Brighton owner Bloom 'not in favour' of state-backed clubs

Brighton owner Tony Bloom has warned the Premier League to be careful regarding state ownership of clubs.

Newcastle United are presently owned by the Saudi Investment Fund, which has direct ties to the Saudi Arabian regime.

Similarly, Manchester City are owned by an Abu Dhabi investment fund with direct ties to their nation's leadership.

Now Manchester United are in line to be bought by the Qatari royal family.

"The most important thing is that any kind of state ownership - we're not in favour - because potentially it gives those clubs a significant financial advantage over us," he told The Beautiful Game podcast.

"We are where we are. We can't keep looking back and saying 'if only', we've got to deal with the here and now.

"The best way we can deal with the here now is to make sure the regulations are as tight as possible, but there are controls on spending so that the league maintains its competitiveness. But also, we don't go down the route of European Super League where a small number of clubs are guaranteed their place and clubs like ours and others can't progress and strive for that top level football.

"If you take that meritocracy away if you take that dream away, then you're completely changing everything all of us have grown up with in this country and I don't agree with that. I don't think state ownership necessarily leads to that. I don't think necessarily there is a way in which state ownership forces that to happen, but we just got to be careful that we don't lose our competitive nature, from the top of the pyramid to the bottom because that's what we all love."