EFL adds new guidelines to its Owners and Directors' Test

EFL clubs voted to approve several changes, including the addition of new disqualifying conditions which the league says will ensure alignment with the Premier League.

Ownership criteria has been on the mind of Morecambe supporters for the last few months, given the club was put up for sale last September and Sarbjot Johal’s proposed takeover shows no sign of being concluded one way or another.

The updated OADT includes 11 new measures, such as disqualifying individuals who are subject to sanctions, prohibiting ownership by state entities from countries which are sanctioned, as well as second (or further) bankruptcies, convictions and bans: even if expired or spent.

Other disqualifying conditions include convictions for violent offences, convictions for fraud of any kind, disqualification for wider corporate insolvencies, disqualifications by a wider range of government bodies and removal as a trustee of a pension scheme by the pensions’ regulator or the courts.

The final three conditions are the expulsion of sporting clubs in other sports as the League does for football clubs, expanding the period in which insolvency of a company or club counts against a director who has resigned from 30 days to one year and reducing the definition of control from 30 per cent to 25 per cent.

The OADT has also been updated to treat anybody undergoing an investigation, which may lead to a disqualifying condition, as being subject to a disqualifying condition until such time as they clear the allegations.

Away from the OADT, the EFL has also moved to try and cut down on time wasting via the introduction of a multi-ball system.

It has also been agreed to end the drying of balls via towels or other objects: a system which can help those clubs who have long throw specialists.

A statement said: “The EFL will introduce a multi-ball system in all its competitions for the 2023/24 season.

“Match balls will be placed on cones in designated areas at pitchside to help increase the time of the ball being in play.

“Meanwhile, clubs will no longer be permitted to use towels or other articles, including items obtained from spectators to dry footballs during matches.”