Premier League seeks power to access club premises during investigations
The Premier League has asked its clubs for expanded investigatory powers, including the right to access club premises, as part of new financial rules.
The proposals are included in the latest draft of the squad cost ratio (SCR) mechanism which is expected to replace the profitability and sustainability rules that limit spending.
The Guardian understands the league has asked for the ability to enter buildings in the event that a club is found not to have complied with an inquiry it has initiated. Such a power is commonly used by law enforcement agencies to seize documents related to an investigation.
Under current rules, clubs are expected to give 'full, complete and prompt assistance' to any Premier League inquiry, but should this fail to happen the league must resort to fines, a tribunal or the Football Association to resolve the problem.
Premier League sources played down any suggestion that such powers would be the equivalent of a dawn raid. Clubs would be given notice and any intervention would be at an agreed time, they said. However the powers the league is looking to acquire would be stronger than those proposed for the Independent Regulator for English Football, which must – under the current drafting of the bill – request a warrant from a tribunal or court before taking action.
Debate over the SCR rules has heated up before the latest Premier League shareholders' meeting in a central London hotel on Thursday. Last week the Professional Footballers' Association wrote to the league and its 20 clubs warning of possible legal action were the rules to be voted through at the meeting.
The letter, first reported by PA Media, argued the union had not been given timely access to documentation and claimed the 'withholding of relevant documentation pertaining to the proposals is clear evidence of [the league's] failure to comply with its duties'. The letter also suggested the league had failed in its obligations to properly discuss the measures through the professional football negotiating and consultative committee (PFNCC), which is made up of representatives of the PFA, EFL, Premier League and FA.
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A Premier League statement issued in response to the letter said: 'We strongly disagree with the PFA's views regarding the proposed financial rules and the consultation process we are conducting with our clubs and other stakeholders. We have complied with PFNCC requirements and the PFA has had multiple opportunities since March 2024 to provide feedback on the rules and the principles that underpin them.'
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