Project
Big Picture is already very divisive and potentially seismic. It has been
described as the biggest single shake-up of the English professional game in
a generation if it comes to pass.
"It's called Project Big Picture but it could turn out to be a horror movie
as far as English football is concerned," says Sky Sports News' Kaveh
Solhekol.
So what would the proposal entail? Here
are the key points:
The Premier League would be reduced from 20 to 18 clubs.
The League Cup and the Community Shield would be scrapped.
Current one-club one-vote principle would be abolished, as would rule that
14 clubs out of the current 20 need to agree on policy.
Power would be in the nine clubs that have remained in the Premier League
longest (Arsenal, Chelsea, Everton, Liverpool, Man Utd, Man City,
Southampton, Tottenham, West Ham).
Only six of the nine longest-serving clubs need to vote for major change.
A £250m payment up front to the EFL, plus £100m payment to the Football
Association.
25 per cent of Premier League annual revenue (up from four per cent) would
go to the EFL clubs.
Why do the EFL want it?
Twenty-five per cent of all combined Premier League and EFL revenues would
go to EFL clubs - a huge increase to the current arrangement of four per
cent - and £250m up front to help clubs survive during the current financial
crisis.
The coronavirus pandemic and the knock-on effect of fans not being allowed
into grounds has lead to EFL clubs feeling the financial pinch.
The need for a bail-out from Premier League clubs benefitting from TV
revenues has only intensified and Project Big Picture is viewed as a
solution for a sustainable future for many clubs in League One and League
Two.
What have the Premier League said?
The Premier League have already voiced their unease about the proposal,
stating: 'A number of the individual proposals in the plan published today
could have a damaging impact on the whole game and we are disappointed to
see that Rick Parry, Chair of the EFL, has given his on-the-record support.'
Translated, the Premier League are, to borrow the analysis of Sky Sports
News' Kaveh Solhekol, "distinctly unimpressed".
Parry's involvement in the plans is likely to create tensions between him
and the Premier League. In the short term it could impact any possible
bailout from the Premier League to the EFL, in the wake of coronavirus.
Why are the Premier League worried?
If adopted, Project Big Picture would place the power in the hands of the
established so-called 'Big Six' - Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester
City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham - along with the three clubs with the
longest continual stay in the Premier League - Southampton, West Ham and
Everton.
But only the votes of six of those clubs would be required to make major
changes.
Clearly, that takes the power away from the other top-flight sides who
currently enjoy one-club, one-vote status; currently, a majority of 14 is
required for any significant decisions to be passed. Among those decisions
are new ownership of Premier League clubs; so if a team outside of the the
big nine are approached for a takeover, they'd need six of the big nine to
vote in favour of it.
"On the face of it there is little chance of 14 Premier League clubs voting
for these proposals," reported Solhekol. "The clubs are already losing money
because of the pandemic and the value of broadcast rights are falling. Why
would the majority vote for proposals which would cut the amount of money
they receive and increase the likelihood of them being relegated? It would
be like turkeys voting for Christmas."
Who is driving the plan?
The reform plan, drawn up by Liverpool's owners, Fenway Sports Group, was
started in 2017, with Manchester United also at the forefront.
Rick Parry, the Premier League's original chief executive, has been in place
at the EFL just over a year and has been working on a solution to the
perennial funding problem, claiming parachute payments, which clubs receive
over three years when they are relegated to the Championship, are an "evil
that needs to be eradicated". He is fully onboard with the plans and
believes the majority of EFL clubs will be too.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Parry said: "It's been a long time in the making.
There has been dialogue with our major clubs - not just Manchester United
and Liverpool. It's been many months in the making. It's been thought
through and thoroughly analysed.
"At its heart, it is very simple: it's about taking a major chunk of the
media revenues, funnelling them downwards through the game and recognising
the relevance of the importance of keeping the pyramid strong, not just in
the short term but in the long term.
"It doesn't matter where the idea has come from. What matters is that the
idea has enormous merit. And l think the fact that of our major clubs are
showing great interest in the pyramid, and are demonstrating leadership, is
something to be applauded.
"We genuinely think that this is in the big interests of the game as a whole
- certainly in the best interests of the pyramid."
What are the radical reforms?
Go deeper and you'll find wide-ranging proposals dealing with everything
from league reorganisation to capping away ticket prices.
Subsidised Premier League away travel, away sections of at least 3,000 (or
eight per cent of capacity) and a £20 cap on away tickets will delight some
fans, as will the idea of safe-standing sections (subject to government
permission).
There's also the plan to put a greater emphasis on merit for position
finishes in the Premier League, with more prize money than usual awarded for
finishing higher up the table. The footballing calendar would also be
organised with the focus of avoiding fixture pile-ups and to help the
England national team.
The women's professional league would also go independent, away from the
Premier League and FA.
Among the most contentious are reducing the Premier League to 18 teams, with
the club finishing 16th in the Premier League joining a play-off with
Championship teams in third, fourth and fifth. The League Cup and Community
Shield would also be discontinued.
And in terms of media, all Premier League clubs could sell eight live
matches a season directly to fans from their own channels.
How would that work?
"Big clubs have long wanted to be able to exploit the value of their
international TV rights and this would give them the power to do that,"
reported Kaveh Solhekol on Sky Sports News. "All Premier League clubs would
have the exclusive rights to sell eight live games directly to fans outside
the UK on their own digital platforms. And in the future, who knows? They
could vote to increase the eight games to 16 to 24 to 36.
"Going forward there would be nothing to stop the Big Six from using their
preferred votes to increase the number of games. This is the ultimate aim
for the likes of Manchester United and Liverpool. United controversially
claim they have 1.1bn fans worldwide (one in every seven human beings)
including 253m in China.
"They want to monetise that fan base by charging them directly to watch
their games. At the moment the majority of the income from Premier League
international broadcast rights is split equally between the 20 clubs."
What has the government's reaction been?
A spokesperson for Boris Johnson made it clear on Monday that the Prime
Minister does not support the Project Big Picture plan.
The spokesperson said: "It is clear that this proposal does not command
support throughout the Premier League, and it is exactly this type of
backroom dealing that undermines trust in football governance."
A statement from the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport read
on Sunday: "We are surprised and disappointed that at a time of crisis when
we have urged the top tiers of professional football to come together and
finalise a deal to help lower league clubs there appear to be backroom deals
being cooked up that would create a closed shop at the very top of the game.
"Sustainability, integrity and anything that may undermine them is deeply
troubling. Fans must be front of all our minds, and this shows why our fan
led review of football governance will be so critical."
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden, whose government brief includes sport, was
asked on Monday's Kay Burley programme on Sky News if the plan would protect
smaller clubs or simply be a power-grab by the bigger ones.
"I fear it's the latter and I'm quite sceptical about this," he said.
"There's a lot of money in the Premier League. Just look at the last
transfer window, over £1bn - I believe that is more than the next four
largest leagues in Europe put together - has been spent in that window.
"There is the money in the sport. They should be getting together to sort
the sport out. I'm afraid if we keep having these backroom deals and all
these other things going on, we will have to look at the underlying
governance of football."
In terms of the press, the Daily Mail's headline on Monday read "Premier
League descends into civil war", with Martin Samuel calling it a "disgusting
Big Six power grab".
The Times call it a "clever, and highly cynical, act of misdirection", The
Daily Telegraph say it is a "hostile takeover spun as a rescue package," but
David Conn at The Guardian says the "negative reaction seems bizarre" and
suggests the proposal should not be swept off the table.
What happens next?
"There will be a PR charm offensive over the next few days for the hearts
and minds of fans to convince them that these proposals are good for the
game," predicted Solhekol. "We are being told the owners of Manchester
United and Liverpool are very concerned about the football pyramid and the
plight of lower league clubs.
"It's difficult to believe that's what they worry about when they wake up in
the morning, and it's more likely they want to make more money and they
believe they have been prevented from doing so by the Premier League's rules
and the 14 majority rule."
A Premier League shareholders' meeting is scheduled for this week.
While a bailout for the EFL clubs was due to be one of the key subjects on
the agenda, the issue is now likely to dominate along with reaction to the
Big Picture proposal.
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