Report
A backroom deal brokered by Liverpool FC and Manchester United FC has been criticised by the Premier League and the British Government. The deal put on the table would see the number of teams in the Premier League reduced to 18, and a cash offer to the other clubs not in the top flight. Under the deal, worked out with the English Football League (EFL) – currently in charge of the Championship, League 1 and League 2 – the other teams in the big 6 – Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea and Arsenal would rejoin the English Football League and keep their places in Europe.
It is unclear, however, if this applies to the other two in the Big 6 – Liverpool FC and Manchester United – or what would happen to the other 14 teams in the English Premier League. Is it an attempt to become more like an American League – with an EPL and EFL rather than a NFC and AFC as in American Football, or is it the English Football League taking over the reigns again.
Under a two-league scenario it might look like this:
| EPL | EFL |
| Liverpool FC | Chelsea |
| Manchester United | Arsenal |
| Aston Villa | Tottenham Hotspur |
| Everton | Manchester City |
| Leicester City | West Bromwich Albion |
| Leeds United | Burnley FC |
| Newcastle United | Sheffield United |
| West Ham United | Fulham FC |
| Southampton | Luton Town |
| Crystal Palace | Watford |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Blackburn Rovers |
| Brighton & Hove Albion | Birmingham City |
| Bristol City | Queens Park Rangers |
| Reading | Middlesbrough |
| Swansea City | Millwall |
| AFC Bournemouth | Rotherham United |
Note: Places in possible new EPL and EFL set-up based on current position in the two Leagues, with the bottom four EPL relegated and top four EFL promoted. A possible Super Bowl-like Playoff to decide the English Champions would be needed.
References
Websites
[1] James Whaling (2020) Daily Mirror, 12 October 2020 “Arsenal, Man City, Tottenham and Chelsea ‘offered chance to rejoin EFL’ amid revamp” [Internet] Available from: https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/arsenal-man-city-tottenham-chelsea-22829703?fbclid=IwAR143eECWubUgRv94bg2aRymbLbcPMCV14zz_HuAAqm_1jBM8pOeJ2zkXfE [Accessed 12 October 2020]
[2] English Premier League (2020) Premier League Table [Internet] Available from: https://www.premierleague.com/tables [Accessed 12 October 2020]
[3] English Football League (2020) Championship League Table [Internet] Available from: https://www.efl.com/clubs-and-competitions/sky-bet-championship/league-table/ [Accessed 12 October 2020]
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Nora Mulcahy, Richard Mulcahy, Dervla Mulcahy, Conor Connoly-Mulcahy, Dara Connoly-Mulcahy, Aodhan Connolly-Mulcahy.
About this document
Researched, Compiled and Written by Enda Mulcahy for the
Eirball | Irish, North American & World Sports Archive
Last Updated: 12 October 2020
(c) Copyright Enda Mulcahy and Eirball 2020
You may quote this document in part provided that proper acknowledgement is given to the authors. All Rights Reserved.