Premier League’s £5m ‘golden handshake’ plan has fans rightly outraged

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck has requested that all 20 Premier League clubs contribute £250,000 to give outgoing Premier League chairman Richard Scudamore a £5 million farewell gift.

The absolutely incredible suggestion is, according to numerous reports, expected to be agreed.

The idea has, understandably, been met with incredulity from supporters.

Scudamore, who has served the Premier League for 19 years, has reportedly been earning at least £2.5 million per year since 2013.

Football finance expert Kieran Maguire reports that Scudamore has earned £26.3 million since starting the job in 1999.

If any club approves the request, it will be a kick in the teeth for supporters who are constantly being charged more and more to support their team.

Liverpool supporters group Spirit of Shankly say:

The idea that any club should be asked to give such an amount would be laughable if it weren’t so infuriating.

Any club even considering it, let alone doing it, should hang their heads in shame.

Try and ask your club, like we have @LFC, to do something that doesn’t even cost £250k.

Whether it’s help with visas, travel, subsidising ticket prices, or supporting grassroots, we’re often told that budgets have already been set.

Be amazing if they ‘find’ £250k now.

SOS chairman Jay McKenna rightly points out that the collective £5 million could instead knock £10 off half a million tickets for supporters.

Many other supporters have suggested that such contributions could be better spent being given to children’s charities or helping the grassroots game which is in dire need of more funding.

McKenna also notes that “this is the same Premier League who can’t confirm the away ticket cap of £30 will remain in place yet, as they haven’t got all the TV deals concluded. But can talk about a £5m payment to an already rich fella leaving.”

https://twitter.com/andrewpaulish88/status/1062395307068219393

While the suggestion is laughable, if Scudamore accepts it is even more galling. If he had anything about him he would reject the offer, or ask that the money is given to the good causes suggested by supporters.

Given the Premier League‘s track record, don’t be expecting such common sense.

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