I am concerned for lower league clubs .. but we have to look after our own staff first
BRIGHTON CHIEF BARBER ON POTENTIAL EFL BAILOUT
BRIGHTON chief executive Paul Barber has offered a passionate defence as to why Premier League clubs must look after themselves before offering an EFL bailout.
Top- flight clubs are coming under Government pressure to help the cash- strapped
EFL, with several League One and Two clubs facing ruin because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Barber (above) said the Premier League does want to help but are hamstrung because of the Government’s U-turn on allowing fans back into stadiums.
And he stressed that clubs like Brighton must look after their own staff as their No.1 priority.
He said: “We are very concerned about the football pyramid and also the lack of gate receipts which is so important to them, but also for our club. We have spent 111 of our 119-year history in the EFL, so we are very aware of how difficult it is to operate at that level.
“But right now my job as chief executive is to maintain the 2,000 jobs which I am directly responsible for in this club, in this city.
“That’s got to be my first priority and it’s my legal responsibility. The football economy is already sustained to a large extent by what happens at Premier League clubs but we are also aware that we’ve all come from the pyramid at some point. “It’s vital that we are able to sustain our own businesses if we are expected to help others. Most clubs have avoided the Government’s furlough scheme – we’ve not benefitted from grants or loans and we have stood on our own two feet.
“It’s important to understand there’s already a lot of money which flows from the Premier League to the EFL in transfer fees, participation in EFL competitions, parachute payments and a whole range of payments.”
Premier League clubs are deadlocked on a potential EFL bailout, with many insisting that until the Government changes their stance on crowds being let back in they cannot expect clubs to help out.
They want the Government to review its decision to put crowds on hold, and Barber insists that topflight clubs can stage games safely.
He said: “On August 30 we staged a pilot event with 2,500 people for a friendly match against Chelsea. We put in place at great cost a huge amount of mitigation measures.
“We got overwhelming support from the fans that were in the stadium saying how safe they felt and how enjoyable it was for them to be back. Now we have taken a gigantic step back.
“We’re being asked to support the football pyramid, but what we’re asking is to be able to sustain our own businesses to put us in a better position to be able to do that.”