Footballers
in England are set to strike on December 1 after Professional Footballers
Association chief executive Gordon Taylor claimed talks with the Premier
League over TV revenue share had broken down.
Strike action was backed by over 99 per cent of players in England who
responded to a PFA ballot concerning the revenue share.
But Taylor revealed that no settlement had been reached between the union
and the Premier League and therefore strike action was likely to take
place on the weekend of December 1 and 2.
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Gordon Taylor |
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Taylor said that all league games with cameras present – live or recorded
– would be affected.
He said: "Unusually we've got the Premier League negotiating for
the FA and the Football League. What we've been offered is not a fair
reflection of the jobs that we do in the game and I can assure you that
are accounts are transparent.
"It's all league games starting on December 1 and from that point
of view I understand the concerns of the broadcasting companies. It is
where there are cameras for live transmission or recorded highlights –
we just feel we've been left with no alternative.''
Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore countered: "Because
of the PFA's action, we must now respond in order to protect the game
and its competitions. We will have to take all the steps necessary to
prevent what we consider to be illegal action."
Taylor hit back, adding: "This union is about a fairer redistribution
of money and looking after those who fall by the wayside. The PFA isn't
Gordon Taylor, I'm just responding to what they want, and they see no
reason why we should again have our share eroded.
"Over the past 50 years it's been 15 per cent, it's been ten, it's
been down to five, it's been overseas money and now it's excluding money
that's got paid in advance, and now it's time to draw a mark in the sand.
"We're not certain the money will be there in the future and we
feel we need to protect the very future of the PFA and its very meaningful
existence.
"There was an easy way to sort this out – to give us the same
share. We've offered them to be trustees on our charities where the money
goes, but we just feel this is a last resort.
"We've had one, two, three or four days and we're still locked way
from an agreement. We are bound by the law of the land, but it doesn't
mean we can't reach an agreement before December 1. We can just hope."
The PFA were demanding a five per cent stake of the £1.5 billion
television deal the Premier League recently negotiated with Sky and ITV.
After Monday's negotiations, Taylor said: "Another meeting was held,
but no real progress was made. We expect to have a further meeting later
this week. At the moment, it is like we are climbing Everest with a long
way to go."
Of the 2,949 ballot papers sent out to players, 2,315 were returned –
a 92 per cent response. Of those which came back, 2,290 supported strike
action in games where TV cameras were present and in use, while only 22
were opposed.
The games that will be affected that day include Chelsea's league clash
with Manchester Untied.
The PFA's last deal was for five per cent of TV revenue and they are
seeking the same figure again to fund their welfare and education programmes
– around £25 million from the Premier League and £6 million
each from the FA and Football League.
The Premier League originally offered between £8 million and £9
million, although it is understood the latest offer is for 2.5 per cent
'disposable TV income' - around £10 million.