Morecambe set to become first club censured by Independent Football Regulator
It's for failing to provide information to the regulator in a timely manner earlier this year
Morecambe are set to become the first club to be censured by the Independent Football Regulator (IFR).
The Shrimps, who are now outside of the IFR’s jurisdiction after their relegation to National League North at the end of last season, are set to be issued with a censure statement by the IFR for failing to provide information to the regulator in a timely manner earlier this year.
A censure statement is also set to be issued against the club’s owners, Kuljit Singh Momi and Harjit Singh. The two men are listed on Companies House as the officers of Panjab Warriors, which completed a takeover of Morecambe last August with the club in administration.
The IFR said in a warning notice published on its website on Wednesday that it is minded to issue the censure statements, subject to any representations from the club or their owners made on or before July 28.
On February 20, the regulator sought information from the club and the owners necessary to establish and oversee its owners, directors and senior executives (ODSE) regime. The club were given a month to respond but failed to do so, or to request an extension to the deadline, the IFR said.
A further request for information, this time related to the financial position of the club, was made on March 31 which also reminded the club about the February 20 request.
A response was received in April which the IFR deemed inadequate, and while further information was received from the club on June 16, the warning notice said this still left “several questions unanswered”.
The offence is deemed to be at the lowest level of seriousness, in part because the club’s relegation meant the IFR no longer requires the ODSE information requested.
The IFR was formally created under the Football Governance Act which received Royal Assent on July 21 last year. Its creation was prompted by a number of factors, including the demise of Bury in 2019 and the European Super League scandal in 2021.
The regulator’s main aim is to ensure the financial sustainability of clubs in the top five tiers of English football, with all of those clubs required to be provisionally licensed by the IFR by the start of the 2027-28 season.