The UK Government and English Premier league body have rejected the bid to restructure the league, and urged all club stakeholders to continue to work together to achieve a common good.
This statement was made following the planned restructuring of the premier league as proposed by owners of Liverpool and Manchester United.
The biggest changes would be that the Premier League shrink to 18 teams from its current 20, perhaps as soon as 2022, and transfer critical decision-making power in the league from the consensus-driven model that has been at its core for three decades to one in which a handful of the richest teams get a bigger say.
The details were first reported by The Daily Telegraph and later confirmed by the English Football League, the organization that represents the 72 clubs below the Premier League.
We have seen media reports today regarding a plan to restructure football in this country.
English football is the world’s most watched, and has a vibrant, dynamic and competitive league structure that drives interest around the globe.
To maintain this position, it is important that we all work together.
Both the Premier League and The FA support a wide-ranging discussion on the future of the game, including its competition structures, calendar and overall financing particularly in light of the effects of COVID-19.
Football has many stakeholders, therefore this work should be carried out through the proper channels enabling all clubs and stakeholders the opportunity to contribute.
In the Premier League’s view, a number of the individual proposals in the plan published today could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support.
The Premier League has been working in good faith with its clubs and the EFL to seek a resolution to the requirement for COVID-19 rescue funding.
This work will continue. – Premier League said in an official statement.
Liverpool and Manchester United did not respond to requests for comment.
The British government also expressed its displeasure, accusing the clubs behind the plan of cooking up “back room deals” that would, according to a spokesman for the department responsible for sports, “create a closed shop at the very top of the game.”
