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Premier League boss Richard Masters pulled out of a day of high-profile golf with top executives from the game’s broadcast partners in a last-minute decision to focus on the crisis tearing English football apart.
The CEO, under pressure, was due to play with Sky Sports bigwigs and an NBC delegation at the exclusive Loch Lomond Golf Club in Scotland on Wednesday morning.
However, with the game plunged into civil war following the top flight’s legal battle with Manchester Metropolis over sponsorship rules, Masters decided to withdraw in what has been described as a “last minute” call before a meeting. emergency with the clubs next Thursday. to discuss the consequences.
Former Premier League supremo Richard Scudamore was at the event and was teamed up with Sky Sports director of football Gary Hughes, although league insiders have insisted Scudamore was not a replacement for the Masters and that he would always attend. Scudamore left the organization in 2018, but advised it during the Super League crisis after his consulting position was expanded.
The absence of the Masters, in a high-level spree with major broadcasters paying billions into the competition’s coffers, will have been a big decision. Sky are the main players in a £6.7bn deal alongside TNT and the BBC, while NBC will broadcast matches in the important US market until 2028, marking a 15-year partnership. A group of top NBC bosses are in the UK for a week of planning meetings.
Premier League boss Richard Masters walked out of key meeting with broadcasters
Masters was due to play with a broadcast executive in the Loch Lomond Golf Membership.
He is turning his attention to the ongoing civil war in the Premier League after Man Metropolis accused the top flight of “misleading” claims of victory over “inflated” sponsorship deal rules.
Scudamore’s presence attracted attention at the elegant club, considered one of the best courses in the world and one of the most difficult to secure a round.
Its former members include Sir Sean Connery, while Sir Rod Stewart celebrated Celtic’s 2-1 victory at Ross County on Sunday there. Registration can cost up to £100,000 with annual fees of around £7,000.
Masters will no doubt have spent time preparing for next Thursday’s hastily organized essential summit, and could bring Metropolis legal adviser Simon Cliff face to face with those he lambasted in a blistering email on Monday. evening.
Metropolis claimed victory in court over rules the top flight introduced on commercial deals with groups linked to owners after an independent tribunal ruled they were illegal.
However, in a summary to the clubs, Masters downplayed the significance of the ruling, claiming that the panel had “identified a small number of discrete elements… which, in their current form, do not meet the requirements of jurisdiction and law.” public”. He added that the changes could be “remedied quickly and effectively.”
Manchester Metropolis have accused league bosses of “misleading” teams by providing “inaccuracies” and a meeting is due to take place next week.
Manchester Metropolis claimed to have won a legal victory against Associated Party Transactions (APT) rules, but the Premier League has downplayed the verdict.
Cliff denied those claims and sent emails to the other 19 clubs and the league itself, accusing the top flight of providing “misleading” and “inaccurate” information. He rejected Masters’ suggestion that new rules could be passed quickly and warned of potentially costly new legal action.
It is believed that no venue has yet been communicated to clubs. Big hitters from across the league, including the likes of Tottenham’s Daniel Levy, are expected to attend, while some may take part.
