Minister progress for Rovers Action Group - and the FA next (From Lancashire Telegraph)

Minister progress for Rovers Action Group - and the FA next

9:00am Thursday 14th June 2012 in Football By Andy Cryer , Blackburn Rovers reporter

Blackburn Rovers Action Group will meet the FA today to discuss their concerns over Venky’s running of the club – having held “encouraging” discussions with sports minister Hugh Robertson yesterday.

Three members of BRAG met Robertson at Westminster yesterday, along with MPs Jack Straw, Graham Jones and Jake Berry, to continue their efforts to have Venky’s chaotic 19-month Rovers regime investigated.

Richard Speak, a representative of the Blackburn Rovers Investment Trust, who are bidding to bring the club into community ownership, was also at the meeting.

Robertson has now agreed to raise the issues with the ‘relevant authorities’.

The Rovers action group have already met with Premier League chief Richard Scudamore and, after he passed on their concerns to the FA, will now meet with English football’s governing body today.

The delegation met Robertson yesterday with aim of getting the government to look into regulating football and were delighted with the response.

BRAG chairman Glenn Mullan, said: “We are thrilled to bits with how it went. The minister was very welcoming and allowed us to put our case across. I would like to thank the MPs who helped us get our case across.

“He has now asked us to get our key points and questions together and he will then take these to the relevant authorities and ask for them to be looked into and answered.

“He also said they are looking for ways the national game can be regulated. The meeting could not have gone much better.

“We have now spoken to the Premier League, to the govern-ment and will speak to the FA tomorrow. We are being taken seriously and are determined to keep our efforts going.”

Former Home Secretary Straw said: “We have agreed we will draft a letter to Hugh outlining our key issues that we talked about and he has agreed to take these to the FA and the Premier League.

“We feel as though progress has been made.”

Jake Berry, MP for Rossendale and Darwen, said; “It was a really useful meeting. It was a fantastic turn out from the BRFC supporters and the minister has agreed to raise the questions with the FA and/or the Premier League.”