Man United and Liverpool are backing a plan to overhaul English football led by the EFL which would see control over the Premier League switch to the top teams, sources have confirmed to ESPN: http://es.pn/30TMq7H

I don't see that having enough votes to pass, but who knows. Seems like they're trying to take advantage of the desperation of clubs in leagues below the Premier League for some immediate cash, and to create an English league system that more closely resembles the German football structure, which already has only 18 clubs in the top division and gives a much larger share of TV revenue to the teams at the very top of the Bundesliga.

Eliminating two teams from the PL doesn't help the PL with revenue. It means 4 fewer PL matches for each team, and a total of 324 PL matches per season to sell to TV instead of the 400 they now sell. That's a 19% cut in inventory. Even if that wouldn't lead to as much as a 19% cut in TV revenue, it would certainly be a cut of more than 10%, while by dropping from 20 clubs to 18 they're only dropping the two that currently get the lowest share of TV revenue.

So maybe it's a 15% TV revenue loss for the PL, while dropping two teams that get about 7% of TV revenue currently. And we haven't even accounted for each PL club losing more than 10% of ticket revenue because they'd have 17 home matches per season instead of 19.

The only way the top clubs could possibly come out ahead from this scheme is if they then use their increased voting power to divide up the TV revenue in a way that gives the top clubs much larger shares of TV revenue than they now receive. But, management of the other PL clubs aren't completely dumb; they'd see the threat of a major revision in revenue distribution, and would vote against this plan for that reason.

Premier League statement

Quote:All 20 Premier League clubs today unanimously agreed that "Project Big Picture" will not be endorsed or pursued by the Premier League, or The FA.

Further, Premier League Shareholders agreed to work together as a 20-club collective on a strategic plan for the future structures and financing of English football, consulting with all stakeholders to ensure a vibrant, competitive and sustainable football pyramid.

Clubs will work collaboratively, in an open and transparent process, focusing on competition structure, calendar, governance and financial sustainability.

This project has the full support of The FA and will include engagement with all relevant stakeholders including fans, Government and, of course, the EFL.