Big Six chase bigger slice of the TV cash

THE Big Six threat to the continued stability of the Premier League over the distribution of overseas television income was again evident at last week’s clubs’ summit.

The two Manchester clubs, City and United, are once more at the forefront in trying to end the even split of the £3billion foreign proceeds for the next three-year rights deal,

City chief executive Ferran Soriano, who worked at Barcelona, cannot comprehend how Premier League teams who are most popular abroad do not benefit accordingly. And United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward is not far behind in demanding payments based on the number of TV appearances in the overseas markets.

A vote on the issue was delayed until the next meeting in September and ‘the supporting cast’, as the other 14 clubs were described, still have the majority to block any changes.

But most clubs seem to accept that changes are inevitable and one proposal is that some of the overseas pot is used to increase teams’ annual prize-money based on their final league position.

lTHE Scottish FA must decide whether to extend their lease on Hampden Park, which expires in 2020, for another 20 years. A detailed financial review will be completed next year. Some are in favour of taking the national team around the country, as England did during Wembley’s renovation. But the special iconic atmosphere at Hampden and the noise it can generate, which must have reached a new high after those two free-kicks from Leigh Griffiths (right), should make the decision a no-brainer provided the funds are in place to maintain the ground. THE FA are resigned to the three other home nations rejecting any involvement in sending a women’s football team to the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. So, after the Women’s European Championship this summer, England will start organising a side that can still be drawn from four countries.

lTHE Scottish and English FAs may not agree on Team GB football. But they are jointly writing to FIFA about an official plaque to be displayed at West of Scotland cricket ground in the Partick area of Glasgow, where the world’s first football international took place in 1872 between England and Scotland. Delegations from both associations visited the venue before the World Cup qualifier and agreed on combined efforts to bring more recognition to a historic pitch.