Football chiefs talk tough in face of players' strike

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Players' union cuts demand to £27m

Legality of strike call is still a major issue

David Conn: League in attack on Taylor's 'wish list'

The rulers of English professional football closed ranks yesterday after players threatened to stage the first strike in the game's history in their effort to protect their union's share of television revenues.

Leaders of the Premier League and the Football League, who were angered when the Professional Footballers' Association (PFA) announced industrial action midway through negotiations on Tuesday, insisted their offer of paying £50m over three years towards player welfare schemes was not negotiable.

Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, said he would do "everything in his power" to avert a strike ­ which would throw the fixture list for both 1 and 2 December into chaos ­ including a High Court attempt to outlaw the action. If players mounted illegal strike action, the leagues' chairmen would attempt to sue the PFA for estimated assets of £17.5m.

Gordon Taylor, the PFA's chief executive, said it had reduced its demands to £27m a year in return for a longer deal, in effect abandoning its insistence on 5 per cent of future television revenues.

He said: "We had wanted 5 per cent, or £36m a year, and they were offering £16.6m. We came down to £27m on the condition that we had an arrangement for 10 years to avoid all this trouble at the end of each television deal."

Players are only prepared to turn out for that weekend on condition that television cameras are excluded from grounds. But the Football League's chief executive, David Burns, made it clear yesterday that the clubs would resist any attempt to play games under a television black-out.

He said "Cameras will be at the football grounds that weekend. Players have an obligation to the clubs. They have a standard-form contract ­ if they are chosen and selected to play they are obligated to play. If they don't that will be a matter between them and their club."

A black-out would also threaten the existing television contracts agreed by the Premier League and the Football League, and if the industrial action does proceed the full league programme would have to be cancelled.

Peter Ridsdale, chairman of Leeds United, said he would not pay his players during the industrial action, adding: "We have to consider legal action."

Meanwhile, Adam Crozier, chief executive of the Football Association, who has attempted to mediate in the dispute, has come out in support of the leagues, describing the authorities' £50m final offer as "fair and equitable".

Mr Crozier pointed to the damage done by a strike among baseball players in the United States as evidence of why industrial action would be disastrous for football.

He added: "Some further talks have taken place to try to find further common ground, but sadly the two main parties in the dispute remain a reasonable distance apart. No one should underestimate the effect it would have on the game. The game does not need a strike."

With both sides trading insults, the Football Supporters' Association was pessimistic about a solution to the dispute. Its vice-chairman, Dave Boyle, said: "We hope it doesn't come to a strike, because no one wants to see football cancelled and nobody wins. Supporters look forward to going to the matches, players look forward to playing ­ and the clubs need them to pay the bills."