Newcastle United left out in the cold by radical proposals for Premier League reform

Project Big Picture includes plans to reduce the Premier League to 18 teams, giving greater power to the “big six” – Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur – and abolishing the EFL Cup and Community Shield.

It also proposes that EFL clubs, badly hit by the coronavirus pandemic, will receive an immediate £250million rescue package – and a 25% future annual share of Premier League revenue.

As it stands, every Premier League club has an equal vote – and a majority of 14 is needed to pass changes. Under the proposals voting rights would be concentrated with the nine-longest servicing clubs.

Everton, West Ham United, Southampton, as “long-term shareholders”, would also have special voting rights – but the rest of the clubs would not have a say on key decisions.

Rick Parry, EFL chairman and former Liverpool chief executive, welcomed the proposals.

“Project Big Picture provides a new beginning which will revitalise the football pyramid at all levels,” said Parry. “This new beginning will reinvigorate clubs in the lower leagues and the communities in which they are based.

“This is about building on what is good and making the most of what works well in order to benefit the game as a whole, while simultaneously tackling those issues which trouble all of us.

"This is a blueprint for the future of English football.”

The plans, however, have been greeted with scepticism elsewhere.

In a statement, the The Football Supporters’ Association said: “Once again it appears that big decisions in football are apparently being stitched up behind our backs by billionaire club owners who continue to treat football as their personal fiefdom.

"Football is far more than a business to be carved up. It is part of our communities and our heritage, and football fans are its lifeblood. As football’s most important stakeholders, it is crucial that fans are consulted.

“We have welcomed the government’s commitment to a ‘fan-led review of the governance of football’. We would argue that today’s revelations have made that process even more relevant and urgent.”

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