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UK minister promises to look at football governance after Super League fiasco

We will not have our national game taken away from us for profit,’ says Oliver Dowden
The withdrawal of six English Premier League clubs from the European Super League highlights the need to examine the governance of football, the UK culture secretary has said, pledging “we will not have our national game taken away from us for profit”.
Oliver Dowden paid tribute to the fans whose pressure prompted the withdrawal of the six English clubs initially signed up for the breakaway competition, leaving the project in tatters, but warned that more needed to be done.
Speaking on Sky News on Wednesday, he said: “It’s very important that we don’t see this as the end of the process. What this is highlighting, more than ever, is the need to look at the wider governance of football … to look at how we address local governance, football finance and indeed the whole fan experience.”
On Monday, Dowden launched a governance review into football – initially pledged in the Conservatives’ 2019 election manifesto – to be led by the former sport minister Tracey Crouch. Among the issues the review will examine are the financial sustainability of the men’s and women’s game, how finance flows through the game at different levels, the merits of an independent regulator and how fans can have a greater say in the oversight of the game.
But the threat from the ESL – which prompted Dowden to announce the review – remains, with it vowing to reshape the project, which has amplified fans’ longstanding concerns about financial disparities in the game and the greed of billionaire club owners.
Dowden said: “I met with the president of Uefa on Monday and I’ll be … speaking to him again later today. We’ve been absolutely resolute in saying that we will not have our national game taken away from us for profit.
“This is as much part of our national heritage as our great stately homes, our galleries, our museums out our theatres, our cathedrals, and we as a government will do whatever it takes to step up to protect it. And I’m very glad that working with fans, we have given strength to fans in stopping this and I pay tribute to all of the fans – and we saw it last night with Chelsea fans – they won’t put up with this and I’m glad that clubs have listened to it.”
He said the review would also also consider whether fans should be able to take a stake in their clubs in the way that German fans can.
“The German clubs didn’t participate in this
“I think we should look at it,” he said. International investment in football has been a good thing. It has increased the quality of the game and the players and everything else … but I do think it is right that we look at how fans can have a stake in the game.”
Chelsea were the first Premier League to pull out on Tuesday, only 48 hours after Sunday’s bombshell announcement about the creation of the league. Manchester City were next, before Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal and Tottenham completed the U-turn by English clubs.
They had been the subject of a furious backlash of fans, players and managers over the past two days. The UK government had threatened legislation to derail the project, while there was also a royal intervention from Prince William.
The Football Association, European and world governing bodies Uefa and Fifa had threatened sanctions on clubs and bans for players at rebel clubs.
On Tuesday morning, Boris Johnson tweeted: “I welcome last night’s announcement. This is the right result for football fans, clubs, and communities across the country. We must continue to protect our cherished national game.”
The Italian clubs Milan and Internazionale were expected to announce their withdrawal on Wednesday, leaving a third Serie A club, Juventus, and the Spanish trio of Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona as the last standing members of the breakaway group.
source: Haroon Siddique
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BENEFIT Sponsors BuildHer...
- April 23, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, has sponsored the BuildHer CityHack 2025 Hackathon, a two-day event spearheaded by the College of Engineering and Technology at the Royal University for Women (RUW).
Aimed at secondary school students, the event brought together a distinguished group of academic professionals and technology experts to mentor and inspire young participants.
More than 100 high school students from across the Kingdom of Bahrain took part in the hackathon, which featured an intensive programme of training workshops and hands-on sessions. These activities were tailored to enhance participants’ critical thinking, collaborative problem-solving, and team-building capabilities, while also encouraging the development of practical and sustainable solutions to contemporary challenges using modern technological tools.
BENEFIT’s Chief Executive Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi, commented: “Our support for this educational hackathon reflects our long-term strategic vision to nurture the talents of emerging national youth and empower the next generation of accomplished female leaders in technology. By fostering creativity and innovation, we aim to contribute meaningfully to Bahrain’s comprehensive development goals and align with the aspirations outlined in the Kingdom’s Vision 2030—an ambition in which BENEFIT plays a central role.”
Professor Riyadh Yousif Hamzah, President of the Royal University for Women, commented: “This initiative reflects our commitment to advancing women in STEM fields. We're cultivating a generation of creative, solution-driven female leaders who will drive national development. Our partnership with BENEFIT exemplifies the powerful synergy between academia and private sector in supporting educational innovation.”
Hanan Abdulla Hasan, Senior Manager, PR & Communication at BENEFIT, said: “We are honoured to collaborate with RUW in supporting this remarkable technology-focused event. It highlights our commitment to social responsibility, and our ongoing efforts to enhance the digital and innovation capabilities of young Bahraini women and foster their ability to harness technological tools in the service of a smarter, more sustainable future.”
For his part, Dr. Humam ElAgha, Acting Dean of the College of Engineering and Technology at the University, said: “BuildHer CityHack 2025 embodies our hands-on approach to education. By tackling real-world problems through creative thinking and sustainable solutions, we're preparing women to thrive in the knowledge economy – a cornerstone of the University's vision.”
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