Premier League reject MPs' proposals

BRITISH MPs yesterday made a raft of recommendations to narrow the gap between the haves and have-nots of English football but the Premier League immediately indicated its clubs would reject every key proposal.

The All Party Football Group, a committee representing 150 MPs and peers, published the conclusion of its nine-month investigation into football finances.

The panel, chaired by Alan Keen MP, interviewed 42 key figures in the sport including officials from the Football Association, Premier League and Football League and even shelled out £1,000 of their own money to pay the costs of producing the report.

Keen called on the Premier League to double the 5% cut of TV income they give to the Football League and Conference providing a £30million-a-year windfall to hard-up smaller clubs.

But the Premier League, which effectively holds the purse-strings of soccer in Britain due to the enormous commercial success of the elite division, indicated its clubs would turn down the idea as they would suggestions of disclosing agents' fees, widening the spread of TV cash within its own league and wage-capping.

Keen said: "We must change the 20 Premier League clubs' views and I think our recommendations will be taken very seriously.

"We want to convince them football will be damaged in the medium to long-term if they pursue their policies. The big clubs in control of the money really need to see the danger and reduce the flow of money they get."

But, within two hours of the report's noon launch, Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore effectively dashed MPs' hopes.

Scudamore, asked whether the 20 clubs he represents would back the 5% increase in TV cash to the Football League, said: "I can't see it happening.

"It is completely unlikely that the clubs will sign up to writing another cheque for another 5%. And, quite frankly, in an untargeted and unspecified way, we don't think it would address the issues the game has.

"The clubs already give money to the Football Foundation, the PFA and also in parachute payments.

"We give away £68m, 12% of our revenue, to the Football League, Football Foundation and PFA and that's the envy of every other football association across Europe," he said.