Gartside calls for action on foreign takeovers (go back to the homepage) WANDERERS chairman Phil Gartside wants restrictions put in place to prevent foreign-based businessmen spoiling the game. Having watched multi-millionaires such as Roman Abramovich, Milan Mandaric and Malcolm Glazer transform the landscape of English football with their seemingly bottomless resources, the Reebok chief has called for action from the Premier League to keep competition healthy. West Ham were the latest club sold to a foreign-based investor, with Icelandic businessman Eggert Magnusson heading a consortium which bought out former chairman Terrence Brown in a deal worth £85 million. But Gartside argues that despite the massive financial boost to the game, the current vogue for foreign investment should be more carefully controlled by the league top brass. He said: "I'm not sure it is a good thing for the Premier League. It distorts the competition when someone can come in and pour £200-300 million into a club. "We are seeing it too often now. There are now five, six, maybe seven clubs that are going to be foreign-owned with unlimited resources. "I don't think it's a good thing and I think it is up to the Premier League and the chairmen to rectify the situation and try and put some restriction on it."