Richard Masters has hit back after the Professional Footballers’ Association (PFA) ‘repeatedly’ threatened legal action.
The PFA have warned of ‘legal proceedings’ if squad cost rules and top to bottom anchoring are voted through at today’s shareholders’ meeting in London. The PFA have also accused the Premier League of being in ‘flagrant breach’ of guidelines obliging the top-flight to consult on matters impacting players’ pay and conditions, but Masters has now had his say in an email sent to Newcastle United and member clubs.
“The letter is a mischaracterisation of a nearly year-long process of consultation during which the league has engaged with the PFA and its advisers on multiple occasions – both within the PFNCC forum and in ad hoc meetings – on the SCR rules,” the Premier League’s chief executive wrote. “During that time, the PFA has been provided with all the material that has been shared with clubs (save for the independent legal advice received, which given their repeated threats of litigation, would have been inappropriate to share with them).
“Rather than engage with that material and provide comments on the substance of the proposals, the PFA has instead repeatedly threatened litigation shortly in advance of shareholders’ meetings in an effort to block any club resolution.
“We had hoped that this could be resolved through discussion and consultation. Unfortunately, this now seems unlikely and so…we will have to consider how best to address this going forward.”
Premier League clubs continue to trial squad cost rules and anchoring in shadow alongside the original PSR regulations, which restrict losses to £105m over a rolling three-year period. Squad cost rules would limit on-pitch spending to 85% of revenue and net profit/loss on player sales for those sides who are not in Europe and 70% for those clubs competing in Europe as per UEFA’s regulations while anchoring would enable top-flight sides to spend five times the amount the bottom club receives in TV and prize money.
Although Newcastle have been working to UEFA’s separate rules, regardless, which restrict spending to 70% of revenue from next season, anchoring could potentially level the playing field a little as there would be a universal spending limit in place regardless of a club’s commercial income. Manchester United co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe has called that an ‘absurd’ prospect, and claimed it would ‘inhibit’ the Premier League’s top clubs when it comes to competing with Europe’s elite, but football finance expert Kieran Maguire previously said that anchoring would be ‘excellent’ for Newcastle.
“It sets a level playing field in terms of the maximum an individual club can spend,” he told ChronicleLive. “But, at the same time, if they also have to comply with UEFA’s rules, that would be the constraint.
“Squad cost controls are not good for Newcastle in terms of competitive balance. The people who are in favour of squad cost rules say they don’t want Newcastle being able to buy the best 11 players in the world. I absolutely understand that, but why can’t Newcastle have the same budget as Liverpool and Manchester United?
“They’re not asking for more – they’re asking for equality – but that seems to be one very moot point between the two parties.”
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