Photoby Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images
‘Project Big Picture’ is aimed at COVID-related financial
relief, but of course there’s no such thing as free money.
As reported by The Telegraph and BBC Sport, Liverpool and Manchester
United are among a few clubs backing a proposal, ominously
titled Project Big Picture, that would bring about reforms
to English football, with the aim of tackling the financial
hardships being faced by clubs in lower leagues due to the ongoing
pandemic.
Here are some of its features:
- The Football Association would receive a £100m sum to deal with
the COVID-19 situation, and support women’s, grassroots and
non-league football - A £250m bailout would be made available to EFL Championship
clubs - 6% of the Premier League’s gross revenues would be spent on
stadium improvements across the top four leagues - In exchange, nine of the longest serving Premier League Teams
would be given special status – Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester
City, Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur as the ‘big six’, and West Ham,
Everton and Southampton added to make up the nine - The ‘big six’ would have collective power to change certain
league rules
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season would start later in August to allow more pre-season
friendlies The EFL Cup and Community Shield would be abolished
Clubs could loan out up to 15 players to other teams in England,
with up to 4 at one club
This plan was supported by Rick Parry, current EFL Chairman and
former CEO of the Premier League and Liverpool.
It was not well received by the Premier League, who released an
official statement urging the work “to be carried out
through the proper channels enabling all clubs and stakeholders the
opportunity to contribute”, and expressing disappointment in Rick
Parry’s support of it.
“Many will see this as an anti-competitive plot to concentrate
power in the hands of the biggest clubs, opening the door to them
controlling broadcast contracts and financial rules”, writes BBC
Sports editor Dan Roan.
Whether this is viewed as a panacea for the non-Premier League
clubs’ financial distress, or a Trojan Horse by bigger clubs to
bully the rest, it’s unlikely that something like this will get
passed without a fight from…literally everyone involved.