EXCLUSIVE Revealed: The Chinese billionaire brother and sister at the centre of football regulator chaos that sees historic 153-year-old club on the brink of a 'painful death' while Sir Keir Starmer is under pressure to save England being banned from the Euros By Iwan Stone and Chris Matthews Published: 21:42, 19 September 2024 | Updated: 22:17, 19 September 2024 e-mail View comments A Chinese billionaire brother and sister have been slammed after leaving one of Britain's oldest clubs on the brink of a 'painful death' - as fans begged Keir Starmer to face down UEFA over a regulation row that threatens to see England banned from its own Euros. The European soccer governing body's general secretary Theodore Theodoridis warned the government that the Three Lions could be banned from the tournament they are co-hosting, saying that there should be 'no government interference in the running of football'. Proposed plans would give a new regulator the power to oversee clubs in England's top five leagues - which Starmer says is compatible with what Uefa say is a 'fundamental requirement' to maintain the game's independence.
Fans of stricken Reading Football Club say the proposed oversight is essential to stopping other clubs falling victim to deeply unpopular owners like their own, who are accused of running the 153-year-old club into the ground. Dai Yongge, 56, and his sister Xiu Li, 61, bought Britain's fifth oldest club in 2017 with the goal of returning it to the Premier League . .