A fiery affair is expected to be on the agenda for the sheduled meeting of the top-flight’s shareholders this week, amid the plans condemned as an attempted power grab by the group led by Manchester United and Liverpool in Project Big Picture as Premier League clubs could be set to take the Big Six to court over the issue.
The primary concern is the fear that the Premier League’s top foreign owners want to prevent any threat to their domination to protect their self-interests in return for bailing out the cash-strapped EFL and the smaller clubs.
One club source told Mirror Sport:
“They will just vote for more and more for themselves over time.
“It’s rich, foreign owners trying to create a monopoly. They can even veto new owners, so if a rich new owner – like a Sheikh Mansour – comes along and threatens their position they can veto it.
“Liverpool and Manchester United want to create a monopoly and draw huge sums out of the clubs.
“It will mean the Big Six getting all the money, making all the decisions and becoming impregnable.”
EFL chairman Rick Parry is insistent that the key figures behind the plan will not be deterred, despite fierce opposition from the Premier League, government and fans’ groups, which has left the clubs threatened by the proposals to seriously consider their legal position.
The source said: “Maybe it might get voted down in the short team but the future is far from certain.
“There could well be litigation. Huge litigation.”
Among the key points in Project Big Picture is a reduction of the 20-team Premier League to just 18 clubs, besides mooting to scrap the EFL Cup and Community Shield. In return, the EFL would get 25% of all future TV deals, which would be negotiated jointly, plus the £250m bail-out Parry has been demanding since May.
The source said:
“We only get 17 games for income, while the top clubs have enhanced European leagues for extra games.
“So the gap between the Big Six and the rest increases anyway. It becomes like Scotland with Rangers and Celtic.
“We are very much against it.”