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Is a nasty little PL/broadcasters trade off on the horizon?

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Let’s assume for a moment that the right decision is made …and the Premier League is nulled and voided for the season.

The biggest worry then facing the PL bosses is the money that they won’t get, or have to return,  to the broadcasters and with today’s suggestions that matches could be played on TRAINING GROUNDS with just 300 in attendance  they may have a problem.

That really isn’t the greatest incentive for Sky and BT to want to broadcast them but will they withhold or want their money returned for the nine outstanding games? I don’t think so.

Instead, with Amazon in the background wanting a bigger share of next season’s football pie, I can see a nasty little trade off on the horizon.

Football is the most important issue on any of the satellite channels and I don’t see either company screwing the game with financial demands which to a large extent is important for keeping them in business.

A very good friend of mine who has spent 40 plus years in the game offered his thoughts on what he reckons is a more likely outcome.

What he sees – conspiracy theory or not – is  them dropping what’s owed but making sure they get access to the game in all areas.

He believes the broadcasters could instead do a deal whereby they let the PL off the financial hook and ask instead for dressing room access, before, at half time and after match.

Let’s be honest that’s pretty tasty TV and would give the broadcasters total intrusion as managers go crazy, bawl out players and all the rest of it.

It would be reality TV at it’s best. Football sold out to TV a long time ago with the arrival of the Premier League – let’s hope it’s not put in a position where it would sell the game’s soul.

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Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!"

Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

3 comments

  • wjo1974 says:

    I genuinely can’t see someone like Dyche or Ancelloti allowing a half time camera crew in if they are losing badly and he is about to deliver a rollocking. I just don’t see that going down well and no matter what is agreed there will be closed doors.

  • I’ve said this before. If these matches are played at training grounds or wherever, are the grounds able to have VAR set up? Maybe over the marshes 😂 If they are how many people sit in a room up the road somewhere checking it? Technicians, electricians, refs? Social distancing??And if not being used what happens about the teams that have had the rough edge of, it not getting the chance for it to ” even itself up ” over the season? And again, if they dont use it does it mean we wont need it anymore. I dont know, the mind boggles sometimes!!

    • Allen says:

      Great point John. VAR should be used at all games – the way it has been so far. That’s fair. So if that’s not possible – that’s UNfair. Another fudge for them to complete and get their MONEY!!!

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