AHEAD OF THE GAME: Rivals want Big Six to be hit by points sanction

AHEAD OF THE GAME: Everton, West Ham and Newcastle leading calls for Premier League’s Big Six to be hit with points deductions for European Super League debacle rather than fining billionaire-owned clubs

  • Other Premier League sides accept sanction is not practical due to legal battle 
  • The  Premier League Board are under pressure to get matter resolved quickly
  • England fans groups have complained to UEFA over ticket refunds for the Euros
  • Emma Hayes denied Chelsea’s fringe squad members a WSL winners’ medal
  • Find out the latest Euro 2020 news including fixtures, live action and results here.

Everton, West Ham and Newcastle are leading the push for the Big Six to be punished by the Premier League for seeking to join the defunct European Super League.

While all three are lobbying for points deductions on the grounds that fining a club owned by a billionaire would be an empty gesture, there is an acceptance among the other clubs that such a sanction is not practical as it would lead to a lengthy legal battle. 

The Premier League Board are considering their options and are under pressure to get the matter resolved before the clubs’ end-of-season shareholders’ meeting next month.

As revealed by Sportsmail last month, the Premier League have also launched a new charter that all clubs must sign which commits them to staying in the existing European competition structures rather than forming breakaway leagues.

West Ham and Everton are leading calls for the Premier League’s Big Six to be hit with a points sanction rather than a fine following the European Super League debacle

Other clubs accept such a sanction is not practical as it would lead to a lengthy legal battle

England fans anger towards UEFA

England fans groups have complained to UEFA after their members have received only partial refunds for European Championship tickets that are no longer available due to restricted attendances at stadiums caused by the pandemic.

UEFA are in charge of all ticketing arrangements for the tournament and sold tickets in Euro currency, but due to exchange rate fluctuations over the past two years England fans have taken hits of up to 10 per cent on their refunds, which amounts to hundreds of pounds lost for those whose bought several tickets.

To compound the fans’ anger at missing out on the tournament and losing money, supporters with deep pockets can still buy tickets with hospitality packages available for England’s group games at Wembley for approximately £800 per person.

Fans with deep pockets can still buy tickets with hospitality packages available for England’s group games at Wembley

Championship’s hefty tax bill

Championship clubs are expected to show uncharacteristic restraint in the transfer market this summer as they owe millions to HMRC in unpaid tax bills. 

Under the terms of a deferral scheme negotiated by the EFL, most Championship clubs have deferred around £12million each in tax liabilities with the money due to be repaid in instalments over the next three years. 

In addition to lacking funds, many clubs are also finding themselves hamstrung by the Home Office’s new post-Brexit immigration rules which has made it much more difficult to sign players from abroad.

Championship clubs owe millions to HMRC in unpaid tax bills in a blow to their transfer plans

Ruthless Hayes 

Emma Hayes showed her ruthless side after Chelsea retained their Women’s Super League title earlier this month by denying fringe squad members winners’ medals, despite the club receiving a surfeit of silverware.

Amid the celebrations that followed the title-winning victory over Reading, Hayes scooped up five winners’ medals and distributed them to members of her back-room team rather than the players, on the grounds that those who had only made a handful of appearances had not truly earned them and needed to be kept hungry for future seasons.

Emma Hayes denied Chelsea’s fringe squad players Women’s Super League winners’ medals

EFL set to halt live streams

EFL clubs will stop streaming all their matches on the iFollow service next season on the proviso that fans will be permitted to attend matches in significant numbers. 

All games were on a live stream last season to enable fans to watch their team and provide some revenue for the clubs, including those kicking-off at 3pm on Saturdays, but the traditional blackout is expected to return once clubs are allowed to operate their stadiums at 75 per cent capacity. 

The iFollow experiment has been regarded as a success however, and matches falling outside the 2.45pm to 5.15pm blackout period will continue to be streamed on club channels.




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