Andy Burnham urged to bring in supporters ownership model amid FIFA controversy

Andy Burnham, former Labour leader and former chairman of Supporters Direct, has been called upon to spearhead a push for a supporters' ownership model in British sport, amid growing concerns over the concentration of power among private investors. The Co-operative Party, Labour’s sister party, has proposed the creation of a new organisation, Supporters Direct 2.0, to promote community and fan-led ownership across all levels of sport. The initiative follows a recent controversy involving FIFA, which initially proposed selling a stake in the World Cup through a $20 billion company to manage global tournaments. However, the plan was swiftly abandoned after widespread public backlash. The Co-operative Party has used the FIFA debacle as a catalyst for broader reform, arguing that the current system allows private interests to dominate while fans lose influence over the clubs they support. According to the Co-operative Party’s latest report, English football is described as a “global commercial success story,” yet it suffers from an imbalance where the loyalty, culture, and community identity of clubs are largely driven by supporters, while decision-making power rests in the hands of a small group of private entities. Most Premier League clubs are owned by foreign investors, including hedge funds and private equity firms, prompting calls for greater community involvement in club management. The report also points to ongoing financial instability in other sports. In rugby union, three clubs, including London Irish, Worcester Warriors, and Wasps, collapsed in recent years due to unsustainable business models. The Rugby Football Union’s chairman at the time, Tom Llube, attributed these failures to long-standing fragility in club finances. Similarly, in rugby league, six teams have faced insolvency this year, with Keighley, Salford Red Devils, Featherstone Rovers, Halifax Panthers, and North Wales Crusaders among those affected. Cricket has also seen signs of strain, with Yorkshire County Cricket Club’s chief executive, Sanjay Patel, seeking to end the club’s 163-year tradition of being a members-run institution. He warned that failure to modernize the structure could result in the club missing out on Test match opportunities. Joe Fortune, general secretary of the Co-operative Party, stated that the FIFA incident exemplifies the larger problem of private ownership in sport. “Private ownership across sport comes at the expense of fans,” he said, emphasizing the need for a shift in power toward those who sustain clubs through their loyalty and engagement. Burnham, who once championed supporter ownership during his tenure as chairman of Supporters Direct, has expressed similar views. In the early 2000s, he argued that football clubs belong more to their supporters than their shareholders. “Some people have bits of paper to say they own a club’s assets, stadium, training ground, brand, but the heart and soul of every club is the property of its fans,” he remarked. With multiple sports facing financial crises and a growing movement towards democratic control, the Co-operative Party’s proposal represents a potential turning point in how British sport is governed. The launch of Supporters Direct 2.0 aims to provide legal, governance, and developmental support to clubs seeking alternative ownership structures. As the debate over the future of sports ownership intensifies, the call for community-driven models grows louder.