'For the greater good of English football'
The club finishing 16th in the Premier League would join the Championship play-offs, while there would be greater voting rights for the nine longest-serving Premier League clubs.
13 October 2020 | Sports
NAMPA
English Football League (EFL) chairman Rick Parry has praised Liverpool and Manchester United for “showing leadership” after they came up with a radical plan to overhaul the Premier League, which he believes will benefit the entire game.
The controversial “Project Big Picture” includes proposals to reduce the Premier League from 20 to 18 teams and abolish the League Cup and Community Shield.
Rescue package
Under the plan, EFL clubs would receive an immediate £250 million (N$5.4 billion) rescue package and a 25% future annual share of Premier League revenue.
Football in England has been played behind closed doors since March because of the coronavirus pandemic and lower-league clubs are facing financial calamity, with fans barred from stadiums.
Parry insists the proposals, which would be the biggest shake-up of English football in a generation, offer the best chance of securing the future of clubs outside the top flight, but they have been deeply divisive.
Damaging impact
The Premier League said the plans would have a “damaging impact on the whole game”, while the department for digital, culture, media and sport criticised “backroom deals”.
But Parry, a former chief executive of Liverpool and the Premier League, was fulsome in his praise for Liverpool and United, England's two most successful clubs.
“It is two of our great clubs showing leadership when it is needed, exercising great responsibility, and from the EFL point of view, it is making our clubs sustainable and bridging the gap between the top of the Championship and the bottom of the Premier League,” he said.
“The cherry on the icing on the cake is the prospect of a £250 million rescue fund immediately, which does of course help, but the principal part of the story is the biggest reset since the formation of the Premier League which, all being well, will set up the pyramid for the next 25 years.
“The proposal is designed for the greater good of English football.”
Parry said the Premier League has had plenty of opportunity to come up with plans of their own.
“They could have come up with a plan like this at any time,” he added. “How long has it taken to get a short-term rescue package even to the starting gate? Months.”
Liverpool and Manchester are united
“The message from Liverpool and Manchester United and their ownership is they actually genuinely do care about the pyramid,” Parry added.
“This hasn't been rushed together, this isn't a Covid plan, it has been years in the thinking and months in the making.”
Salford co-owner and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said “there is too much good in this plan to dismiss it”.
English Football League (EFL) chairman Rick Parry has praised Liverpool and Manchester United for “showing leadership” after they came up with a radical plan to overhaul the Premier League, which he believes will benefit the entire game.
The controversial “Project Big Picture” includes proposals to reduce the Premier League from 20 to 18 teams and abolish the League Cup and Community Shield.
Rescue package
Under the plan, EFL clubs would receive an immediate £250 million (N$5.4 billion) rescue package and a 25% future annual share of Premier League revenue.
Football in England has been played behind closed doors since March because of the coronavirus pandemic and lower-league clubs are facing financial calamity, with fans barred from stadiums.
Parry insists the proposals, which would be the biggest shake-up of English football in a generation, offer the best chance of securing the future of clubs outside the top flight, but they have been deeply divisive.
Damaging impact
The Premier League said the plans would have a “damaging impact on the whole game”, while the department for digital, culture, media and sport criticised “backroom deals”.
But Parry, a former chief executive of Liverpool and the Premier League, was fulsome in his praise for Liverpool and United, England's two most successful clubs.
“It is two of our great clubs showing leadership when it is needed, exercising great responsibility, and from the EFL point of view, it is making our clubs sustainable and bridging the gap between the top of the Championship and the bottom of the Premier League,” he said.
“The cherry on the icing on the cake is the prospect of a £250 million rescue fund immediately, which does of course help, but the principal part of the story is the biggest reset since the formation of the Premier League which, all being well, will set up the pyramid for the next 25 years.
“The proposal is designed for the greater good of English football.”
Parry said the Premier League has had plenty of opportunity to come up with plans of their own.
“They could have come up with a plan like this at any time,” he added. “How long has it taken to get a short-term rescue package even to the starting gate? Months.”
Liverpool and Manchester are united
“The message from Liverpool and Manchester United and their ownership is they actually genuinely do care about the pyramid,” Parry added.
“This hasn't been rushed together, this isn't a Covid plan, it has been years in the thinking and months in the making.”
Salford co-owner and former Manchester United defender Gary Neville said “there is too much good in this plan to dismiss it”.
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