Pressure on League to sign TV deal

A pounds 118.5m five-year television deal was in the balance last night after the Football League said it could not meet the deadline for acceptance laid down by the Football Association.

The League president, Gordon McKeag, had asked for more time to consider the record offer which would be worth pounds 18.5m next season - an increase from the original pounds 17m - and pounds 25m a year for the following four years. Instead he was told by Lancaster Gate that he must give an answer by 4pm tomorrow. This poses a problem for the League's board of directors, who are also considering a TV deal with the Premier League.

First Division club chairmen are not scheduled to gather until a fortnight tomorrow at Leicester, and McKeag would like to delay a reply on the FA deal until after that meeting.