Football: Leaver still in charge says Premier League

PETER LEAVER is believed to have won his battle to stay on as the Premier League's chief executive after a special meeting of Premiership clubs was held yesterday amid concerns over the appointment of two media advisers.

The meeting was called after last week's scheduled meeting between the 20 clubs when six of them - Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, Newcastle, Leeds and Wimbledon - demanded to see the financial terms of the contracts offered to Sam Chisholm and David Chance. Despite having signed a confidentiality clause, the clubs' concerns at the media advisers' potential earnings led to yesterday's meeting in London.

Leaver looked to have survived a potential rebellion, but concerns are still understood to remain among some chairmen at the lucrative terms offered to the former BSkyB executives, Chisholm and Chance, and the way in which they were appointed without consultation.

Reports had indicated that not only was Leaver ready to resign after the row last week but that he could even be voted out of office by the clubs yesterday afternoon. However, there was not believed to have been a vote of no confidence in him. The general consensus seems to have been that Leaver and the chairman, Sir John Quinton, retain the legal right to make certain decisions without having to refer back to the clubs.

In a statement, the Premier League was keen to emphasise that the clubs had not sought at any stage to oust Leaver from the position he took up 17 months ago. "The clubs have held a useful meeting on a range of issues relating to the appointment of media advisers," the statement said. "There is, despite Press speculation, to be no change to the leadership of the FA Premier League."