We wanted to hold Carabao Cup draw in outer space, says Harvey
Former chief executive tells Ben Rumsby how Bury’s demise shows need for EFL action
It is not the things he did but the things he did not do that Shaun Harvey regrets most about his time running the English Football League. Such as failing to convince its clubs to back a rule change that might have saved Bury, or being forced to scrap plans to stage the Carabao Cup draw in outer space.
“Genuinely, we opened up discussions with the International Space Station,” Harvey says, in his first interview since being ousted as EFL chief executive.
But it is not the Carabao Cup, nor its comically shambolic draws, that has convinced Harvey to break his four-month silence. It is instead the most serious of the things he has been vilified for from his six years in charge of the EFL: the expulsion of one of its oldest clubs.
And while he admits “nobody can be completely blameless” for Bury’s “tragic” demise, he wants it known he did propose measures that might just have prevented it. Namely, the EFL being given the power to take control of financially stricken sides and, if necessary, find them a new owner.
He even went public with the plan two years ago before it was debated by the League’s then 72 members. But to no avail. Now, he hopes that doing so again in the wake of the Bury scandal will prompt a rethink.
“I don’t think anybody would argue that Bury wouldn’t have warranted it,” he says of his plan, which would give the League the right to “step in” when owners such as Steve Dale failed to pay wages and bills or provide proof of funds. But what about stopping the likes of Dale buying an EFL club in the first place?
Harvey admits its much-derided owners’ and directors’ test “can definitely be strengthened” if clubs want, but also warns: “If the eligibility test is too severe, you could actually bring about the finishing of the club – which is the thing that you’re looking to avoid.”
Of Bury’s expulsion three months after he left, he adds: “I feel deeply sorry for all those impacted by this, and particularly the fans.”
It is not just fans of Bury but those of many other clubs to have faced, or are still facing, a similar fate who have found somebody to blame in Harvey. Even Steve Gibson, the Middlesbrough owner, has branded the Harvey regime “absolutely hopeless”.
Which brings us to the legal action against the EFL by Boro over the stadium sales by Derby County and others. Harvey denies a 2016 rule change opening the door to such a practice for the purposes of complying with Financial Fair Play regulations was an “oversight” and says it is for clubs to decide whether they close it again.
But he adds this should be in conjunction with other reforms to improve competitive balance across the game and help curb mounting losses by sides. They include slashing parachute payments to relegated clubs and introducing mandatory wage cuts for their players, ones that could be repaid as a “bonus” to the same players in the event of promotion.
Harvey also stands by the decision which cost him his job, the EFL’S signing of a £595 million five-year television deal with Sky Sports that even now threatens a Championship breakaway.
He adds his only regret about taking the Carabao Cup draws overseas was staging one of them at 4.15am UK time.
He describes his biggest achievements as boosting the number of home-grown players on team sheets and “making more money for clubs than they’ve ever had centrally before”.