This week has seen the Premier League potentially paint itself in a GOOD light! Believe it or not. 2 money related issues have cropped up, only for many of the current League management to step up, and decry them. The first was an attempt by Liverpool's managing director, Ian Ayre, to spark the debate over TV rights.
To be fair, he was not pushing for ALL TV rights to be altered, but his idea was to skew the agreement to allow the bigger clubs a larger share. His argument was that overseas, when people tune in to watch the Premier League, they wanted to watch Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. Not Bolton, Wigan, Fulham, or Blackburn.
His argument on the surface does seem to hold water. In Spain, TV rights are negotiated by the clubs, not collectively. This has allowed Barcelona and Real to really rake in the money. However, it has come at the expense of the rest of the Spanish league, with the other clubs having a far smaller cut.
However, many have already come out against such an idea. Sir Alex Ferguson came out, actually, BEFORE all this. His angle was that the overseas TV deal was too small, and the Premier League was worth much more. However, because it is all about the league, the fairness aspect does work. At the moment.
Also, Geoff Mesher of the accountancy firm Grant Thornton has also come out against this idea. His point is that in Spain, Barcelona and Real earn 12 times more than the lowest club in La Liga. But really, in La Liga, there is only 2 teams that are in with a shout of winning.
It is Geoff Meshers belief that the current system affords more parity in England, making the Premier League a lot more competitive. Whilst many say that in England there are only a few teams that can win, its a group of 6 from which the winner will spring from. Also, the competitive edge comes from the fact that a lot of the lower clubs can and do take points off the top clubs.
This makes it a lot more exciting, and ultimately HELPS the Premier League brand, and helps the clubs to profit all together.
The second thing that has risen recently, a report from Richard Bevan, the chief executive of the League Managers Association has come out to say that there is a strong willingness on the part of the foreign owners of Premier League clubs to scrap promotion and relegation and turn the league over to a franchise system.
On the face of it, it is a positive move. Many of the foreign owners want to protect their ownership of a Premier League club, and the money it brings in for them. Not being from England, they are not really "in tune" with the way the fabric of Football in England is cut.
As it stands, 9 of Englands top flight are foreign-owned, with a 10th having a majority of its shares owned overseas.
As it is right now:
Manchester United - The Glazer family - USA
Aston Villa - Randy Lerner - USA
Blackburn Rovers - The Venky's Group - India
Chelsea - Roman Abramovich - Russia
Fulham - Mohammed Al Fayed - Egypt
Liverpool - Fenway Sports Group - USA
Manchester City - Sheikh Mansour - Abu Dhabi
Sunderland - Ellis Short - USA
QPR - Tony Fernandes - Malaysia
Arsenal - Stan Kroenke - USA (He currently holds a controlling 66.76% interest in the club)
So, at the moment, half the league is under foreign ownership. However, in order for any changes to be pushed through in the league, you need 75% to vote for it. So, if another 5 clubs go into foreign hands, then changes could happen.
I can understand it. With Americans making up the largest single group, they are coming from the US sports market which does actually run a franchise system, and the concept of promotion and relegation is an alien concept. By switching to a franchise system, they can lock the Premier league, and guarantee the revenue streams that come from it.
However, many have already come out and slammed it. Sir Alex Ferguson has already rained fire on it. And when Sir Alex speaks, many listen! Given his history in the league! He basically said that the link with the lower leagues is very, very important. And that is true. In the current Championship, 18 of the 20 have played in the Premier League.
Barnsley, Birmingham City, Blackpool, Burnley, Coventry City, Crystal Palace, Derby County, Hull City, Ipswich Town, Leeds United, Leicester City, Middlesbrough, Nottingham Forest, Portsmouth, Reading, Southampton, Watford, and West Ham. And out of these 18 clubs, Birmingham, West Ham, Leeds, and Nottingham are all clubs that, in terms of size, would easily fit in the Premier League again.
It also is not limited to the Championship. You also have Charlton, Sheffield United, Sheffield Wednesday, Oldham Athletic, and Swindon Town who have also graced the Premier League. And both Sheffield clubs could easily hold a place in the Premier League, given the fanbase that both clubs have.
And to slam the door on all of these clubs really does strike at the heart of the fabric of the English game.
Also, Dave Whelan, the chairman of Wigan has said that should such a system come forward, he would pull Wigan from the Premier League, and look at moving back to the Championship.
The franchise system does pose big problems for England. For example, the clubs who are currently knocking on the door would not be able to get in. Also, you could argue that some of the clubs currently in are not in a position to survive in the league.
The league is at 20. There are 23 other clubs who have been there, of which 6 or 8 who could, in terms of size, hold their own.
Will this idea ever fly?
No. The public would never allow it. The public who support the current Premier League clubs would not want to see it turn into exactly the same all the time. The clubs lower down want the prospect of a doorway into the "Promised Land" to be open to them.
The prospect of a franchise system is totally alien to the public in England. It is totally unwanted.
And the good thing is that with all the forces lining up totally opposed to such a move, the ultimate one is the FA. It is built into the Premier League that any changes to the leagues structure has to be OK'd with the FA. And the FA has said they could not ever back such an idea.
As Mr Whelan said "Its the most stupid decision in my life."
And I agree.
