Sport Resolutions was appointed to form and provide secretariat services to the EFL’s Club Financial Review Panel (CFRP) in 2022 summer, which is an independently appointed expert panel ensuring consistency and independence to decision making in respect of matters relating to Financial Regulations.
At an Extraordinary General Meeting on Thursday 8 December 2022, EFL clubs approved unanimously the appointment of the CFRP.
The CFRP will be chaired by Mr Christopher Quinlan KC, and it will also comprise of Mr Jonathan Bellamy (Legal Member and Vice-Chair), Mr Geoff Mesher (Audit Member), Mr Dan Jones (Audit Member), Mr Nick Igoe (Football Member) and Ms Alison Royston (Football Member).
Sport Resolutions will ensure independence and expertise throughout the operation of the CFRP.
- Mr Christopher Quinlan KC (Chair)
Christopher Quinlan KC is a highly experienced chairman of numerous sport disciplinary bodies and panels. He is the Chair of World Rugby’s Judicial Panel and the FA Judicial Panel Chairman. He is the author of various Quinlan Reviews, including those into events at Wrexham Tennis Centre, the BHA’s disciplinary processes and evaluating the safeguarding provisions in UK Athletics. He is firmly established as a leading member of the Sports Bar in England & Wales.
- Mr Jonathan Bellamy (Legal Member and Vice-Chair)
Jonathan Bellamy has an established litigation, arbitration and advisory practice in commercial law, and is ranked as a leading barrister in the UK in international arbitration, insurance and reinsurance and professional sport. In addition to his counsel practice, he sits as sole and panel arbitrator in national and international commercial and professional sport arbitrations. Jonathan is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a practising Chartered Arbitrator in commercial and professional sport sectors. He is a legal member of the FA Judicial Panel, the Sport Resolutions’ Panel and the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators’ Presidential Panel of Commercial Arbitrators. He also sits as a Recorder in the civil and criminal courts.
- Mr Geoff Mesher (Audit Member)
Geoff Mesher is an experienced forensic accountant, having worked for KPMG for 17 years and also 2½ years as a Forensic Partner with Grant Thornton. Geoff carries out forensic accounting and investigation work and has produced many expert reports and worked on numerous loss of profit and valuation engagements arising from a wide range of commercial, matrimonial and other disputes. He is a Member of the Academy of Experts and a Certified Fraud Examiner with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners.
- Mr Dan Jones (Audit Member)
Dan Jones is a charted accountant with 25 years of sports business advisory experience. He was the lead Partner for Deloitte’s Sports Business Group globally until May 2022.
Dan has advised many high profile clients in football and other sports including clubs, leagues, governing bodies, governments, agencies, investors and commercial partners on issues including strategic, commercial, financial, regulatory, organisational and structural matters. He has produced expert witness reports and appeared as an expert in a number of sports business regulatory cases.
He was a member of the advisory panel assisting Tracey Crouch MP on the Independent Fan Led Review of Football Governance in 2021 and the editor of Deloitte’s Football Money League and Annual Review of Football Finance for 20 years.
- Mr Nick Igoe (Football Member)
Nick Igoe is a Chartered Accountant with over twenty years’ experience working in football both at a senior executive level and latterly as a consultant. In that time, he has acquired a unique knowledge of all aspects of football finance and the regulatory regime at all levels of the game from Premier League down to the National League System. Nick is a member of both the Premier League Judicial Panel and Sport Resolutions' Panel.
- Ms Alison Royston (Football Member)
Alison Royston is hugely experienced in football administration, including previous roles as Head of Administration with Leeds United and the Premier League.
She has since returned to racing as a member of the British Horseracing Authority’s Independent Judicial Panel, and is also a member of the FA Judicial Panel & a member of the Sport Resolutions’ Panel.
