Richard Scudamore
Premier League chairman under fire for his £5million ‘golden goodbye’
It did not take long for the backlash to begin. A suggestion by Chelsea’s Bruce Buck that every Premier League club chip in £250,000 as a £5million “leaving gift” for outgoing chairman Richard Scudamore was met with scorn and derision by fans across the country.
“It appears clubs can stick their hands down the back of the sofa and find £250,000 at a moment’s notice,” the Football Supporters’ Federation said in a statement. “Fans strongly oppose the ‘golden handshake’ and we urge clubs not to make a decision which is hugely unpopular with supporters.”
Many fans complained that the money could be far better spent on grass-roots projects, while others pointed out that 16 of the 20 current Premier League clubs do not pay their lowest-paid staff the living wage.
It was a move that summed up the greed – and the isolation – of clubs at the top of the English football pyramid.
West Ham United chairman David Gold declared: “It’s all very appropriate and we’re all very pleased. The clubs will support the action.”
But the plan was quickly revised and Scudamore, who will be replaced by Discovery TV executive Susanna Dinnage, will now be paid the £5m from central Premier League funds over three years.
Scudamore will keep a consultancy role, which effectively keeps him from working elsewhere – such as for La Liga, who have ambitions to expand internationally, or the Football League, whose new £595m deal with Sky has not pleased certain Championship clubs.
In the eyes of Premier League owners, Bristol-born salesman Scudamore could do no wrong since arriving in 1999 from a similar position with the Football League. Although he has courted controversy during his reign – notably over his advocacy of the overseas Game 39 – club chairmen welcomed the extraordinary TV revenues that he negotiated. The Premier League’s TV deal, which was worth £679m in 1999, is currently worth £5.14billion.