Should foreign states be banned from owning Premier League clubs?
Foreign states are not banned from owning Premier League clubs. Newcastle United is owned by a consortium led by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (since 2021) and Manchester City by a member of the Abu Dhabi royal family. Since 5 May 2026 the Independent Football Regulator, created by the Football Governance Act 2025, must approve new owners on honesty, integrity and financial soundness, case by case. A Lords amendment to ban state-controlled clubs was tabled during the Bill's passage and not adopted into the Act; the Premier League's own test added a human rights disqualifier in 2023.
24 Opinions
If they're investing then I don't see any issue with the owners coming from any country.
The game needs huge investment for its facilities abd for tge bizarrely overpaid players. Why complain when others are willing to pay? They are subject to the same rules as everyone else, and if they break them, eventually they get caught.
Simply because foreign States tend to coerce threaten try & exert undue pressure through any mediums they can. Football is its own worst enemy. It’s corrupt and gets away with behaviour that would see Directors of ordinary companies jailed & fined. Sport should stay away from Politics as much as possible but direct Stste involvement is a problem.
Seriously, who cares?
A blanket ban would sacrifice legitimate investment when targeted safeguards could address the real dangers.
I would ban foreign states considered hostile or a national security threat.
It may be a case of stable door and bolted horses, but the game is being killed by owners who use the club for sportswashing, money laundering, or as a trophy plaything. They have no respect for the loyal fanbase or for the locality. They invest guilt money into the area, but it in the end the Premier League stinks to high heaven.
Football is enjoyed worldwide now and that's great - it's a multinational, not a national industry, so there can be foreign investment ofc. And Gulf States can't separate the individual sheikh from the state because he IS the wealth. And they seem benign. BUT. Gulf States have agendas. They have infiltrated Universities and Western society. Is relying on a powerful state for money a reasonable risk for world football, good for the UK? No. Imagine if it was China.
It’s an entertainment product. The government should not interfere in the market for its services
By having such owners, the football club loses its sense of being a community asset.