Six Ways the Football Governance Act Stops Crime in English Football

The Football Governance Act 2025 is not a silver bullet, but it does aim to strip power from those who treat clubs like money-laundering shell corporations.

Passed into law last week, the Football Governance Act 2025 marks a once-in-a-generation shake-up of English football. After years of financial collapses, opaque takeovers, and fans being steamrolled by distant owners, England has finally introduced a system of independent oversight to the sport.

The Act creates an independent football regulator (IFR) with sweeping powers: to license clubs, veto rogue owners, and step in before crises unfold. It is, in effect, English football’s first serious answer to its long-running governance problem and could shield the sport from both financial ruin and criminal exploitation.

Fans may wonder why they should care. It means their club is less likely to be owned by a fraudster, flogged to a mystery consortium, or thrown into administration because someone gambled away its future.

Below, we break down six key reforms from the Act, ra…