The EFL should be made pay compensation to Bury FC for loss of earnings following the club’s expulsion from League One and apologise to staff and fans for its role in the club’s demise a select committee has concluded.
MPs sitting on the parliament’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee have also recommended a drastic change to the way English football is governed.
The committee heard evidence from EFL executive chair Debbie Jevans, Football Association chairman Greg Clarke and Premier League interim chief executive Richard Masters last month concerning how the club came to be expelled from the league in August over a failure to provide financial guarantees.
In a three page letter sent from Conservative MP Damian Collins to the EFL, FA and minister for sport, the committee identified ‘failings at every level’ and recommended a supporter ombudsmen to hear concerns about how clubs are being run, urgent reform of the EFL’s infamous owners and directors test as well as a ban on clubs raising loans against their fixed assets such as stadiums.
The damning letter has also made it clear that if reform is not undertaken the government has been asked to intervene.
Supporters of Bury and many other clubs soon took to social media to react to the news with many suggesting despite the robust nature of the MP’s findings; it is too little too late to save Bury. Many also feel the EFL will do everything it can to obstruct any change.
Plenty of Bury fans are also desperately disappointed that previous owners Steve Dale and Stewart Day have not been held to account for their primary role in the whole mess and most fans feel an apology and reparations do nothing to restore their beloved football club or give it back its league status.
Judging by the nature of the responses on Twitter, the national game’s governing bodies have never been in such low regard with football supporters.
Here is a selection of fan comments.
https://twitter.com/DenzilTaylor10/status/1191672612285566977?s=20
https://twitter.com/DonWebb9/status/1191678224369106945?s=20
https://twitter.com/buryshaker1968/status/1191669354401804288?s=20
https://twitter.com/craigianashwort/status/1191668133704146945?s=20
https://twitter.com/TonzerWee/status/1191665620556898304?s=20
https://twitter.com/___Q__/status/1191682383902199808?s=20
https://twitter.com/thumpermaxie/status/1191680464672710656?s=20
https://twitter.com/TonzerWee/status/1191669271379816449?s=20
https://twitter.com/buryshaker1968/status/1191669067079389184?s=20
