FootBiz newsletter #119: Premier League and EFL find common ground... in blaming UEFA

The Premier League and the EFL haven’t exactly seen eye to eye on footballing matters in recent years. Indeed, one of the main roles of the newly installed Independent Football Regulator will be resolving disputes between two of the three most significant bodies in English football, starting with the ‘New Deal for Football’ which has been dead (or possibly just dormant) since March 2024.

England’s top flight and the three leagues that buttress the Premier League’s golden palace have, however, found common ground this week in blaming UEFA for separate scheduling headaches.

One we covered in FootBiz last week was how on Earth Crystal Palace were going to squeeze in their Carabao Cup quarter-final at Arsenal given their already congested fixture list. The solution has been to schedule the game for December 23, meaning two games in three days for Oliver Glasner’s side and the likelihood that they will have to punt on either the league game away at Leeds United on the Sunday or the last-eight tie in north London on the Tuesday.

The EFL, who run the Carabao Cup, are not pleased and lay the blame squarely at the feet of UEFA.

A statement criticised the "expansion of European cup competitions" which it believes was "implemented without adequate consultation with domestic leagues". That expansion now sees midweek UEFA fixtures take up ten weeks of the calendar rather than the previous six.

Glasner had said it would be “irresponsible” to make Palace play with just one day between matches but the EFL has insisted it had no choice after discussions with both clubs and the Premier League.

"To continue making endless concessions only serves to undermine the reputation of the EFL Cup," said the statement.

"It also challenges the traditional scheduling of the English football calendar and strength of our domestic game."

Meanwhile, the Premier League have blamed UEFA for the fact they have only one game scheduled on Boxing Day this year – an 8pm kick-off between Manchester United and Newcastle which will be almost impossible to attend by public transport.

The Premier League’s broadcast contracts require games to be played on 33 weekends for the next four seasons, with only five rounds of midweek fixtures permitted, meaning that the majority of matches that would traditionally have been scheduled for Boxing Day will be played on Saturday 27 December and Sunday 28 December.

In a statement confirming their festive fixtures published last week the Premier League glossed over their broadcasting commitments and instead took aim at UEFA, whose decision to expand their club competitions has left the domestic game short of midweek slots in which to stage games. The expanded Champions League group stage now runs into January, while 16 teams are also involved in two-legged play-offs late in the month.

“There are now several challenges to fixture scheduling rooted in the expansion of European club competitions,” the Premier League said. “The League can give an assurance that next season there will be more Premier League matches on Boxing Day, as the date falls on a Saturday.

"As with previous years, and in keeping with our commitment to clubs, special arrangements have been made to allow more time between games played across the festive period. This will allow greater time for players to recover with the rest periods between rounds 18, 19 and 20 being increased to ensure that no club plays within 60 hours of another match."

Of course, UEFA’s creeping overreach into the calendars of domestic football is not too different from what they, in turn, complain that FIFA has done to them.

But with some of Europe’s biggest clubs now getting prize money envy from all the riches on offer at the Club World Cup, the question is whether the expansion continues… and when clubs or leagues begin to actually do something instead of just releasing statements.

One thing is for sure, nobody we’ve spoken to at clubs think it’s feasible or acceptable to ask teams to be playing four times in eight days.

Table of Contents

• FA face £1m legal bill after defeat

• Wolves’ compensation get-out as Pereira is fired

• Vieira out at Genoa

• Still the latest Sports Republic victim

• Renovated Camp Nou in frame for CL final

• Barca’s levers unpacked

• USL snag key Prem hire

• Chelsea hire FIFTH sporting director

• Strasbourg hire Weir

• Taxpayers to pay for West Ham relegation

• GSG add David Villa

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