EFL willing to accept scaled down bail-out from Premier League to save League One and League Two only
The English Football League would be willing to accept a cheque from the Premier League initially to save only League One and League Two while the top tier continues to debate how it should also bail out the Championship.
Concern is mounting in the lower tiers and at Whitehall that time is running out to save the most cash-strapped smaller clubs while the top flight continues to quibble about an overall £250 million rescue package.
The 20 Premier League clubs are broadly in agreement that they should further help the lower leagues, but excessive wage spending within the Championship remains a point of contention.
A counter-offer to the EFL’s £250 million request could take another week to be signed off within the Premier League. The world’s most wealthy domestic competition is almost certain to attach conditions that may then require further negotiation at the EFL’s end. As a result, several senior EFL figures are open to the prospect of a quick deal being agreed for the lower leagues while debate continues.
Potential requests from the big clubs over possible salary caps or support for the Premier League’s demands on post-Brexit foreign player quotas have yet to even be mooted to the lower divisions. In contrast, the Government has already assured the National League that it will prop clubs up over the coming months.
Kieran Maguire, a lecturer in football finance at the University of Liverpool, sympathises with smaller top-tier clubs, who claim they are already facing similar financial plights to those in the division below. Losses in the Premier League, which already signs off £350 million a year to EFL clubs via parachute and solidarity payments, are already nearing £1 billion.
“It would appear that the Premier League is willing to support clubs in lower divisions but the Championship is a sticking point,” Maguire said. “Between them Aston Villa, Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Reading and Birmingham generated nearly a quarter of a billion pounds from selling their stadiums to companies controlled by club owners in 2018. Given the large sums coming to these clubs, you can see the reticence of PL clubs from providing additional funding, although this is harsh on clubs such as Rotherham, Luton and Millwall who operate at much lower income and wage levels.”
Paul Barber, the Brighton chief executive, claimed football’s efforts to fight back against Covid-19 took “a gigantic step backwards” when plans to allow fans to return were postponed.
