Harry Diamond
Arsene Wenger has discussed the ‘Project Big Picture’ proposals and has warned that ‘smaller clubs will die’ without increased financial support.
Liverpool and Manchester United are at the forefront of radical plans to overhaul the English game, the proposal sets out plans to re-balance the distribution the wealth across the four tiers of the professional game with the EFL to be handed a £250m initial bailout as well as 25% of all future television revenue – a proposal which has earned the league’s ‘unanimous’ backing and promises to aid the long-term financial future of Football League sides.
However, other aspects of the proposals have been met with strong opposition given the intention to end the one-club, one-vote system in favour of handing the majority of power to the league’s wealthiest sides, while there would become a greater disparity in the funds handed out to clubs at the top and bottom of the Premier League.
Former Arsenal manager Wenger has now offered his verdict on the proposals, insisting that more must be done to help the precarious financial situations of several lower league clubs, believing that a one-off payment will not solve the deep-rooted issues in the game at present.
“If nothing happens, the smaller clubs will die. I don’t think that one payment will sort out the problem. The problem is much deeper than that,” he told Sky Sports.
“The money certainly has to be shared, the income of the top clubs has to be shared a fraction more with the smaller clubs.”
The Premier League and Prime Minister have come out to condemn the plans and Wenger – now working as FIFA’s chief of global football development – refused to confirm whether he was in support of ‘Project Big Picture’, but urged football’s authorities to come up with a solution to the games long-standing problems rather than club owners.
“I think that you cannot ignore completely the tradition inside the country,” he continued.
“Because the project comes from outside owners it will create a reluctance and a negative approach.
“Overall the solution has to come from the federation, from the government, from the Premier League – to find a compromise to sort out the problems that already existed before coronavirus.”
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