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Business of the House

Last Friday, the Football Association council ratified the Burns report on the future of football, which was very welcome. The report, together with the independent European sports review, could shape the future of the game that means so much to people in this country. However, neither contains measures that would prevent unscrupulous businessmen from buying football clubs for their own purposes and, often, jeopardising the club’s future. May we have a full debate, in Government time, on what is the most important sport in this country, and—not least—the lack of any teeth in the ““fit and proper person”” measure, which allows unscrupulous figures to acquire football clubs to the detriment of the communities in which those clubs operate?