SM
Watford vs. Leeds: 7 hrs 1 min
Upcoming predictions and previews

Forest Green chairman Dale Vince: 'Idea of B teams in EFL is hideous'

:Headline: Forest Green chairman Dale Vince: 'Idea of B teams in EFL is hideous': ID:417696: from db_amp
Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano suggested the introduction of second-string sides to England's lower tiers.

A proposal for Premier League clubs to play B teams in the English Football League is a "hideous" idea, according to one chairman.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano said football in the top flight was not a sustainable business even before the coronavirus crisis and suggested the introduction of second-string sides would rectify that.

However, Dale Vince, chairman at Sky Bet League Two Forest Green, believes the idea would destroy over a century of heritage and a better solution to the unsustainability argument would be for the Premier League to filter down more cash.

Manchester City chief executive Ferran Soriano suggested B teams could play in the EFL (Martin Rickett/PA)

"I think it is a hideous idea. It might be great for some clubs in the Premier League but it is not great for the EFL," he told the PA news agency.

"We don't just want to become an extension for B teams of the Premier League. I just think it is wrong.

"If you look at the clubs in the EFL they all have strong football identities, most have been around 100 years or more, and there is a proper culture in the EFL and it represents football across the country.

"It would exclude a whole bunch of clubs that currently represent different parts of the country, different communities with different heritage. It would reduce diversity in the EFL.

"If the Premier League have got problems playing some of their players that aren't ready for the Premier League then they should focus more on getting them to play in the Championship."

Premier League clubs already play under-21 teams in the EFL Trophy, with varying degrees of success, and that was an unpopular move for many EFL clubs but an extension of that would face significant opposition.

League One and Two sides have started to get to grips with the financial implications of the coronavirus pandemic and the wage and squad cap introduced this season will go some way to helping that.

However, having seen the Premier League spend £1.2billion on transfers in the summer window, Vince feels a fraction of that cash could be put to better use safeguarding the long-term future of the game at a lower level.

"It is an incredible sum of money," said Vince, one of the key speakers on The Good Business Festival's Raising the Game panel on Thursday.

"It just makes my point: chuck £100m a year into League One and Two and we'd have the sustainability everyone wants and we don't have to have a B league to do it.

A wage cap for League One and Two clubs was introduced this season (John Walton/PA)

"That would be socially responsibility for the Premier League. If they are actually concerned about sustainability of lower league football then do something about that. It is not much money for them.

"It would make a huge difference and with the wage and squad cap function in League One and Two it wouldn't take a lot of money to push each club into the black.

"Suddenly football would be in a healthier state financially. It wouldn't take a lot of money, 50-odd clubs in League One and League Two, £2million a year is £100m – that's not even a parachute payment."

amp_article__417696 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2020-10-08 15:36:00:
html db last update - 2021-03-11 12:20:35 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html

Coronavirus outbreak - Click here for more stories

Click here for more stories about Dale Vince

Click here for more stories about Manchester City

Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal28204470244664
2Liverpool28197265263964
3Manchester CityMan City28196363283563
4Aston Villa29175760421856
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs28165759421753
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd28152113939047
7West Ham UnitedWest Ham2912894650-444
8Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton2811985044642
9Wolverhampton WanderersWolves28125114244-241
10Newcastle UnitedNewcastle281241259481140
11Chelsea27116104745239
12Fulham29115134344-138
13Bournemouth2898114152-1135
14Crystal Palace2878133348-1529
15Brentford2975174154-1326
16Everton2887132939-1025
17Luton TownLuton2957174260-1822
18Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest2967163551-1621
19Burnley2945202963-3417
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd2835202474-5014
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .