The arrival of Premiership 2?

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At a meeting on Walsall’s ground on May 10th, Football League clubs reluctantly accepted a revised parachute payments structure devised by the Premier League.   One might ask why they would be reluctant given that there was more money on the table.   However, whereas all the talk up to now has been of the gap between the Premiership and the Championship, there are concerns that an equivalent gap is now opening up between the Championship and League 1.  A de facto Premiership 2 may have been created in the view of some Football League bosses.

Setback for White Hart Lane plans

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The £400m re-development of White Hart Lane is of crucial importance to Tottenham Hotspur’s future plans.  The current capacity of 36,310 cannot provide the gate revenue that clubs like Arsenal and Manchester United receive and the club has 23,000 potential season ticket holders on a waiting list.  Spurs have had a very successful season on the pitch, but like all clubs interested in competing at Champions League level, they need the infrastructure to sustain that.

Clubs flee to tax havens

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One of the key trends in football finance in recent months has been a closer interest by HM Revenue and Customs in the tax affairs of football clubs.   This is not surprising against a background of a shortfall of tax revenue given that many clubs seem to regard it as acceptable to default on their tax obligations.  They have become suspicious of image rights deals which often appear to be artificial contrivances to avoid tax liabilities.

Away fans overcharged

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Everyone knows that away fans often get a raw deal.   Our headline may read like ‘Pope is a Catholic shock.’  Fans in the away end or its equivalent (sometimes a corner) get the worst position in the ground, in older grounds often with obstructed leg room and obscured views.   Catering and toilet facilities are often inadequate and stewards can be less than welcoming.

More problems at Serie A

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At one time Serie A was seen as the embodiment of all that was stylish in European football.   But now the Italian competition is perceived to have slipped behind those in England and Spain in terms of its financial success and the regard in which it is held by fans.   There have been a number of reasons for this, including allegations that the game in Italy is not always fair and square.   Once that suspicion is implanted in the minds of fans, they tend to stay away from matches and watch them less on television.

Lord Triesman and the World Cup

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We don’t want to make any detailed comment about the allegations relating to the conduct of Lord Triesman which led to his resignation from his role in England’s 2018 World Cup bid and his post at the FA.  These have been extensively covered in the press and all one can say is that there appears to have been some kind of entrapment operation which led him to making remarks in private which he would not wish to be publicised.   All of us sometimes say things in private to friends we would not wish repeated and it should be noted that Lord Triesman is denying some of