PL, EFL to face panel over lack of COVID rescue package

England’s football chiefs are set to face members of parliament next week to discuss why no agreement has been reached on a bail-out package for lower-tier clubs facing financial strain amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

The English Football League (EFL), representing the three divisions below the Premier League, last month rejected a Sh7 billion offer from the top flight saying it wanted a deal which covered all of its teams.

The Premier League said its offer was for League One and League Two and not for second-tier Championship clubs.

British media reported that Premier League chief executive Richard Masters, EFL chairman Rick Parry and Football Association chairman Greg Clarke will meet a Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee on Tuesday.

“It’s a very unedifying sight when you’ve seen other sports coming together in order to find a way through this crisis,” DCMS chair Julian Knight told Sky Sports.

“Football just had a transfer window where they’ve spent 1.2 billion pounds where we have 12-15 EFL clubs in the emergency ward … that are in a situation where they could go under.

“You never know, they could be now on the cusp of putting a deal together and we can explore that deal in the committee.”