Rick Parry piles pressure on Premier League to finally strike EFL financial deal
Rick Parry is turning up the heat on the Premier League to reach a financial deal for the EFL.
Government sources say the Football Governance Bill is in the “absolute final stages” before entering Parliament, but the EFL insist the Premier League has yet to make a formal offer. EFL chair Parry says the Premier League has missed an opportunity to strike a deal without leaving it up to a new independent regulator to impose a financial package.
Parry, who was addressing clubs and MPs at the All Party Parliamentary Group for Football at the House of Lords, said: “We haven’t had an offer from the Premier League. Let’s be clear.
“Let’s also make it clear that’s a matter of choice. The Premier League have decided not to make an offer. They could have done at any time over the last 30 years - and they haven’t.
“It’s quite telling to look at the four years since we’ve been at this. 2020 we really started saying we needed a fundamental financial reset.
Teachers, civil servants and train drivers walk out in biggest strike in decade
“What’s happened since then? The White Paper published established there was a £4billion gap between the turnover of Premier League clubs and Championship clubs. By the time 2023 accounts are published, that will have grown to £5billion.
“Secondly, if we look at where the Premier League sits with other European leagues in terms of competitive balance, we did some analysis in 2019 and we discovered that the Premier League was paying £1.6bn more than the other four major leagues in Europe.
“That’s an enormous chasm. Since then, that gap has widened to £2bn. They’re outstripping the opposition. Finally, in the three years since 2020/21, the Premier League has decided collectively to increase its wage bill by £500m. Again, that is choice. There’s no sane economic reason for doing it. That’s what the clubs have decided to do.
Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, Media, and Sport is closely monitoring the situation (PA Wire/PA Images)“We have been prepared to compromise and what we are looking for is a 75-25 split of media revenues. We want to move away from the cliff edge, want to remove parachute payments and make our clubs solvent. The 75-25 split does that.
“Had the Premier League agreed to that 75-25 split in 2021, it would have cost them £285m a year. A significant sum of money. But instead they decided to increase their wage bill by 500m.
“So don’t ever say they can’t afford it. This is about desire and priority. Football can’t do this. It needs an independent view.”
The Premier League had been a discussing a £900m “New Deal” package over six years for the EFL but talks stalled at the end of last year because the 20 clubs could not reach agreement.
They are up against the clock to find a fresh proposal before the next Premier League shareholders’ meeting next month with the EFL keen to find a better solidarity deal for clubs away from parachute payments and figures which are outdated.
Premier League clubs smashed through the £2billion barrier in a record-breaking transfer window last summer. They also spent £830m which was a record last January. Despite spending a small fraction of that so far this month, the figures only increase the pressure to find a deal.
Reading fans protest with their club on the brink (PA)Crisis club Reading are on the brink and is the latest example of the EFL needing help and the average fan will need no persuading that the top flight could be more generous.
Richard 'shuts up' GMB guest who says Hancock 'deserved' being called 'd***head'
But the Premier League often point to the Championship having wealthy owners and ask the question as to why they should have to bail out badly run clubs.
However, Lucy Frazer, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, is now watching closely to see whether football can sort itself out - without being ordered to do so by a new regulator.
Meanwhile, Mansfield boss Nigel Clough has said it is “very sad” that the mega-rich Premier League does not want to help the rest of football.
Clough insists it is a poor reflection on the English game that the top flight will not willingly give more financial aid to the EFL and is having to be forced into it by a new independent regulator.
Nigel Clough has called on Premier League clubs to be more generous (Robbie Jay Barratt/AMA)He said: “It’s in the Premier League’s best interests to have a strong EFL and to have a strong non-league because ultimately that’s where their players will come from or experience to become the players they do. We’ve got this incredible product, we haven’t created it,, we’ve just evolved football over 100 years, and we’re so fortunate it’s bringing us rewards beyond our wildest dreams.
“But wouldn’t it be lovely if the Premier League came and sat down: ‘we recognise the EFL, the contribution of the EFL and below and everything, I’ll tell you what, we don’t need a regulator because we would like to help, we would like to come and help you, let’s even things out, we’ve got enough.’
“It’s not like as if they’re going to be skint or anything like that, we’re not talking about taking a 50-50 split or anything like that, it’s about helping these clubs in these communities by association and everything.
“There’s more than enough to go around and it makes me feel very sad that it has to come to this, to a parliamentary bill or whatever, to actually impose it. It would be much, much nicer if it was voluntary.”
The Premier League have insisted that they have made several proposals to the EFL and Parry has even come back with counter offers.
Premier League chief executive Richard Masters said last week that the next shareholders’ meeting between the 20 clubs will be held over two days and the deal is already on the agenda for the second day. Masters added: “Where there is a will there is a way.
“The watchword of the day is financial regulation within sport and within football, and a system has yet to be fully agreed on how championship clubs, relegated clubs and premier league clubs operate a common system.”
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
