New independent body to regulate ownership of football clubs in proposal to be handed to Government The investigations will be carried out by the Football Regularity Authority, currently an ill-defined and ineffective body focused on policy, that will have its role focused on addressing concerns over rule breaches. Numerous clubs have been embroiled in financial trouble that has raised questions about the motives, merits and in some cases the identity of their owners. Leeds United supporters were deeply concerned over a lack of clarity over who owned their club until Ken Bates clarified the position last year, and Notts County's ownership was unclear for some time. Portsmouth, meanwhile, are in administration for a second time in two years after a succession of owners whose financing was unclear. The problem is particularly acute for the Football League, which has 72 clubs to oversee and limited resources to devote to financial investigation. The investigative unit is among the most substantial to emerge from six months of negotiation between the football bodies and Government following a parliamentary inquiry into the governance of football. There will also be a change to the FA's structure, with the various committees reporting directly to the board rather than the 90-odd members of the FA Council. Sports minister Hugh Robertson gave the football authorities until the end of this month to respond, and the document that will go to his office on Wednesday is the fruit of nine months of negotiations. The Culture, Media and Sport select committee report proposed a number of measures including the adoption of a new FA licensing system to restore authority to the governing body. It also proposed a reduction in the size of the FA board, currently 14, but that ambition has been foiled by the delicate politics of the organisation. The professional and amateur game both have five members each, with two independent non-executive directors plus the chairman David Bernstein and secretary general Alex Horne. With the Football League unwilling to give up one of its two seats and the Premier League unwilling to lose one of their three, the board will remain unchanged. There may, however, be a commitment to reduce the size in future. In exchange for the failure to reform the board the FA has secured oversight of the licensing program. This will see it approve any new rules introduced by either league. In practice this will not be a huge change, as the FA already technically signs off the rule books of both competitions.