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Fooball Association faces House of Commons debate

Parliament will debate a motion of no confidence in the Football Association next week, with the governing body at risk of losing £30m of grassroots money.

The House of Commons will hold a debate on a vote of no confidence in the Football Association, it has been announced by the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) committee.

Next week's debate could potentially see new legislation brought forward in an attempt to force the governing body to reform its governance structures.

The FA was given six months last October to take steps to show reform from within by sports minister Tracey Crouch, due to complaints over its council being predominantly made up of white, middle-aged men.

Parliament will now debate a motion of no confidence on February 9, with the FA at risk of losing £30m of grassroots money from funding agency Sport England.

CMS committee chairman Damian Collins said in a statement: "The current minister for sport told the committee that the FA had been given six months from publication of the Government's guidance in October 2016 to demonstrate that it was willing to improve governance, otherwise public money would be withdrawn from the FA and distributed to football through other means.

"We do not believe the FA will comply voluntarily: it can survive easily without the Government's contribution of money to grassroots sport, and there are powerful vested interests that refuse to accept the right of all those involved in football to play a role in the governance of the sport.

"We are therefore preparing a draft bill to bring the structure of the FA, especially its board and council, more into line with modern company practice and the Government's guidelines for sports bodies."

Next Thursday's debate will start at approximately 2.15pm.

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Daniel Lewis
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A general shot of a Premier League football ahead of the Premier League clash between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016
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