‘WE NEED TO BATTLE FOR AT CHANGES VERY TOP'

Solutions needed for long-term, stresses Stewart

- Chris Dunlavy

ROTHERHAM chairman Tony Stewart says the EFL must “take a stand” against the Premier League to ensure long-term survival. Clubs across the lower leagues are facing insolvency as a result of the Covid-19 crisis forcing games to be played behind closed doors.

In June, the Premier League agreed to provide the EFL with a financial ‘rescue package’ in return for being permitted to complete their fixtures as part of Project Restart.

One such measure, formulated by EFL chairman Rick Parry in collaboration with the owners of Liverpool and Manchester United, would have provided EFL clubs with a £250m bailout, plus a 25 per cent share of all future TV deals, which would have been negotiated jointly.

However, this plan - dubbed Project Big Picture - was rejected out of hand at a meeting of Premier League clubs on Wednesday.

Unity

Clubs in League One and Two then rejected the offer of a £50m bailout, saying it fell “some way short” of expectations and - in failing to address the Championship - threatened the “unity” of the competition.