Now we’ll take stand
Top-flight clubs’ U-turn
RICHARD SCUDAMORE says the Premier League are ready to back safe standing.
The League’s chief executive is behind a government review into the issue and believes fans are broadly in favour.
Premier League surveys suggest
70 per cent of supporters want to be given the choice to stand, although only five per cent want to be on their feet for
90 minutes. Scudamore (inset) said: “We want to create a position where clubs have the choice, if they want to, to offer an alternative to all-seater. We’re going to have to change the law if it’s going to move.
“It’s about getting to a situation where we manage standing.”
League One side Shrewsbury will become the first in England and Wales to provide safe standing, with 555 rail seats being installed at New Meadow.
Manchester City, Tottenham and West Ham are among several top-flight clubs also interested in taking part in a pilot scheme on the issue.
But Scudamore added: “Our main fear is that we have one standing area and total enforcement of sitting elsewhere. “We don’t want this to be used for the zealots to take over.”
Scudamore also said that Premier League clubs voted
18-2 at Thursday’s annual meeting in favour of giving the ‘Big Six’ a greater share of the income from overseas TV rights.
And he announced a move to work with the FA on 17 recommendations to clamp down on agents.
It was also confirmed yesterday that Premier League clubs will have a winter break in February from the 2019-20 season. The FA Cup fifth round will be moved to midweek to accommodate the break, which will be split over two weeks with
10 teams sitting out the first weekend’s top-flight programme and 10 the following weekend.