When the Regulator Asks Questions: What Ongoing Events at West Ham Raise for Every Boardroom On 21 August 2026, The Times reported on the Independent Football Regulator (IFR) and West Ham United. It reports that the regulator has contacted Essex Police and the FA. Those contacts form part of enquiries into whether David […]
Pattern, Not Incident: What Spygate Reveals About Football Club Governance Culture “A contrived and determined plan from the top down.” Those are not our words. They are the independent commission’s in the EFL’s written reasons published on 21 May 2026 (EFL, 2026; Sky Sports, 2026b). The reasons explain why the EFL expelled Southampton […]
The Global State of RegTech 2026 by Parker & Lawrence Research and RegTech Analyst has named Argus Pro a leader in Compliance Assessment, one of the four subcategories of compliance management examined in the report.The report is the first annual edition of a new research initiative from Parker & Lawrence Research and RegTech Analyst. It […]
Executive Summary The Football Governance Act 2025 marks the biggest structural change to English football since the Premier League launched in 1992. The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) brings real powers: licensing, financial scrutiny, continuous supervision, and the ability to remove unsuitable owners. IFR football governance means that, for clubs that have never faced statutory […]
The Owners and Directors Test: What’s Changed and Why The ODSE test for football clubs is already in force. It came into effect on 12 December 2025, making it the first element of the IFR’s new regulatory regime to become operational (Morgan Lewis, 2026). If your club has not yet assessed its exposure, it should. […]
Licensing 101: Understanding IFR Provisional and Full Licences The IFR provisional licence for football clubs is not optional. From the 2027/28 season, every club in the top five divisions of men’s football must hold an operating licence issued by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR). Without one, a club cannot compete. This is a statutory […]
What is the Independent Football Regulator, and Why Does It Matter? The Independent Football Regulator (IFR) is the most significant change to English football governance since the Premier League began in 1992. Established under the Football Governance Act 2025, which received Royal Assent on 21 July 2025, the IFR is now operational and has […]
