Football regulator faces 'defining test' over potential Derby investment

Football regulator faces 'defining test' over potential Derby investmentImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Turki Al-Sheikh previously owned Spanish club Almeria - a club now part owned by Cristiano RonaldoByAndrew AloiaBBC Sport, East MidlandsPublished7 minutes agoEnglish football's independent regulator faces a "defining test" as Saudi Arabian government official Turki Al-Sheikh attempts to invest in Derby County, says Amnesty International.Al-Sheikh, who has previously owned football clubs in Spain and Egypt and is now among the most powerful figures in world boxing, is looking to buy a stake in the Championship side.As chairman of Saudi Arabia's General Sports Authority - and someone who is a prominent figure in the close circle of the country's de facto ruler Mohammed bin Salman - 44-year-old Al-Sheikh has been criticised by human rights groups for his role in alleged 'sportswashing' by Saudi Arabia.Saudi Arabia has been accused of using sport and culture to improve its reputation and to distract from the nation's poor human rights record, treatment of women, use of the death penalty and its anti-LGBT stance.Al-Sheikh will need approval from the independent football regulator (IFR) - a body that was formed only last year to safeguard the future and integrity of the game. The IFR has establish a new owners, directors and senior executives test, taking over the responsibility previously held by English Football League when it came to new investment in Championship sides.Both bodies, as well as Derby County, have declined to comment on Al-Sheikh's interest in the Championship side when contacted by the BBC, as have Al-Sheikh's representatives."This is a defining test for English football's new independent regulator," said Felix Jakens, head of campaigns at human rights group Amnesty International UK."Will it allow a senior representative of a government directly implicated in mass...