Football split plan blasted as foul play
The Big Six and Rick Parry risk splitting game with secret plan that angers the Prem, fans and even the government
PLANS to kick two football clubs out of the Premier League were last night criticised by Whitehall.
Under proposals, led by Liverpool and Man United, the Premier League would go from 20 to 18 teams.
Lower leagues would also lose two clubs and the EFL Cup and Community Shield would be axed.
But the Premier League would spend £250million bailing out the remaining 70 clubs in the English Football League, and give the EFL 25% of its revenue.
The Dept for Culture, Media and Sport blasted it as a “back-room deal”.
Shadow Culture Secretary Jo Stevens called for the fan-led review promised in the Tory manifesto.
RICK PARRY has sparked civil war after cooking up a Premier League coup with Liverpool and Manchester United.
It provoked a furious reaction from the Premier League, other top-flight clubs and brought a stinging reaction from the Government. “We are surprised and disappointed that at a time of crisis when we have urged the
top tiers of professional football to come together and help lower league clubs there appear to be backroom deals being cooked up that would create a closed shop at the very top of the game,” said a spokesman for the Department for Digital, Media, Culture and Sport.
“Sustainability, integrity and fair competition are absolutely paramount and anything that may undermine them is deeply troubling.
“Fans must be front of all our minds.”
The Premier League do not view it as a rescue plan but as a hostile takeover and criticised EFL chairman Parry publicly in their own statement.
Mirror Sport understands it has caused a huge rift between the two leagues, endangering any EFL bailout. Liverpool’s owners Fenway Sports Group are believed to have initiated the plan, it has been supported by the United hierarchy but has been done without knowledge of the other clubs and is now in danger of collapsing before getting to first base.
The plan would give bigger clubs more power, the Premier League would be reduced to 18 clubs and the League Cup with the Community Shield scrapped in exchange for a £250million bailout for the EFL.
It comes at a time EFL clubs desperately need help, with the Covid-19 fan shut-out coming on top of financial hardship that has already accounted for League Two Bury (above).
The Premier League statement said: “A number of the proposals in the plan could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support.”
PREMIER League fat cat clubs exploiting the Covid crisis to squeeze even more money out of the game is despicable.
With fewer clubs to share the spoils of TV deals, more cash will inevitably roll in to the already bulging bank balances of the highly profitable elite.
The loyal fans of less well off teams may find their clubs’ boardrooms lapping up cash injections from Premier teams. But that won’t end the prospect of losing their favourite game in the long run, when the money runs out.
Because bouncing through fundamental change at this moment, using this smokescreen of cash is simply wrong.
Change can be a beneficial. But the fans must be properly consulted.