Former EPL boss Richard Scudamore backs test to weed out dodgy purchasers of A-League clubs

In the wake of the abortive attempt by the shadowy London Football Exchange to buy Perth Glory, former EPL boss Richard Scudamore backs a test to weed out dodgy purchasers of A-League clubs.

LONDON, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 10: Chief Executive of Premier League Richard Scudamore speaks to the media during the announcement of the Premier League's UK live broadcasting rights auction on February 10, 2015 in London, England. It was announced that Sky and BT Sport will pay the Premier League £5.136 billion to share the live TV rights for three seasons starting from 2016-17. (Photo by Tom Dulat/Getty Images for Premier League)

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The former English Premier League boss advising the A-League club owners says they would benefit from a clear test for would-be owners to pass, to weed out convicted criminals and potential fraudsters.

In the wake of the abortive attempt by the shadowy London Football Exchange to buy Perth Glory – which Glory owner Tony Sage abandoned as salacious headlines emerged about the LFE – former EPL CEO Richard Scudamore said the rules should be made “clear and objective” as to what would disqualify a potential owner.

Scudamore oversaw the introduction of the “Owners and directors” test for the EPL which blocks bankrupts, those with unspent convictions for fraud and other disqualifying criteria.

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Richard Scudamore introduced a test for would-be owners to pass in the EPL.

The front man for the LFE bid to buy Glory was revealed to be an Englishman jailed for defrauding the British taxpayer, and who is facing legal action in London and New York over the launch of the LFE.

Under current rules, Football Federation Australia has the right to approve anyone taking a controlling interest in an A-League club, but its criteria has never been published.

“There is always a case for making sure there is a very clear, objective test as to who can and can't own a club,” Scudamore told News Corp Australia.

“The owners are the custodians of these things for a period, and the club should long outlast the ownership.

“So I do believe there should be some kind of objective test to protect the club from illegality, people who've been convicted of things.

“There's no global test you can apply, legal systems are different in each country, but it's about where you draw the line. Every country should develop its own system and apply it.

“It goes to brand reputation. It's a reputational issue fundamentally, but it's also a fan issue, these are people's clubs.”

Tony Sage abandoned his sale bid to LSE after unfavourable headlines.

But Scudamore warned that the test could only measure factors such as criminality – not the likely business acumen of a would-be owner.

“I would reserve the right for any owner to be incompetent, because that's not the test,” he said.

“You can be perfectly decent and legal, and perfectly incompetent at running a football club.

“I'm afraid the authorities can never apply that test, or you are effectively de facto shadow directors running the club.”

Scudamore oversaw a lengthy meeting of the A-League owners in Sydney on Thursday, in his role as consultant to the clubs as they move away from FFA’s control and towards independence.

Four months after his appointment, Scudamore cautioned against expecting an overnight change in the A-League’s fortunes, against the backdrop of falling TV ratings and crowds.

“There is nothing about my arrival here that will change that,” he said.

Jim Aylward of LSE has been imprisoned for fraud.

“You have to have faith in the strategy – we know what that is.

“Football is the world's most popular game, and here has the highest level of participation. What's never happened is football at the adult male level realising its potential.

“It starts with the fundamentals – what's it look like on the pitch? Are the stadiums the right size? Is the atmosphere tense and the sort people want to be involved in?

“Then you have other tools in terms of social engagement – viewing in the old-fashioned broadcast sense, eyeballs in the new digital sense.

“So they have the base strategy and now they're working through the actual tactics of how to bring that to life, and it's happening in real time.”

Originally published as Former EPL boss Richard Scudamore backs test to weed out dodgy purchasers of A-League clubs