Leeds’ Angus stake grouse

COMPARING the fan-led review of football to “communism” and “Maoism” was an overblown response from Leeds CEO Angus Kinnear.

Writing in Leeds United’s matchday programme, Kinnear (below) claimed the review was “akin to Maoist collective agriculturalism” and “it will not make the English game fairer, it will kill the competition, which is its very lifeblood”.

China’s Great Leap Forward led to the deaths of up to 45million people.

Football’s great leap under Tracey Crouch’s ideas will see fans properly engaged, with a regulator to act early to prevent financial mismanagement and overspending that lead to clubs going bust, plus more trickle-down of cash to the grassroots.

Kinnear stuck his neck out early, and is probably only echoing what all Prem owners and chief execs think.

The biggest concern seems to be a 10 percent transfer levy on top-flight clubs and how that could be used to prop up Championship clubs – many with very wealthy owners – who are overspending and in debt.

And there is a valid point to be debated there. “Teams further down the pyramid do not need their means artificially inflated, they need to live within them,” wrote Kinnear. Indeed.

Leeds’ means are such that they posted losses in excess of £60million for the 2019-20 season as they won promotion to the Premier League.

Another of Kinnear’s statements read: “Football is a private-sector business and has flourished that way.”

Well, it has flourished in a way that sees a TV-cash boom for the elite, player salaries soar, agents cream off millions, and ticket prices continue to go up for fans everywhere.

Debt in the Premier League stands at £4billion, Championship debt is £1.3bn, with operating losses of £434m for the 2019/20 season, says the Football Supporters’ Association.

Since the formation of the Premier League, clubs from the English game have gone into administration on 62 occasions. Strange sort of flourishing.