This FAQ contains answers to questions that Trust members have asked about the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). We will update it as more questions come in.

Question: What is the Independent Football Regulator (IFR)?

The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is a new body set up by the Football Governance Act 2025 to make sure that English football is run in a fair, transparent and sustainable way.

Its main role is to protect clubs, supporters and the wider game from poor governance or financial mismanagement. Unlike the football authorities, which focus mainly on sporting matters, the IFR has a legal duty to put the long-term health of clubs and the interests of fans at the centre of its decisions.

The IFR’s responsibilities include:

  • Licensing clubs – every professional club in the top five tiers of English football will need a licence to operate, and the IFR will set and enforce the conditions for that licence.
  • Financial oversight – ensuring that clubs are run sustainably and are not put at risk by reckless spending or hidden debts.
  • Ownership and governance checks – reviewing whether owners and directors are “fit and proper” to run a football club, and monitoring how clubs are governed.
  • Protecting heritage and fans’ voice – safeguarding important elements of a club’s identity (such as name, colours, or home ground) and requiring proper consultation with supporters on major decisions.
  • Strengthening the pyramid – making sure the financial flow within the game supports lower-league and grassroots football, not just the elite.

In short, the IFR is designed to act as an independent watchdog for football, with the power to step in when clubs are being run in ways that put their future—or the interests of their supporters—at risk.

Question: Can the IFR force an existing (“incumbent”) football club owner to sell?

Yes, but only in certain circumstances. Under the Act (§34), the regulator can assess whether an incumbent owner meets the “ownership fitness criteria” if credible concerns arise. These criteria are:

  • Honesty and integrity
  • Financial soundness
  • Competence (if they also hold an executive role at the club)

If the IFR finds the owner fails these standards, it has an escalating set of powers to:

  • Disqualify them from owning a club (§38)
  • Issue a direction to cease ownership (§39)
  • In extreme cases, the regulator can issue a removal order and appoint trustees to sell the club (§43)

The government has confirmed these powers. Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Lisa Nandy told BBC Breakfast (6 Aug 2025):

“The legislation… allows the regulator in very extreme cases… to force the owners to sell rather than the club collapsing.”

Question: Is property law a roadblock to removing an incumbent owner?

That’s a really good and quite tricky question and deserves a full answer.

Here’s the legal context and how it would likely work:

1. Property rights and ownership

  • English law gives very strong protection to property rights under both common law and the Human Rights Act 1998 (Article 1, Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights – A1P1).
  • That means the state can’t normally deprive someone of property without a clear legal basis, a legitimate public interest, and fair compensation.

So at first glance, stripping someone of club ownership looks like an interference with property rights.

2. Why the regulator’s power is lawful

The Football Governance Act 2025 (the legislation setting up the IFR) is what gives the regulator this power. Parliament can lawfully create statutory powers that override normal contractual or corporate autonomy, provided they meet the A1P1 requirements:

  • Legal basis – the Act spells out when and how an owner can be deemed “unsuitable.”
  • Legitimate aim – protecting football’s sustainability and integrity is recognised as a public interest objective.
  • Proportionality – the regulator isn’t expropriating the club without compensation; trustees would sell it and the proceeds (minus costs) go back to the original owner.

So legally, it’s not a confiscation but a forced sale — a form of regulated dispossession comparable to compulsory purchase in planning law.

3. How the process is balanced

  • The IFR doesn’t simply seize the club. It appoints independent trustees to run and sell it.
  • The owner retains a right to the sale proceeds, meaning they don’t lose all economic value.
  • The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) provides an independent judicial mechanism to review the regulator’s decisions, ensuring due process and proportionality.

4. Analogies in law

  • Compulsory purchase orders (CPOs)
  • Insolvency practitioners taking over companies
  • Financial Conduct Authority powers over directors

In summary, a ruling to strip ownership from an unsuitable football club owner does interfere with property rights, but it is framed in law as a proportionate, public-interest intervention.

Question: Wealthy owners often have expensive lawyers. What protections are there for the IFR so they aren’t buried in counter lawsuits?

Appeals against the rulings of the regulator will be heard before the Competition Appeals Tribunal (CAT). Appeals can only be made on points of law or the scale of any penalty, not to re-run the whole case. Proceedings are generally open to the public, making them more transparent than current EFL disciplinary processes.

Question: What safeguards exist if an owner isn’t transparent with finances?

The IFR has strong investigative powers. It can:

  • Demand information and records from clubs
  • Appoint independent experts to investigate
  • Require full cooperation from clubs, with penalties for obstruction
  • Apply for warrants to enter premises and seize records
  • Make it a criminal offence to hide or destroy information (punishable by fines or up to 2 years in prison)

Question: What are ‘stringent conditions’ for ongoing ownership?

Every club must hold a licence to compete. To keep it, they must:

  • Prove financial sustainability
  • Meet governance standards (independent directors, published statements, clear accountability)
  • Engage formally with fans

If they fail, the regulator can fine them, suspend their licence, or in extreme cases appoint trustees to sell the club.

Question: If an owner’s private finances funding the club are unlawful, can the IFR pursue criminal charges?

No. The IFR cannot bring criminal charges itself. It would refer cases to the police, HMRC, or the Serious Fraud Office.

Question: Does the IFR test incumbent owners each year?

No. Existing owners are only investigated if there are grounds for concern.

Question: What about Sheffield Wednesday?

Given the club’s current situation, the IFR will undoubtedly have grounds for concern about Chansiri’s ownership and open an investigation. The Trust has compiled evidence and will provide it to the regulator at the earliest opportunity.

Question: How quickly could the IFR remove an owner?

Not quickly. The regulator is still being set up, with leadership not yet appointed. Even when operational, due process must be followed:

  • Notify the owner
  • Allow response
  • Gather and assess evidence

Question: So will the IFR come to our rescue?

In time, possibly — but not immediately. The powers are there, but they will only be used with strong evidence and after careful legal process.

Join The Trust