Athletic report shares how Leeds feel about latest PL plan to block promotion from Championship
The Athletic has said that the latest plan from Premier League clubs to block promotion from the Championship has caused “consternation” at Leeds United.
The plan has come from clubs towards the bottom of the Premier League, who are looking to guarantee their safety any way they can.
They claim that if the Premier League plays out its remaining fixtures then promotion should be cancelled if the Championship is abandoned.
The Athletic claims that top figures in Championship clubs have said it is now more likely that the remaining fixtures will not be played.
The argument, that first appeared in the Telegraph on Tuesday, is that Premier League clubs would end up being relegated who could have survived had the top flight been abandoned.
The Athletic report claims that talk of this plan has appeared at both Premier League and Championship level and that it has “caused consternation among some at Leeds”.
However, the report also says that it is “not a policy the majority of Premier League clubs are likely to support, while the Football Association has already privately declared its intention to enforce promotion and relegation.”
The arguments from clubs at the bottom are getting ever more desperate.
First, it was about playing in neutral venues. After it became clear that there was resistance to that across the Premier League, options are now being investigated to play games in home and away stadiums.
After that obstacle was tackled, the bottom clubs have come up with this.
However, the Premier League and the Championship are separate entities, ruled over by different governing bodies, and linked by just promotion and relegation.
The Premier League rules should not be affected by anything that happens in the EFL.
The good news is that the Athletic claims it is unlikely to get widespread support among clubs.
And we imagine that the Premier League, the FA and UEFA will argue that abandoning relegation would have a huge impact on the sporting integrity of the league.
Teams at the bottom can still have a huge say on what happens to European places at the top.
It smacks of desperation and we’re sure that it won’t be the last plan we hear about taking relegation off the table. Self-interest can be ugly.
In other Leeds United news, Sky journalist: This is what a PL club owner has told me about Leeds being handed promotion