Culture secretary Andy Burnham will call on the Football Association to consider tighter regulation of football finances to prevent the game "losing touch with its core support".
In a speech to be given to a conference in Westminster, Burnham (pictured) will express his fears that clubs are in danger of alienating fans from their clubs.
"If football follows the same path in the next 10 years as it has in the last, there is a real risk that the game will lose touch with its core support," he will say.
"We need to ask urgently what we want for the future of our game, before something precious is lost."
However, Burnham insists it is not the responsibility of the Government to initiate change and has called on the FA to re-examine the ease with which clubs can fall into foreign hands.
"Regulation has to be led by the FA - it is not for the government to run football," he told The Guardian.
"I want the FA to step up to the challenge and lead an in-depth look at regulating the finance of football, for the overall health of the game."
In his speech, Burnham adds: "Professional football has its origins in the community and community organisations.
"Those origins built the fierce loyalty in clubs, with supporters seeing the clubs as expressions of their identity.
"That loyalty is actually what makes the clubs so marketable but in marketing them there is a real risk of eroding their place in the community."
An FA spokesman told The Guardian that the governing body's chairman, Lord Triesman, agrees that clubs must not abandon their roots in pursuit of riches.
"Lord Triesman met with Andy Burnham to discuss some of the biggest issues facing the game, including fit and proper ownership of clubs and the development of home-grown talent," they said.
"Like Andy he firmly believes that clubs must preserve their links with their communities, and shares concerns if clubs are being bought for their short-term investment value rather than their long-term success.
"These issues, and the need to reconsider football's regulatory framework in this area, are very high on the chairman's list of priorities."
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im a city fan n totally agree but has it took all this time for them to notice,the only reason im pleased with the city takeover is because its the only way to compete with the top 4 if ya cant beat em join em.while we're on the subject of foreners n the goverment they wanna take a look at the state of the rest of the country before the football side of things.are we stil living in england cos im not sure any more?
He needs to worry more about how to apply mascara
What! Did the Govt come out moaning about foreign owners when the Galzers took over Utd, or the Yanks at Liverpool, or Roman at Chelski? No they didn't.
And as for bleating on about how the FA should now regulate such foreign ownership in football, well I've never heard such double standards.
Car firms, airports, power companies, ferry operators, banks, etc are all allowed to become foreign-owned but no one moans about that.
Get with the times Mr Minister!
price of a barrel of oil has dropped 30% in the last few weeks.
Meanwhile the energy companies have imposed price rises of up to 35%
you'd think this government would find something better to do with its time.
I would suggest the minister start worring about the state of the country, instead of the state of football!!!
THE WHOLE COUNTRY KOW TOWS TO EUROPE,SO I AM ASTOUNDED THAT THIS POMPOUS PRAT IS CONCERNED ABOUT THE PREMIERSHIP.
football has been on a downward spiral where fans arn't as important as corporate hospitality customers since it sold its soul to Rupert Murdoch and Sky. Ticket prices are going through the roof, games are expensive to attend and fans are alienated from players either not bothered about the fans, or are not allowed anywhere near them unless it is a controlled enviroment that the clubs make. I partly agree with what this fella says,but personally, I would rather goverment ministers worried about ever rising living costs, housing market collapsing,escalating violence on the streets, hospitals that are no better than third world conditions, under-funded education and billions being spent sending troops across the world, than what is happening in football
I believe this minister is correct to voice his concerns however, did he voice concerns when Abramovic took over Chelsea, Hicks/Gillett Liverpool, the Glazers Utd, Gydamak at Portsmouth.......
I'm pretty sure the answer is no.
The reason it's being raised now is because money has gone into a club that could now realistically challenge the monopoly of the current top 4......and the power prokers in football do not want that.
I wonder what would happen if Utd or Liverpool failed to qualify for the champions league next year........
He needs to concentrate on real issues that matter....or is it another United fan with his knees knocking at the thought of City and others breaking into their cartel.
Bye Bye minister you are scaring me.Is it because of the freebies you get from the tax payers.
the head on him
The real reason that Football is losing touch with its fans is because of the greed of the players.
When I first started watching City in the fiftys the "total" cost of running the club for a year would have been less than Frank Lampards weekly wage. The players were on £20 pound a week which was about twice the average wage. The average wage now is somewhere between 15k and 20k a year, Lampard is on more than 6 MILLION A YEAR.
Has he been in a coma these past 10 years?
Probably as he is an MP.
I think he should concentrate his attentions to more important matters as the country is sliding into recession at an alarming pace.
Burnham wouldn't happen to be a rag would he ??
Andy Burnham is a life long Everton fan poor thing.
he wouldn't complain if his own team were financially set for life
Over opinionated no mark from a Government that has out lived it's usefulness by several years. Will lose his seat at the next election and fade back into obscurity. Do I really care what he thinks about City.. NO
CTID
Is he also against foreign ownership of our water, airports, car industry, health care companies, not to mention foreign ownership of the Labour party all through the Iraq war.
Err why didn't this over-interfering government mention this when Americans took over Liverpool, Villa and of course Manchester United not to mention the Russians at Chelsea and Pompey?
Bertie Blue nose: just because he wasn't a Minister at the time doesnt stop him commenting later - when he got a job Chelski and other teams were still in foreign ownership. Another point - how many people do you know who describe themselves as 'more perceptive than others'.
awwww didums.
No hint of jealously there really, is there? Where were his comments when Chelsea's money came into the club and they started buying top players? Where were his comments when the rags started buying top players? NO, so SHUT UP YOU PRAT
BristolStevefromOldham, bristol
11/09/2008 at 10:38
EXCELLENT comment. Why doesn't he start concentrating on more important issues. Its people like him that are part of the reason why this country is in the state it is at the moment.
This freeloading scouser should be congratulating City for bringing foreign investment into the City and no doubt the Treasuries coffers.
Does this clown forget that if our owners buy the stadium off the council,they are considering the regeneration of sportcity.
Now correct me if i,m wrong but this will create jobs for the community.
And further more do any of the so-called big four have a better youth acedemy than ours NO.
Typical polotician clueless.
What a prat
Why not just stop us from being allowed to compete in European football.
The rest of the worlds football teams are also getting richer. So it couldn't be the FA who inposed restrictions it would have to be FIFA or the rest of the world would carry on getting richer and before long there would be no English teams in any eupopean competitions as all the best players would be coining it in, in other leauges. The Premire leauge is the best in the world and it has got bigger and bigger since the big money came so lets not go and destroy one of the few things that we are still the best at.