Sports Letter: Fat cats creaming off the cash

From John Williamson

Sir: Now that the fat cats of the Premier League are to receive even more money from Bass [Carling], it is time for the Nationwide League clubs to withdraw contact from them completely. The gulf between these greedy clubs and the other divisions is now so vast, that there is little to be gained pretending that they are the old First Division.

Most of the present First Division clubs face financial ruin if they were promoted. They would need to invest heavily on players only to be relegated and left with inflated salaries that could not be paid on gates. Look at Manchester City and the possible relegation of Sunderland and Middlesbrough.

Millions of pounds are being spent on foreign players because "they are better value''. So there is little money coming back to the lower leagues.

Let them operate in their own vacuum. No relegation, no League Cup and an FA Cup that consists of them and non-League clubs. Make the Vauxhall Conference the new Fourth Division and see how they like it.

We once had the finest football league in the world but these people seem intent on wrecking it in the pursuance of profit.

JOHN WILLIAMSON

Alston, Cumbria.

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