The so-called ‘big six’ of the Premier League will face questions on integrity and fairness once more as the Times report on their instrumental role in blocking a proposed new owners’ charter.
The Premier League have been left to shelve plans for a suggested new owners’ charter, as the big six of Manchester United, Man City, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham have refused to sign it on the grounds of legislation that would restrict their hopes of Champions League qualification.
It’s reported by the Times that one item of the proposed charter would restrict them to qualifying for the Champions League by ‘current sporting merit’ – what a disaster if something that’s been part of the fabric of the competition had to actually be enforced in the future!
Signing up to the charter would mean that these clubs would be unable to benefit from a proposed UEFA move that will allow two clubs each season to qualify via their European coefficient, based on recent performances in continental competition.
Were UEFA to go ahead with these changes, high-flying sides like West Ham or Wolves for example would be leapfrogged by underperforming top six sides if they finished fifth and their big-money counterparts finished sixth or seventh.
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It would be a real shame to see deserving sides miss out on European football just because of other clubs’ recent performances on the continent, should they slip out of the top spots in any given season.
The Times add that the ‘big six’ are adamant that the settlement they reached with UEFA in relation to their Super League plans would conflict with the proposed owners’ charter.
UEFA’s proposal comes across as an immoral way of squeezing prestigious clubs into European competition even if they slip down the table after underwhelming seasons, all coming at the cost of sides who will have fought valiantly to get there of course.