PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
EFFECTS OF EU PROPOSALS ON ENGLISH FOOTBALL (9 December 2003)

That this House expresses its growing concern at the threat from the EU Commission to the proposed live television packages agreed after a fair and competitive auction between the FA Premier League and BSkyB; believes that should the deal be struck down there will be no Premier League matches broadcast on television from August 2004, a number of Premier League and Football League clubs will be forced into administration and the Premier League's loan to the Football League following the collapse of ITV Digital will be wiped out, together with funding for the Football Foundation and grass roots football; calls upon Commissioner Mario Monti to understand that competitive league football, if it is to survive, must sell television rights collectively; further believes that it is dangerous nonsense to try and apply EU competition policy to the national game and that the EU should stop trying to regulate the United Kingdom broadcasting market through football; and calls upon Her Majesty's Government to take a far more robust stand against what could be a very real threat to the future of football in this country.

Sponsored by:
Lord Stratford (Labour)