Government tells Premier League to support Football League clubs if season resumes
Government talks with English football authorities on the potential resumption of professional football include demands for the Premier League to support lower league clubs.
Football across the UK has been suspended due to the recent unprecedented events and many feel that any resumption of games is impossible.
However, the Premier League is ploughing ahead with plans for “Project Restart” which would see the completion of the season behind closed doors.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden had a meeting with the Football Association, Premier League and English Football League on Thursday to set out government requirements for any possible resumption of football.
Following the meeting, Dowden made the key remark that plans to return should “ensure finances from the game’s resumption supports the wider football family.”
However, it is unclear how much money would be made available. Football League clubs are facing a potential £200m blackhole and would hope for a significant one-off payment from football’s richest league. According to the Guardian, the Premier League are only seeking to contribute some of the TV money a resumption would generate alongside guaranteeing future solidarity payments. Those measures would not generate anything like the sum the Football League would hope for and do little to prevent many smaller clubs slipping into financial problems.
If the Premier League season does resume under such conditions, many lower league clubs will be watching closely to ensure the Premier League meets the government’s demands and “supports the wiser football family” – and if not what action the UK government will bring to ensure it does.