Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger on Monday said that “smaller clubs will die” without urgent action to safeguard the future of the lower leagues as proposals for a major reform of English soccer caused division and rancor.
The controversial “Project Big Picture” plan put forward by Liverpool and Manchester United has been branded a power grab for attempting to change voting structures in the English Premier League in favor of the “big six” clubs that also include Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur.
However, the proposals would provide the EFL with a much-needed injection of ￡250 million (US$326 million) to ease the crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and allocate 25 percent of future broadcasting revenue down through the English pyramid.
Photo: Reuters
“If nothing happens, the smaller clubs will die,” FIFA chief of global football development Wenger told Sky Sports. “I don’t think that one payment will sort out the problem. The problem is much deeper than that. The money certainly has to be shared, the income of the top clubs has to be shared a fraction more with the smaller clubs.”
The British government and other Premier League clubs are among those to voice their disquiet over the proposal.
West Ham United, one of three clubs outside the big six who would be granted special status by the proposal due to their longevity in the Premier League, said they were “very much against” it.
Among the controversial proposals, the Premier League would reduce from 20 to 18 teams, with only two clubs automatically relegated.
The EFL Cup and Community Shield would be scrapped, allowing more time in the calendar for lucrative pre-season tours and more European games for the biggest clubs.
“You cannot ignore completely the tradition inside the country,” said Wenger, who was in charge of Arsenal for 22 years between 1996 and 2018. “Overall, the solution has to come from the federation, from the government, from the Premier League — to find a compromise to sort out the problems that already existed before coronavirus.”
However, the plan, backed by EFL chairman Rick Parry, does have considerable support in the lower leagues, where clubs face going to the wall unless there is a bailout.
This season has started behind closed doors and with restrictions increasing again, there appears little prospect of a return to fans inside stadiums in the coming months.
“If clubs don’t get something soon you will see clubs disappear, I would predict, within five to six weeks,” Leyton Orient chairman Nigel Travis told the BBC. “Before the pandemic, 75 percent of clubs were losing money — that can’t continue. The pandemic has, if you like, exacerbated the problem and we need to get it fixed. I know you are talking about ‘Project Big Picture’ — this is a great proposal as far as we are concerned. It is certainly very promising and clubs need it.”
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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