport, and amount to government interference".
He added that the most important part was that the FA remains an independent organisation free of government interference.
"It follows that the criteria defining and evaluating the IFR's independence must be meticulously crafted to avoid potential conflicts with the FA's role. This is necessary to prevent sanctions under UEFA and FIFA statutes," he wrote.
"The IFR's scope must remain focused on the long-term financial sustainability of clubs with a view to ensuring that it does not overstep into areas that might be perceived as external interference in football governance."
Theodoridis even warned Nandy that government's foreign and trade policy objectives when deciding on the suitability of future owners "raise specific concerns".
He asked for further clarification on the matter.
Despite the fearmongering employed by UEFA, it is unlikely that any serious consequences will arise from the Football Governance Bill with David Newton, the FA's head of football operations, suggesting its tightness will help avoid sanction.
