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Richard Masters underfire after calling Everton and Nottingham Forest ‘small clubs’

Premier League CEO Richard Masters comes underfire after calling Everton and Nottingham Forest ‘small clubs’ in a government grilling.

Fans have been left even more frustrated after footage emerged of Masters giving a response to being asked about fairness when talking about Everton and Nottingham Forest’s spending charges.

He insists that the rules set are ‘standard directions for everybody – not just small clubs’ with both teams being charged with breaches regarding to their spending, and could result in a points deduction.

It didn’t take long for a clip of his ‘small clubs’ comment to do the rounds online with some deeming it a dig at against their own team instead of a general statement about clubs of all sizes facing the same regulations.

In this video, Masters is responding to questions from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee at a select committee meeting on Tuesday.

Question put to Masters: “I just wanted to add on sort of Everton front that can you understand why there will be a degree of cynicism among fans that we’ve talked a lot about?

“The cliff edge between the Premier League and the rest of football?

“There does appear to be a cliff edge inside the Premier League where if you’re a really big club and therefore you can not only afford the best players but the best lawyers, then you get embroiled in legal matters that take ten years or never come to fruition.

“Whereas if you’re Everton or not or Forest there’s an expedited procedure, to use your phrase, where suddenly in the middle of the season they get knocked ten points off and get threatened with relegation where on the pitch they wouldn’t deserve that.

“Do you understand the cynicism that develops around that?”

Masters responded: “I do understand the issue and I try to separate the two in the sense that I’ve said that those standard directions are for everybody, they’re not just for small clubs.

“So if anybody was found to be in breach and put forward their PSR calculation that was above the threshold, then we’re doing exactly the same thing on exactly the same time frame.

“There’s a very separate process for the other cases because they are fundamentally different in nature and unfortunately I can’t go into all of that today.

“I do understand that from the outside looking in, fans are interested in what goes on on the pitch.

“They’re less interested in financial regulation and less it impacts on their club and how that works throughout the system.

“They are interested in fairness and I think most fans want to know that the regulatory bodies, in this case the Premier League, will enforce the rules and will have significant penalties for breaching very important rules as a disincentive to do it.

“It is much better, obviously, that all of our clubs comply with the rules at all times.

“Therefore we don’t have to talk about these things at all.

“That is the perfect world we’d all like to live in.

“It isn’t the case at the moment.

“And so we have to go through this process and we want to be transparent and want people to understand it, prepared to have a dialogue and we obviously work, continuing to work with the clubs involved here on how that process plays out.

“There’s a wider point in principle, I think, which does.”

You can watch the live stream in full by clicking play below!

Meanwhile, when questioned by the Culture, Media and Sport Committee over whether he could understand fans’ frustrations regarding the delay to the Man City hearing, Masters replied: “I can but they are very different charges.

“If any club, whether they are the current champions or otherwise, had been found in breach of the spending rules for year ’23, they would be in exactly the same position as Everton or Nottingham Forest.

“The volume and character of the charges laid before Man City, which I cannot talk about at all, are being heard in a completely different environment.

“There is a date set for that proceeding. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you when that is but that is progressing. I can’t give any details on Man City beyond saying a date has been set, I can’t tell you when that date is.

“On Chelsea, as you know, the new owners came forward with information to The FA, UEFA and Premier League about previous ownership and we’re still investigating that. We don’t announce the outcome of that until we have completed those investigations.”

As mentioned, Richard Masters has come underfire after calling Everton and Nottingham Forest ‘small clubs’…

@Jess_1878: Regardless of your stance on Everton/ Forest, the head of the Premier League shouldn’t be labeling any club “small”especially after emphasising “fairness” in the league for the past 30mins. This only adds more evidence showing there is inconsistency between how teams are treated

@adamsg1878: Describing any team in the premier league as a “small club” is absolutely abhorrent, but calling Forest and Everton small clubs? Brain dead

@StuieHayllor: Nothing to see here. Just the CEO of the Premierleague calling Everton and Nottingham Forest (NFFC honours include 2 European Cups, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 League title, 2 FA Cups and 4 League Cups. EFC have 9 league titles, 6 FA Cups and 1 European Cup Winners’ Cup) small.

@cdsmith789: Actually quite flabbergasted by this. The Premier League CEO calling any of its 20 clubs “small” would be bafflingly terrible judgement let alone ones who’ve won as many league titles as Everton and as many European Cups as Forest. Just appalling leadership on such a key issue.

@Jess_1878: Everton need to go after him for calling us a “small club”. Everton are the longest reigning top flight club. Tells you everything you need to know about the people running this league. If you aren’t one of his precious Sly 6 you don’t matter. Corrupt to the core.

@Darren1878nsno: And there we have admission. ” Small clubs “. Everton lawyers need to have a field day here because masters himself has just confirmed a separate grouping in his mind for clubs within the premier league.

@TheVillaPolls: “Small clubs”… tells you everything you need to know about this bunch. Why have they sat on their hands all these years when they had the power to take action before city racked up 115 charge

@KUEFC: How is Masters, as head of the PL allowed to use the term “small clubs”? Surely he should be considering every team within the league as being equal?

@EvertonNewsFeed: The use of the term “small clubs” really shouldn’t be coming from the Head of the Premier League when describing clubs within the Premier League

@CBobblers1878: Do small clubs have small fans with smaller needs @WeAreTheFSA?

@Bobbybefc: Just proved that he is looking after the Sly 6 and the other 14 small clubs don’t count neither do their fans Hopefully our KC Barrister will pull him to pieces at the appeal but I doubt he will be there he will send Ric (the Red) Parry in his place @premierleague @SkySportsNews

@PeterJMacca: For fans of the “other 14” clubs, THIS is what the CEO of the Premier League thinks of your clubs. He sees you as “small” clubs. Here he is talking about The 9 times champions of England, Everton, and 2 times European Champions, Nottingham Forest.

@inchy1878: I’m sure the amazing lady sat to his side coughed ‘bull shit’ towards the end of his waffling answer

@terry__smith: Credit to @DamianGreen for making the point and for that ‘The Look’ from @EFC_FanAdvisory’s rep Julie. You could read her mind: “Go on yer toad, answer that one!”

@phil_riley: He’s actually said “the small clubs” out loud. What an absolute helmet

@Isandlwana123: He should have pressed him. EFC co operated City hailed to cooperate 10 times over 10 years as part of the 115 charges against them, His defence was “ I can’t talk about that” – yeah but you can talk about Everton. Money talks CORRUPTION

@Cam_Ashurst1878: The use of small clubs in relation to us and Forest tells you what you need to know. Cartel six and they couldn’t care less about anyone else. What a clown

@KUEFC: How has he used the word “small clubs”? He is the head of the premier league ffs shouldn’t every club within his league be considered as equal?

@Gazala2: I remember very well when City would’ve been classed as a small Club! Now they’re the Club he’s selling the PL around the World to!! I wonder what the PL board think of his comments today?

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