Premiership: Football 'war' heads for high court

Premier League chiefs are ready to go to the High Court in a last-ditch attempt to prevent a players' strike in the row over the distribution of TV funding.

The Professional Footballers' Association appear to have won the support of the majority of top Premiership stars in their call for a strike in protest at their share of money generated by television rights.

Despite a new improved TV deal, worth an extra £1.65m this season, football's bosses want to cut the PFA's share which was £8.8m last season.

But the Premier League plan to take the PFA to court in a bid to halt the planned strike by proving it is illegal.

PFA chief executive Gordon Taylor vowed to fight to the bitter end to win his fight for a fair cut of the vastly-improved TV contract.

"If it is a fight they want it is a fight they are going to get," he told said

"This is nothing to do with stars wanting more money for themselves. It is about players and ex-players who have to rely on the PFA for their welfare.

"We had an agreement with the Premier League that our fund would go up if the TV deal went up and down if it was decreased.

"We have never had a players' strike but I cannot see any other solution."

The PFA will hold an emergency meeting at their HQ in Manchester on Sunday to plan how ballot strike papers will be distributed to their 3,000-plus members.

England stars Phil Neville and Graeme Le Saux - PFA representatives for Manchester United and Chelsea respectively - have both publicly backed the union's stand.

Previously, the Premier League had agreed that the union should receive five per cent of all TV revenue, but after negotiating a massive new contract with television bosses, the PFA have been left feeling short-changed.

If the Premier League fail in their bid for a court injunction to stop the strike, a TV blackout would begin in November.

Meanwhile, as the war of words continued, Taylor has been asked to explain why £1.5m of players' funds cannot be traced.

The Premier League has accused Taylor of hiding facts and misleading players over the TV cash dispute - but is not implying he has done anything illegal with the missing funds.

A Premier League spokesman said: "They the PFA have an increased offer on the table which will go directly to player benefits.

"Goodness knows what spin has been used to brief the players, but if it's anything like we've heard they simply haven't been given the full facts."