[ad_1]
The Manchester United and Liverpool “Project Big Picture” is already under intense pressure after bold plans to reform English football failed to win the support of their Premier League peers.
An extraordinary shareholders meeting this week is likely to be consumed by debate over leaked plans that would shrink the Premier League, give the English Football League more money, and cement the power of the top nine clubs with more years of service.
No Premier League club has come out publicly in favor of the scheme, and most are tepid at best on the idea. Some, however, were highly critical of the way the plans have been drawn up and it is understood that West Ham, one of the clubs that will benefit from the changes, is dismayed by the proposals.
In events that further increased the pressure, the government lashed out at Project Big Picture, calling on soccer to focus on rescuing clubs struggling during the Covid crisis. Meanwhile, EFL CEO David Baldwin resigned just four months into his post, while its president, Rick Parry, remained the only figure publicly backing the plans.
The EFL said Baldwin’s departure “was not tied to Project Big Picture” and that his decision “was made before the details of the proposals were made public over the weekend.”
When the 20 shareholders of the Premier League come together virtually, they will be clear on one thing: the league itself is firmly against Project Big Picture. Incandescent by Parry’s involvement, they see the plan as a power grab. Not just for the clubs, the big six, plus Everton, Southampton and West Ham, who would gain new voting rights as a “long-term shareholder”, but also for the EFL. On Sunday, Parry did not deny claims that he had offered separatist clubs a place in the Championship in case the planned changes failed.
Premier League officials believe that Project Big Picture, by eliminating the “one member, one vote” policy that has been a guiding principle since the division’s inception in 1992, will undermine its competitiveness. They also question the sums involved in the plans and whether the pooling of television rights between the EFL and the Premier League would generate a sufficient increase in revenue to help fund the pyramid.
However, other voices in the game believe that the EFL is an underrated competition, with the opportunity to grow its global audience even after Covid.
The Premier League continues to work on its own plans for a “strategic review” of the English game, although details are not given, and the absence of such top-flight proposals is believed to have frustrated the EFL during negotiations with the government. last months.
The government has spoken out firmly against the plans. The prime minister’s spokesman responded directly to questions on the matter saying: “It is clear that this proposal does not have the support of the entire Premier League and it is exactly these kinds of secret deals that undermine confidence in the governance of football.” .
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said he feared the plans would be a “takeover” and was “skeptical” of the idea. “There is money in sport, they should come together to fix it,” he told Sky News. “If we continue to have these agreements, we will have to look at the underlying governance of football. We promised a fan-led review on our manifesto and I must say that the events of the past few weeks have made this seem urgent. “
When approached, the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport did not elaborate on Dowden’s claims. In its final comments on the review in July, DCMS said: “We will shortly decide on the scope and structure of the review and will announce further details in due course.”
With growing uncertainty surrounding the future of clubs denied essential match day revenue by the Covid pandemic, there were calls for the immediate crisis to be separated from longer-term reforms.
Darren Bailey, a former director of football governance and regulation at the FA, said any restructuring of the game would be undermined if a bailout was not agreed to first.
“I don’t think the timelines will work if you do it through a Covid football bailout,” Bailey said. “I think if you can accept that there is a package that rescues the league in the short term, then you can focus your mind on discussing the bigger issues. There must be enough time to actually test the proposals. “
