As reported by The Telegraph, Manchester United and Liverpool are working together to not only alter the structure of the whole Premier League but also ease the financial burden imposed by the coronavirus pandemic off the shoulders of the other EFL clubs.
The two big names in the English football, Manchester United and Liverpool, are said to have worked together to prepare a radical set of proposals called “Project Big Picture”.
This set of plans would apparently help EFL Clubs to restore the normal state regarding their finances affected by ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, reshaping the economic aspects of the game.
As the report suggests, the Premier League clubs would agree to hand 25 per cent of its annual revenue from the future TV deals to the EFL with £250m being paid up-front to help them in the current financial conundrum.
A mouth-watering amount of £100m would be gifted to the Football Association (FA) to sustain their existence.
A number of changes would be done in regard to the structure of several domestic competitions, especially the Premier League.
The report claims Premier League would be then reduced from 20 clubs to 18, with the 16th team playing play-offs against the Championship’s third, fourth and fifth-placed teams to keep their feet on England’s top-tier competition.
The last two teams in the Premier League would face relegation right away, while the top two teams in the Championship would get promoted accordingly.
Moreover, the proposal further reveals the competitions like the English League Cup and the Community Shield would be scrapped. The League Cup might survive but would be organised without the teams competing for European trophies.
The rule of the Premier League’s voting system would also be reconstructed.
In the place of ‘one-club, one-vote principle, and a majority of 14 being required to pass any change in rules’, there would be a committee of the nine longest-serving teams, dubbed as “long-term shareholder”.
The big six clubs, alongside Everton, Southampton and West Ham United would be the focal point of the abovementioned committee as they have been the representative of the respective league for years now.
The ‘long-term shareholder’ group would hold the power to decide or approve any further changes in the Premier League. Only six “long-term shareholder” could then pass any alteration in rules, the other teams would be impotent.
In order to implement these aforementioned plans into place, 14 Premier League clubs would now have to vote in the favour of the plans orchestrated by Man United and Liverpool.
After taking a look at all the proposals, Premier League officially commented,
“We have seen media reports today regarding a plan to restructure football in this country.
“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.”
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