Advertisement

Manchester United's Ed Woodward tells rebel clubs to back down and accept relegation is inevitable

Ed Woodward at Turf Moor in December 2019 - Martin Rickett/PA
Ed Woodward at Turf Moor in December 2019 - Martin Rickett/PA

The Manchester United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward urged Premier League chief executives on a call last week to accept that relegation was an inevitability for three clubs if the league was to fulfil its obligations as part of Project Restart.

United are among those leading clubs who feel that there is no alternative to relegation when it comes to the agreements in place with the Football League as well as the broadcasters and that three clubs must be relegated whether or not the season is completed on the pitch. The issue of relegation in the event of curtailment is now the key sticking point ahead of Thursday’s next Premier League shareholders’ meeting.

The chief executives and leading figures from the 20 clubs speak regularly on conference calls outside the aegis of the official shareholders’ meetings with the Premier League executive team. Woodward said to his fellow chief executives that it had to be accepted that there could be no prospect of voiding the relegation question and that there were other clubs in the league who could also potentially lose out if the season was to start and then subsequently be curtailed.

United currently trail Chelsea in fourth place by three points and are two ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers in sixth. Given Manchester City’s current Uefa ban, fifth place should still be enough to qualify for the Champions League. Next week is the likely date for clubs to vote on the formula for curtailment in the event that the league, which resumes on June 17, was unable to be completed under the new government protocols permitting the return for elite sport. Sky Sports reported on Monday that up to 10 unnamed clubs were prepared to vote against relegation in the event of curtailment.

Although United have been largely quiet during the league’s suspension, the club’s position is that the league season should be completed and that relegation must remain in place. Those clubs at the bottom of the league who would like relegation cancelled believe that there is support higher up the league for their position.

There is a concern that any attempt to block the 14 votes needed for a curtailment formula – points per game being the favoured option – will result in delays to the season restart, further rebates to broadcasters and potentially a legal case from promoted clubs denied their place. It may also sour the relationship between the majority of the league’s leading clubs and those at the bottom, making the former better disposed to a European super league breakaway.