Premier League clubs considering no points deductions or fines for rebel ‘big six’
There is an awareness within the ‘other 14’ that such measures could end up punishing the wrong people with the re-examining of existing deals and rules loaded towards the breakaway group more likely
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Your support makes all the difference.The Premier League's ‘other 14’ will seek to re-examine existing deals and rules loaded towards the ‘big six’, with that currently seen as preferable to sanctioning clubs and staff that had nothing to do with the Super League breakaway.
The fall-out from the project's spectacular collapse has prompted big questions about how to handle those who agitated, especially since they broke Premier League Rule L9, that prohibits members from entering unsanctioned competitions.
The 14 have to meet to decide what next, and "there's a real need for answers" - to quote one source - but there is an awareness that sanctions like points deductions or financial penalties could end up just punishing the wrong people at clubs, as well as their communities.
It is for that reason more are looking at the regulatory structure of the Premier League, and issues like distribution of broadcasting revenue.
Perhaps the farthest reaching fall-out from the situation is that it has caused a "seismic shift" in the power balance of the Premier League. The last two decades have seen the "big six" earn incremental advantages at virtually every big decision.
The most pointed recent example was the alteration to distribution of overseas broadcasting revenue, according to league position. Virtually all of these changes were conditioned and influenced by the clout of the ‘big six’, which was largely derived by the possibility of a breakaway or super league always there in the background or horizon. It conditioned everything.
The view is that the six have now played their hand in that regard, and lost. The other 14 have been given an enormous boost, that they will now seek to leverage to affect imbalances.
Beyond that, the overriding view is to maintain the unity of the Premier League, which is why there is no anger at clubs as institutions. There is instead sympathy for many involved.
All of the fury is reserved for owners and executives who drove the Super League project, and it is possible the other 14 will seek some form of sanctions there.
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