Leeds United: EFL chairman Rick Parry shares parachute payment rant live on talkSPORT
Leeds United could be under scrutiny after EFL chairman Rick Parry slammed the Premier League parachute payments amid discussions over an independent regulator for football.
Parry insisted that the parachute payments are only in place to help relegated clubs achieve promotion again, seeming to point to Leeds, Leicester and Southampton as examples this season.
There have been calls for an independent regulator to help assist financial negotiations between the Premier League and the EFL to help bring more balance to the football pyramid.
Speaking live on talkSPORT [20 March, 10:30], Parry ranted: “All of the challenges flow from it [parachute payments]. Nobody says we want to kill the clubs coming down, we’ve acknowledged that falling out of the Premier League is a problem.
“What we would say, though, is the level of the parachute payments, they’re a blunt instrument. They haven’t been studied economically or carefully. Parachutes are there to help these clubs get back up, not to stop them from going into administration.
“Just look at the very simple facts, in the last six years, two out of the three promoted clubs have been parachute clubs. Look at what’s going to happen this year with the clubs at the top replacing the most recently promoted clubs.”
Will the independent regulator impact Leeds United?
Leeds, Southampton and Leicester having been relegated from the Premier League last season, are already displaying the impact parachute payments have on Championship clubs in terms of the competitiveness of the division.
The current title race between the three promoted clubs has received wide acclaim for the high level of competition but has also been scrutinised due to the three parachute payment clubs being the ones leading the way.
Ipswich will likely be pointed to as an example, as will Luton of last season, to prove that promotion – or at least fighting for it – remains possible despite the additional funding, but the gap between the haves and the have-nots has become clearer than ever.
The introduction of an independent regulator should be a positive for Championship and EFL clubs given discussions over funding, but the likes of Leeds may feel the direct impact on parachute payments – especially should they find themselves in the same position years down the line.
In other Leeds United news, Leicester City star Conor Coady has spoken out about the title race.
For more Leeds news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.