Finance expert: £10bn news is a ‘real blow’ to Sunderland as talks imminent
Football League clubs like Sunderland will be hit as an indirect consequence of the Premier League’s enormous new broadcast deal.
So says finance expert Doctor Dan Plumley, speaking exclusively to Football Insider about the knock-on effect of the deal on the rest of the pyramid.
The Times reported last Thursday (10 February) that the top-flight’s TV income is set to smash the £10billion barrier in the next three-year cycle.
It is understood that the Premier League will soon enter into talks with the EFL over solidarity payments in light of the new arrangement.
The fan-led review into football governance published in November called for a more equitable form of redistribution throughout the Football League.
But Plumley fears that clubs like Sunderland lower down in the pyramid will suffer as the Premier League pulls away.
“This is very much geared towards the big clubs,” the Sheffield Hallam University expert told Football Insider‘s Adam Williams.
“It’s a big boost for them and for the league entirely. But also, it pulls the league away from other leagues in Europe. That’s a real blow to the pyramid.
“Unless you change the distribution mechanism as well, it will widen the gap between the Premier League and the Football League.
“So it’s not all good news for a lot of clubs, but it’s certainly good news for those biggest who are going to benefit from this deal.”
Sunderland are currently 4th in League One.
It is their fourth consecutive season in the third tier.
In other news, ex-Fifa official claims Sunderland set for ‘additional fines’ after “loss of control”.