Premier League clubs accused of ’empty promise’ on EFL funding

Premier League clubs have been accused of making an “empty promise” about a new funding deal for the English Football League (EFL).

Dame Caroline Dinenage, chair of the Culture, Media and Sport committee, accused clubs of “parking the bus”.

Premier League clubs were recently told that failure to reach a funding deal with the EFL would mean one being imposed on them.

“The longer this deadlock goes on, the more the stated commitment from Premier League clubs to striking a deal with the rest of the pyramid looks like nothing more than an empty promise,” said Dinenage.

“With the richest teams in the country continuing to park the bus to block a financial settlement, the Premier League’s number should now be up and the government must urgently introduce its much-trailed legislation to bring an independent regulator into play.

“Every day that goes by without an agreement threatens the financial sustainability of clubs in communities up and down the country.”

BBC Sport has contacted the Premier League for comment.

The EFL has a board meeting on Thursday, where the continued absence of a deal will be high on the agenda.

It had been expected the Premier League would emerge from Monday’s meeting with tangible proposals to put forward to the EFL.

The overall sum, which would be partly tied to future TV revenues, is expected to be around £900m over six years.

But a Premier League statement said the clubs had agreed to introduce a new competition-wide financial system.

It said that progress on a deal with the EFL was subject to the new system being approved by clubs.

“It’s an absolute disgrace,” former England and Manchester United defender Gary Neville, who is also a co-owner of Salford City, said on Sky Sports on Monday.

“It is about the welfare of the game and the sustainability of the whole league.”

The UK government confirmed a new independent regulator in English football in February. Among its purposes is to ensure a fair distribution of money filters down the English football pyramid from the Premier League.

“The Premier League at this moment in time are negligent in their dismissive nature, just pushing it down the road, thinking ‘maybe a regulator will sort it, maybe we’ll sort it’ and not doing anything,” added Neville.

“That’s not good governance, it just demonstrates to me that they are not looking after the whole game like they should be.

“It angers me every time I see they have a Premier League meeting and seem to look after themselves but not look after the rest of football.”