The Owners’ & Directors’ Test; What is the Fit & Proper Person’s Test in the Premier League and how does it work
What was once known as the Fit and Proper Person’s Test is now known as the Owners’ and Directors’ Test, which is described in Section F of the Premier League Handbook, which is publicly available online.
It is not so much an admission exam or examination as it is a collection of regulations that owners and directors must follow.
Premier League Owners And Directors Test Meaning Explained And Why Is It Conducted
It details the disqualifying elements in operating a Premier League team in six pages, the vast majority of which relate to money (such as not having been the subject of a bankruptcy order) and pre-existing interests in other clubs (you can’t be a director of two clubs, for example).
While all directors and owners must be disclosed, the depth to which the Premier League digs remains a question.
The league does perform due diligence and they have investigatory parties looking into the backgrounds of everyone involved. The league will look at stuff like convictions and so.
Obviously they have limited information and it’s a question of how far they look into issues like human rights breaches associated to any entity investing in a club.
Is There An Ethical Or Moral Stance Taken By The Premier League When It Comes To Potential Owners?
There isn’t much in Section F that examines directors and owners on the basis of ethics, however this may be on purpose.
You are barred from ownership/directorship if you have a criminal conviction issued by a court of the United Kingdom or a competent court of foreign jurisdiction.’
However, there is no reason to believe that, instance, potential human rights violations will be considered. An additional appendix of no-no offences in the rulebook pertains to people who are involved in the game itself, such as ‘ticket touting.’
FIFA currently has its own Human Rights Policy, although there are no prescriptive rules regarding club ownership that would have an impact on individual organisations and leagues.
Past Instances
Despite similar worries made in 2020 about Newcastle’s regime shift, the Abu Dhabi-backed takeover of Manchester City in 2008 was not blocked, while former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra bought City in 2007 despite a slew of political and legal issues.
However, it has been alleged that after a year in control, the Premier League placed pressure on Shinawatra to sell since he was facing corruption allegations in his homeland.
Is There A Desire For The Premier League And Football To Modify Their Ways?
In this day and age, sports organisations must at least be viewed as more morally conscious… even if it is just when confronted with tough problems.
There is presently no independent review engaged in the Premier League’s club acquisition process.
What About Other Autocratic Rulers? Vladimir Putin? Kim Jong Un?
What’s to stop even more disagreeable (to British fans) men and women from becoming engaged in their own ‘sports washing’ if the Premier League avoids moral decision-making on potential owners and directors?
There are restrictions in the handbook that prevent those who aren’t allowed into the country from owning a club, and sanctions imposed by the UK government. It will prevent North Korean leader Kim Jong-un or Syria’s Bashar al-Assad from taking a moral stance – however hypothetical those scenarios may be.
However, without official Government of FIFA direction, the position for other dictators and autocrats widely hated in the West is less clear.
It’s not always apparent where the Premier League should take the lead on moral judgments.
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