MX23RW : Friday, March 29 08:10:26| >> :600:92677904:92677904:

DCMS select committee to question EFL, FA about Bury's demise

DCMS select committee to question EFL, FA about Bury's demise
© Reuters
DCMS select committee to question EFL and FA about Bury's demise

Bury’s expulsion from the English Football League will be examined by the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee this autumn, the panel’s chairman Damian Collins has confirmed.

Bury became the first club to be kicked out of the league since 1992 last week when the Shakers’ owner, Steve Dale, missed a final deadline to prove he could fund the club in League One this season or sell it to somebody who could.

A London-based sports data company pulled out of a deal to buy the club at the 11th hour and the EFL’s board refused to give Dale any more time despite his claims that there are other interested parties.

Since then, however, Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham, local MPs James Frith and Ivan Lewis, Bury Council and the Forever Bury supporters’ group have teamed up to ask the EFL to consider letting Bury return next season as a League Two club, a request the league has said it will discuss with the other 71 clubs.

Bury fans deliver a symbolic coffin at Gigg Lane
Bury fans deliver a symbolic coffin at Gigg Lane (Dave Howarth/PA)

Great Manchester Police has revealed it has been investigating an allegation of serious fraud at the club for the last 10 weeks, while the Insolvency Practitioners Association has said it is looking at the debt repayment deal Dale engineered this summer.

The EFL has also promised to investigate Bury’s demise but it now can expect to face an interrogation of its own, as Collins’ panel of backbench MPs has built a fearsome reputation for holding sports officials to account.

In a statement, the Conservative MP for Folkestone and Hythe described the decision to expel Bury as a “tragedy” for the club’s fans and the wider community but he also said it “marks a failure of football governance”.

For example, said Collins, the current ‘owners and directors test’ has not kept bad owners out of the game and the football authorities cannot intervene when clubs get into financial problems until it is too late.

A Bury fan at the gates of Gigg Lane
A Bury fan at the gates of Gigg Lane (Peter Byrne/PA)

“I would ask that even at this late stage that the EFL considers any realistic proposal that could support Bury’s status as a Football League club, including whether they could play next season in League Two, under new ownership,” he said.

“The select committee believes the issues that have affected Bury reflect a wider and growing problem within the Football League. We have seen similar crises at Bolton and other clubs in recent years.

“The committee has therefore agreed we will hold hearings in the autumn to take evidence relating to the crisis at Bury, and the role of the EFL and the Football Association in safeguarding the long-term interests of clubs.

“The committee will also inquire into what needs to be done to strengthen football governance rules in this regard.”

In addition, the EFL said on Thursday it is starting a “comprehensive review of the regulations and procedures concerning the financial sustainability of clubs”.

Led by Jonathan Taylor QC, the review will result in recommendations being made to the EFL’s board and member clubs.

Debbie Jevans, the EFL’s executive chair, said: “The withdrawal of Bury FC’s membership is one of the most difficult decisions we have ever had to take at the EFL. This review will help everyone to understand what happened at Bury and ensure that, collectively, we learn and apply the right lessons for the future.”

ID:370477: cacheID:370477:1false2false3false:QQ:: from db desktop :LenBod:restore:7624:
Restore Data
Share this article now:
Read more about Damian Collins Football
rhs 2.0
Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Mansfield TownMansfield392013679374273
2Stockport CountyStockport382011775403571
3Wrexham392010970482270
4MK Dons40207136354967
5Crewe AlexandraCrewe3918111067551265
6BarrowBarrow381713853401364
7Crawley TownCrawley38185155754359
8Gillingham40178153947-859
9AFC Wimbledon4015131253421158
10Walsall381511125752556
11Newport CountyNewport39167165859-155
12Morecambe39159155968-954
13Harrogate TownHarrogate39159154655-954
14Notts County39156187674251
15Tranmere RoversTranmere40155205957250
16Accrington StanleyAccrington39148175257-550
17Bradford CityBradford391311154653-750
18Doncaster RoversDoncaster38147175162-1149
19Salford City401211176073-1347
20Swindon TownSwindon391111176570-544
21Grimsby Town38815154965-1639
22Colchester UnitedColchester37810194766-1934
23Sutton UnitedSutton40712214571-2633
24Forest Green RoversForest Green3989223865-2733


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
Argentina's Lionel Messi kisses the World Cup trophy after collecting the Golden Ball award on December 18, 2022Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!