Fans set for TV football bonanza!
THE Premier League is pushing ahead with Project Restart plans and it could see five backto-back matches televised every Saturday and Sunday, handing fans a TV bonanza.
Staggered kick-offs at 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm will create a feast of action every week as the league pushes to complete the 2019/20 campaign following a lengthy suspension due to the coronavirus crisis.
The Premier League is also looking to get the majority of the 92 remaining matches this season played on weekends, meaning the end of the season is likely to be in August - which will push back the start of the 2020/21 campaign.
However, there is also a push from broadcasters to show games in a Champions League style format that sees double headers with games at 6pm and 8pm.
The fixture list is set to be discussed at length in the next shareholders’ meeting along with plans for the TV schedule, as they look to find a balance of finishing the campaign quickly but also spreading out games for TV and helping clubs reduce the risk of injuries.
Premier League clubs are said to be keen to accommodate the broadcasters’ demands as they face huge bills of £340m to pay back to TV companies even if the season is completed and a staggering £762m if the remaining matches cannot be played.
Government officials have urged the Premier League to make some of the games freeto-air on terrestrial TV but the idea of BBC getting live games is unlikely to go down well with Sky and BT.
PHIL Hodgkinson’s suggestion for player wages to be cut to help clubs combat the impact of the Covid-19 crisis in football has been backed by Crystal Palace chairman Simon Jordan, who has given an idea for how a salary cap could be implemented.
Town chairman Hodgkinson has spoken recently on the challenges the coronavirus is posing the game and the potentially dire financial consequences which could follow as a result.
In separate interviews, he has warned that up to 60 EFL clubs could go out of business within the next 12 months as a result of the pandemic due to financial pressures it has brought about and if they do not receive monetary aid.
He has also warned that, further down the line, the Championship clubs could be affected should the lower reaches of the football pyramid start to collapse with the crippling financial impact of the disease.
And Hodgkinson has also suggested that player wage cuts up to 50 per cent could be a way forward for the game.
EFL chairman Rick Parry said the League is facing a £200m black hole as a result of coronavirus and the economic strain is already starting to tell, with League Two clubs having already cut their season short and League One pondering whether or not to follow suit.
I believe we absolutely
need to move very quickly to salary caps and that includes the
Premier League
Hodgkinson believes a salary cap is needed at domestic and European levels for players.
He said: “I do believe we absolutely need to move very quickly to salary caps, and that includes the Premier League, and that includes European leagues because FIFA and UEFA need to get involved at that level to make sure that English clubs that are in Europe aren’t penalised unfairly.
“When you get into the Championship, you would need more governance around it.
“You can’t just be handing this out and you might be looking at a mixture of grants and loans to help