Chairmen protest in cash row
Football League clubs today stepped up the pressure on Carlton and Granada to settle their TV rights dispute by staging a demonstration outside the media companies London headquarters.
Fifty of the League's 72 club chairmen were on the picket line, first outside Carlton's Knightsbridge offices and then at Granada's South Bank base. They were urging Carlton and Granada to pay the League £178.5 million they owe following the collapse of digital offshoot ITV Digital.
Although there are hopes of a settlement the two sides are due to go to the High Court later this month.
The chairmen held banners with a cartoon of Granada chairman Charles Allen and Carlton chairman Michael Green in football kits under-neath the slogan: "The threat to English Football. Warning these men can seriously damage the health of you club." League chief executive David Burns said: "This protest is an effective way of reminding people that this is an issue which involves millions of pounds and the future of football in this country is still unresolved.
"Our door is always open and we hope that after today we can all sit down and find a sensible settlement. "
Meanwhile, Football League chairman Keith Harris today defended the new £95million television rights deal with Sky following criticism from some First Division chairmen.
Millwall's Theo Paphitis and Crystal Palace's Simon Jordan say it is not enough money and the four-year deal is too long.
But Harris said: "The deal was discussed with the Football League's commercial committee and Football League board. It was their opinion, as was mine, that this was the only deal of any value on the table."
