Football Governance Act 2025

55 Duties to notify and consult the IFR

(1) A specified competition organiser must notify the IFR where—

(a) the organiser considers that there is a risk of the IFR’s ability to advance its club financial soundness objective or its systemic financial resilience objective being jeopardised,

(b) the organiser has failed to comply with a commitment accepted by the IFR under section 24 or the organiser considers that there is an immediate risk of it failing to so comply, or

(c) the organiser considers or suspects that a club has breached a relevant rule of a specified competition.

(2) A notice under subsection (1) must—

(a) explain why the specified competition organiser considers the duty under that subsection to have arisen, and

(b) be given as soon as reasonably practicable after the specified competition organiser considers the duty under that subsection to have arisen.

(3) A specified competition organiser must also notify the IFR before a penalty, sanction or other requirement (whether financial or otherwise) is imposed, whether by the organiser or another person, on a club that breaches or is suspected to have breached a relevant rule of a specified competition.

(4) Where a notice under subsection (3) is not given before a penalty, sanction or other requirement is imposed, the specified competition organiser must notify the IFR of the fact that a penalty, sanction or other requirement has been imposed as soon as reasonably practicable after becoming aware of that fact.

(5) A notice under subsection (3) or (4) must explain why the penalty, sanction or other requirement is being or has been imposed.

(6) A specified competition organiser must consult the IFR before—

(a) adding or removing a relevant rule of a specified competition, or

(b) varying a relevant rule of a specified competition, unless the variation is not material.

(7) A consultation under subsection (6) must—

(a) explain why the specified competition organiser is proposing to add, remove or vary the relevant rule of a specified competition;

(b) include a draft of the additional or varied rule.

(8) In this section, “relevant rule of a specified competition” means a rule of the specified competition organised by the specified competition organiser that is relevant to the exercise of any of the IFR’s functions under this Act.