This is a battle for the very soul of our great game

ASTON VILLA chief executive Christian Purslow sat in his ivory tower and delivered his verdict on the fan-led review into English football.

He read the 162-page report and whined: “It’s gone too far.”

Purslow, in an interview on TALKSPORT, questioned the idea of a redistribution of wealth down football’s pyramid and the need for an independent regulator of Premier League clubs, saying fans must be careful what they wish for.

This is Aston Villa’s chief executive, folks.

If there is a more glaring example of why reform is needed, it’s in that kind of self-interest that has ruined OUR game – not his.

It doesn’t take much to see Purslow’s stance for what it is. Subjective, selfish twaddle.

For instance, in a startling revelation a few months ago, Villa’s decision-maker-in-chief came down as an opponent of the European Super League, calling the proposals “grotesque”. Needless to say, his club wasn’t invited.

Purslow (above) called upon football’s governing bodies to stop this power grab, using regulations to thwart the Big Six. So that regulation’s good, then. But the one now called for by Tracey Crouch MP, the report’s author, is bad. Only it isn’t.

Having read through all 162 pages myself, I’d say what Crouch is proposing is actually sensible and should bring positive benefits across all levels of football.

Why is that?

Because she got off her backside and talked to the people who matter – the fans. At length.

The document proposes licensing backed by strict financial regulations. Tick. No more “gambling for success”. Tick. A more rigorous test for owners and directors. Tick. Investment “up front and committed”. Tick.

As for a levy on transfers in the Premier League to fund the pyramid... hallelujah!

Why is any of this bad?

What is Purslow’s problem? There is, of course, supreme irony in the stance of Villa’s executive. Not just on one level, but on two – and both very close to home.

Barely three miles away from Villa Park is an object lesson in what can happen if owners are left to run amok.

Birmingham City were effectively debt-free when sold to Hong Kong businessman Carson Yeung 11 years ago.

One money-laundering owner has been and gone, replaced by a faceless, unaccountable mob in the Far East who have saddled the club with £120million of debt and mortgaged St Andrew’s to the hilt.

That’s bad enough. But there’s a higher level of irony. A Premier League level, if you will.

Just three years ago, Villa themselves were saved from administration by their current owners after another Chinese owner, Tony Xia, gambled and lost.

No wonder regulation is bad when you’ve spent £400million since then and have wealthy owners on a mission to smash their way into the elite.

But that’s a minor percentage of the football family.

Villa are not Bury, Macclesfield or the 60 other clubs that have gone into administration since the formation of the Premier League.

Despite what Purslow thinks, these proposals are long overdue.

Football has lost its soul. It’s now being forced to find it again.