February 12 – English Premier League chief executive Richard Scudamore (pictured) has come under attack from politicians for declaring that he had no problem with clubs paying administrative staff low wages in contrast with the huge salaries paid to players.
Defending the Premier League’s record new £5.1 billion three-year domestic television deal, Scudamore prompted something of a backlash by declaring his organisation was a “success story” rather than a charity.
Scudamore is refusing to back calls for top-flight teams to use part of the latest windfall to improve the living standards of their lowest-paid staff by redistributing part of the money.
“We’re not set up for charitable purposes. We are set up to be the best football competition,” Scudamore declared.
“The reality is, just like in the film industry, in the pop industry, the talent, the absolute talent, gets paid a disproportionately high amount. That is the reality in any talent industry … The stars that grace the field in the Premier League are world stars, it’s a world market. I don’t set the market rate, it’s set by the world market.
“If you go and do any international survey, things like the Premier League, the BBC, the Queen: they are things that people feel are good about the UK.”
Scudamore, who reportedly earns a bonus-related salary of almost £2 million a year, told the BBC he did not have an issue with clubs paying massive salaries to players while some other staff earn the legal minimum wage. “No that does not make me uncomfortable,” he said.
“There’s a thing called the living wage but there’s also a minimum wage, and politicians do have the power to up that minimum wage. That’s entirely for the politicians to do, that’s not for us to do.”
Britain’s Business Secretary Vince Cable denounced Scudamore’s comments. “There is a lot of money in the sport. You are getting extraordinarily well-paid players,” Cable told London’s Evening Standard newspaper.
“The ordinary fans and ordinary workers around the ground should expect some of the money to come through to them. If companies can afford to pay the living wage, they should.”
David Lammy, an opposition Labour Member of Parliament who has campaigned for clubs to pay the living wage of £9.15 an hour in London and £7.85 outside, was also highly critical of Scudamore.
“He should not just feel uncomfortable, he should feel ashamed. This is conscious greed, plain and simple,” said Lammy.
Another politician, Shadow Minister for London Sadiq Khan, branded Scudamore’s remarks as “disgraceful” while the Football Supporters’ Federation called for improved funding for grassroots football and a cut in ticket prices following the Sky and BT Sport 2016-19 deal, an eye-watering 70% rise on the current £3 billion agreement.
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