Nigel Farage 'invited' to visit Sunderland's ground; says English football doesn't need a regulator

Nigel Farage says he has been ‘invited’ to visit Sunderland’s ground; he also says English football doesn’t need a regulator.

He spoke in an interview, which has since emerged via ITV News, with Reform UK sources saying he was was reportedly due to visit the Stadium of Light this week, however, the meeting wasn’t arranged.

This comes days after he caused controversy by appeared and toured around Ipswich’s Portman Road, being condemned by supporters’ groups.

The Reform UK leader went to Sunderland to launch his party’s local election campaign, and said to the media that he hopes to attend a Sunderland home fixture in the coming weeks.

“I’ve been talking to one of the directors, and they’d very much like to see me there for a home game,” Farage told ITV News.

“If I can make it, I will.”

Nigel Farage offered Sunderland Stadium of Light visit by club director

‘They’d very much like to see me there for a home game’ Farage told ITV News

Read more: https://t.co/LbHF6SDC6f pic.twitter.com/pIw56Evy1u

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) March 27, 2026

ITV News says that Juan Sartori, who owns a 34% stake in the club in Sunderland AFC, extended the invitation.

He met Nigel Farage at the World Economic Forum in Davos earlier in the year, and expressed admiration for the politician.

The Uruguay born 45 year old, who founded Union Capital Group, which is one of Uruguay’s largest investment firms, went into the world of politics in 2019, came runner-up in the leadership contest for the right-wing National Party, and was elected to the Uruguayan Senate later on.

Nigel Farage offered Sunderland Stadium of Light visit by club director

ITV News Political Correspondent @harry_horton reports:https://t.co/LbHF6SDC6f

— ITVPolitics (@ITVNewsPolitics) March 27, 2026

“Clubs should want to talk to me,” Farage said ITV News on his visit to Sunderland.

“The government is about to bring in a regulator and I think the last thing English football needs – given what a massive success the Premier League – is a state appointed regulator.

“It’s a conversation I had at Ipswich the other day and I’ll have at Sunderland before very long and I want to speak to all the clubs about this.”

Farage denied he was being endorsed by Sunderland AFC. “It’s not about support,” he said. “It’s about a football club being open to leaders of national political parties.”

Here’s how social media users reacted, with Nigel Farage ‘invited’ to visit Sunderland’s ground, and says English football doesn’t need a regulator…

@followthetowen: @IpswichTown 🤝 @SunderlandAFC

@AdamFulwell_: Disgraceful and distasteful from a director (@JuanSartoriUY) who’s clearly barely spent any actual time in the region to know this is a massive slap in the face. A socialist and trade union football club being used to peddle some political bullshit is shameful. Reconsider.

@newtsfever: Football absolutely needs a regulator you bell end. The game doesn’t stop and start with the EPL. He’s so out of touch it’s insane. If you think this man has your best interests in his heart and party, you’re going to learn the hard way.

@civetta: Feel for everyone at the Foundation of Light who do incredible stuff every day that is diametrically opposed to everything this bloke advocates for.

@CrosbieDaniel: An insult to the club, our proud history, and everything it stands for

@_WildfellHall: ‘Club directors met Farage at WEF’ This underlines part of the prob of having big business & finance owning what once were community clubs. Hyper-capitalism is so entwined in football today, & it seems they will act in their own self interests, not the club or the local community

@mackem360: @SunderlandAFC don’t do this. You’d divide the fan base in a heartbeat after working so hard to bring us all together over the last 4 years.

@Fantanafest73: No politician, whatever their affiliation, should be anywhere near ANY football club unless it’s the one they support as a fan. Period. There are 45000 #safc fans at the SOL on any given home match, all of whom have different politics and it should stay well out of footy. 👍🏻

@DanielJames2203: “Keep politics out of football. And when I say that I mean your politics. Mine is ok”

@twoclarkkents: Can he explain what is wrong with a football regulator? He’s not told us what they’ll plan to do that’s so bad? He’s cited the PL as a success story. What about the rest of the pyramid? What about Sky? He knows about as much about football as I know about fox hunting.

@DavidHindmarsh7: Fuck right off with this @SunderlandAFC

@CRVisuals_: Last thing we need is this shit. Absolutely not!

@lukejcr: Farage has ignored football for YEARS. Except of course when he opposed creating a new independent regulator to stand up for fans. But this week? Suddenly he’s at Ipswich. Now he’s talking about Sunderland. Why? Opportunism. It’s not about fixing the real problems in the sport; discrimination, clubs on the brink, or working-class families being priced out. It’s about himself, not the fans. And I’m absolutely sick of it.

@chazsafc11: We as fans of the club really need to rise up against this. Politics should be nowhere near football and especially that prat. Not a classy move from @JuanSartoriUY. Disappointed and the club should’ve known better than to let this happen. #SAFC