Everton shareholder speaks out to blast government ‘madness’ as new campaign starts
Everton minority shareholder Mike Parry has set up a campaign to battle against the government’s supposed efforts to change the Premier League.
The Toffees have been in relatively uncertain times for some time now, but Farhad Moshiri’s sale to the Friekdins seems to have sparked them back to life.
David Moyes replaced Sean Dyche at the Blues, and The Friedkin Group (TFG) have reaped their reward for that timely decision.
The Americans will undoubtedly be delighted after the takeover, but it comes at a time when English football could see a change in its operation.
Everton shareholder starts campaign against independent football regulator
Parry has started a campaign against the potential introduction of an independent football regulator.
The Toffees’ shareholder isn’t pleased about the prospect of regulators having a say in how the game is run in England.
Parry believes allowing such a thing to happen would be madness, as the Premier League is already a successful industry.
The 70-year-old wrote on X (28 February): “I’m launching a campaign today against the setting up of a football regulator to control football in this country. It’s madness. The Premier League is the best in the world and one of our most successful industries. It isn’t broken, so it doesn’t need fixing. Hands off.”
OK FOLKS .. I'm launching a campaign today against the setting up of a Football Regulator to control football in this country. It's madness. The Premier League is the best in the world and one of our most successful industries. It ain't broke so it doesn't need fixing. Hands off pic.twitter.com/KpXOhvt6x4
— Mike Parry (@mikeparry8) February 28, 2025
Premier League to see changes with football regulator
Everton fans held their breath as Premier League relegation looked realistic under Dyche, but things have turned around.
Had the Toffees gone down to the Championship, it would’ve drastically affected their finances, despite the promise of parachute payments.
Those parachute payments are one thing the Football Governance Bill is trying to take control of with a new independent football regulator.
Clubs that get relegated from the English top flight evidently have an advantage over other teams in the Championship to win promotion due to financial disparity.
| Premier League season | Final league position |
| 2021/22 | 16th |
| 2022/23 | 17th |
| 2023/24 | 15th |
The regulation could also demand more robust equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) frameworks from clubs.
Fans may also have a prominent voice in how the club operates and makes decisions once the independent football regulators are in place, which would undoubtedly be a positive step towards ensuring the supporters are heard.
The Goodison faithful protested against Moshiri for several years and are glad to see the back of him finally after years of mismanagement saw the Blues fighting relegation battles.
It will be interesting to see how the new owners operate, especially if the new rules are enforced throughout English football.