Triesman puts squeeze on Premier League funds

Caption competition
Caption competition
View past winners of our Sports caption competition
News in pictures
News in pictures
On Facebook
Sport blogs

Hertha Berlin and the Skibbe saga – a depressing tale

Perhaps, in a few decades time, some German writer will transform Michael Skibbe's excruciatingly br...

Top 14: Day of reckoning looms for Racing Metro

By the middle of Wednesday afternoon we should have the first indication of what lies ahead for Raci...

iBet: Barcelona are struggling away from home

My betting instinct in any first leg of a two-legged tie is to go low on goals, and that applies eve...

The Football Association chairman Lord Triesman has launched a double-pronged challenge to the Premier League by calling on England's top flight to hand over more money to the rest of the game and for a ban on transfers of players under 18.

The FA's relationship with the Premier League is at a all-time low and Triesman's latest call will strain it even further. It comes less than a month after the FA's independent chairman infuriated league executives by calling for a limit on club debts.

Triesman said at the FT Sport Industry Summit in London on Tuesday that the league should increase its contribution to the Football League, currently £90m over three years.

He said: "There needs to be a greater equality of resources available to the individual clubs, if you have huge disparities in resource you are going to have significant differences in the quality of the playing staff.

"The Premier League to its credit does distribute money but it is only a degree of equalisation. You could imagine greater solidarity payments between different parts of the system.

"One of the things that concerns me a great deal is the financial frailty as you go further down the pyramid through many clubs which are absolutely integral to their towns."

Triesman did accept it was income from the Champions League which led to the biggest differences in top-flight clubs' incomes, and also announced he was backing Uefa president Michel Platini's proposals to restrict movement of Under-18 players across international boundaries.

Opponents, including the Premier League, believe the proposals are unworkable because they contravene current European Union labour laws – they would prevent for example Arsenal signing players such as Cesc Fabregas when he was 16.

"We still don't bring enough young English players through to the top of the game," added Triesman. "I believe we do need to restrict the trading of Under-18 players and their movement around. If it can be accommodated in European law, it is well worth considering. Is it really OK for youngsters simply to be traded around the world? Is that desirable either for them or for clubs who could lose them too easily?"

The Premier League's solidarity payments to the Football League are £30m a year, including parachute payments to the three relegated clubs. When payments to the Professional Footballers' Association, Football Foundation and charities are including, the league hands out £120m annually. Asked about Triesman's call, a Premier League spokesman said: "We are always happy to have a conversation."

30

The Premier League's annual payment, in millions, to the Football League.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus

Day In a Page

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

Apple admits it has a human rights problem

After years of complaints and workers' suicides in China the technology giant faces up to the human cost of its gadgets
Peter Moore: 'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'

Peter Moore interview

'I feel guilty I'm the only one alive'
Sellafield faces nuclear option as overspending threatens plant's future

Sellafield faces nuclear option

Overspending threatens plant's future
Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Israel blames Iran for embassy bomb attacks

Tehran rejects Netanyahu's 'lies' after diplomats in India and Georgia targeted
Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time

Tommy Cassidy interview

Former manager enjoying Apoel crack at the big time
James Lawton: Patience may not be a virtue this time, Roman – Andre Villas-Boas looks all at sea

James Lawton: AVB looks all at sea

Abramovich's visits to training reinforce the idea of a coach feeling pressure from above and below
The 10 Best sledges

The 10 Best sledges

Not all of them require snow...
Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy

Procrastination: Not now – I'm busy

Confronting the real reasons for puttting things off can help us beat it
Fun in the sunset years

Fun in the sunset years

A new movie follows retirees moving to India for low-cost care and a culture of respect for the elderly. For many Britons, it's already a reality
Picture preview: Lucian Freud drawings

Lucian Freud drawings

Picture preview
Silent revolution at the Baftas as the French take top awards

Silent revolution at the Baftas

The Artist wins in seven categories, with Meryl Streep the other big success story
Whitney Houston: The diva who had – and lost – it all

The diva who had – and lost – it all

Nick Hasted charts the highs and lows of Whitney Houston's life
How Picasso won over (some of) the British

How Picasso won over (some of) the British

Winston Churchill and Evelyn Waugh hated his work, but Picasso provided inspiration for a whole generation of UK artists
Topshop: A Decade Of Design

Topshop: A Decade Of Design

When London Fashion Week starts on Friday, Topshop will celebrate 10 years backing its brightest young stars
John Prescott: 'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

'My wife thought I'd just retire, but I'm not a slippers man'

At 73, John Prescott isn't mellowing. In fact he's taking a shot at becoming a police commissioner