Plans for major changes to the structure of English football, known as 'Project Big Picture', have caused a furious backlash by clubs, fans and even the British government. Ahead of a series of meetings this week, here is a look at the main issues.
What is 'Project Big Picture'?
The owners of Liverpool and Manchester United along with Rick Parry, the chair of the Football League (EFL), have put forward a series of proposals to restructure the governance and finances of English football.
The document has been worked on for about three years but came to light on Sunday when published by The Telegraph newspaper.
How would it affect the Premier League?
Perhaps the most contentious issue is the proposal to shrink the league from 20 to 18 teams. The bottom two teams would be relegated to the second tier Championship and be replaced annually by the top two teams in that division.
In addition, there would be an annual four team playoff for a place in the top flight involving the third, fourth and fifth placed teams in the Championship and the 16th-placed Premier League team.
All changes would take place for the 2022/23 season. In order to get to 18 teams, the prior season would probably see four teams relegated and only two promoted.
This is not without precedent. The Premier League had 22 teams when it began in 1992, but this was reduced to the present 20-team format in 1995.
The League Cup and pre-season Community Shield would be scrapped and the season would start later in August, allowing a longer window for lucrative pre-season tours.
How will clubs in the EFL be affected?
The plan proposes a £250 million ($326.28m) 'rescue fund' earmarked as an immediate one-off payment to the 72 EFL clubs and another £100 million for the English Football Association.
It also envisages a rise in the annual 'solidarity payments' from the Premier League to the EFL from four per cent of media net revenues to 25 per cent.
The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on many clubs' finances with fans unable to attend games.
The idea is also for the Premier League to sell the EFL's broadcast rights as part of a package.
Leagues One and Two, the third and fourth tiers of the English game, would have 24 teams, meaning two clubs of the 92 currently in the Premier League and EFL structure would drop out.
Will relegated clubs still receive 'parachute payments'?
The proposal also calls for an end to 'parachute payments' to clubs relegated from the Premier League.
They are calculated as a share of the broadcasting rights and though they vary, in the last two years the payment has averaged around £250 million.
Having two fewer Premier League clubs would also reduce the amount shared out from the collective pot.
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The 30 most expensive squads in Europe
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So the big six clubs get a bigger share of TV revenue?
Though the document does not say so explicitly, it almost certainly means that the traditional Big Six – Liverpool, United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham – almost certainly getting a bigger slice of the TV cash.
There are several options being floated but the principle behind them is an increase in the share based on 'merit' – a weighting based on league position, clearly a good idea for those teams who frequently finish in the top six.
Given that the Premier League earns more than any other domestic league from the sale of broadcast rights across the world, opponents of Project Big Picture calculate that a concentrated few could end up with four times as much money from broadcast rights per season as others.
Why are some critics calling it a 'power grab'?
Because the project also calls for 'Special Voting Rights' for the nine clubs that have the longest continuous membership of the Premier League.
This marks a break with the system of 'one club, one vote' in place since the league's founding in 1992.
As well as the aforementioned big six, Southampton, West Ham United and Everton – the three other longest-serving top-flight clubs – would also have a bigger say.
The nine would have the power to elect or remove a new chief executive, approve broadcast and media rights deals, handle cost control rules, block changes to television revenue distribution and even veto any new club owner approved by the Premier League board.
With only six of the nine clubs needing to agree to any measures, many have argued that too much power is being handed to the Big Six. The proposal has been criticised by the UK government as “backroom deals being cooked up that would create a closed shop at the very top of the game”.
The Football Supporters' Association was even more damning, saying on Tuesday that the so-called 'rescue fund' to cover lost revenues "might actually be a sugar coated cyanide pill".
Any fans of the proposal, other than the Big Six?
Nigel Travis, chairman of League Two Leyton Orient, has called 'Project Big Picture' a "great proposal" and said that without urgent financial support some EFL clubs will "disappear within five to six weeks".
The UK government has agreed a funding package with clubs in the National League, which allowed their season to begin last week behind closed doors, but there has been no support for EFL clubs, with Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden suggesting the Premier League could support lower-league sides.
"The reality is you need to save football and this is the only and best proposal I've seen," Travis told the BBC. "The government did a great job with the furlough programme but they've given the EFL no chance other than to negotiate with the Premier League."
Championship side Derby County's chief executive Stephen Pearce and chairman of League Two club Forest Green Rovers, Dale Vince, have voiced their support for the plan, while Preston North End representative Peter Ridsdale said that his club "broadly welcomes" the proposals while "recognising that there are some elements that still need further talk and debate".
What incentive is there for other Premier League clubs to vote for it then?
Under current rules 14 of the 20 Premier League clubs must agree to pass any proposal or policy.
While it is hard to imagine that the other clubs would vote for less power and a smaller share of the revenue it is likely that the proposals will be negotiated and changes made to help bring more clubs on board.
The FA also has a 'golden share' in the Premier League which would allow it to block the changes, should it feel they damage the game.
And if 'Project Big Picture' is rejected?
If the Premier League clubs vote against the plan it remains to be seen whether the Big Six will simply accept the smaller clubs thwarting their project.
Some media reports have stated that Parry has suggested to the big clubs that they simply walk out of the Premier League, paving the way for involvement in a future European Super League, reducing their domestic fixture list to accommodate more games against major clubs from Germany, Spain and Italy.
The Premier League clubs and the FA Council are both due to meet this week.
WOMAN AND CHILD
Director: Saeed Roustaee
Starring: Parinaz Izadyar, Payman Maadi
Rating: 4/5
SECRET%20INVASION
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The bio
Who inspires you?
I am in awe of the remarkable women in the Arab region, both big and small, pushing boundaries and becoming role models for generations. Emily Nasrallah was a writer, journalist, teacher and women’s rights activist
How do you relax?
Yoga relaxes me and helps me relieve tension, especially now when we’re practically chained to laptops and desks. I enjoy learning more about music and the history of famous music bands and genres.
What is favourite book?
The Perks of Being a Wallflower - I think I've read it more than 7 times
What is your favourite Arabic film?
Hala2 Lawen (Translation: Where Do We Go Now?) by Nadine Labaki
What is favourite English film?
Mamma Mia
Best piece of advice to someone looking for a career at Google?
If you’re interested in a career at Google, deep dive into the different career paths and pinpoint the space you want to join. When you know your space, you’re likely to identify the skills you need to develop.
LIVING IN...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
Honeymoonish
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How Apple's credit card works
The Apple Card looks different from a traditional credit card — there's no number on the front and the users' name is etched in metal. The card expands the company's digital Apple Pay services, marrying the physical card to a virtual one and integrating both with the iPhone. Its attributes include quick sign-up, elimination of most fees, strong security protections and cash back.
What does it cost?
Apple says there are no fees associated with the card. That means no late fee, no annual fee, no international fee and no over-the-limit fees. It also said it aims to have among the lowest interest rates in the industry. Users must have an iPhone to use the card, which comes at a cost. But they will earn cash back on their purchases — 3 per cent on Apple purchases, 2 per cent on those with the virtual card and 1 per cent with the physical card. Apple says it is the only card to provide those rewards in real time, so that cash earned can be used immediately.
What will the interest rate be?
The card doesn't come out until summer but Apple has said that as of March, the variable annual percentage rate on the card could be anywhere from 13.24 per cent to 24.24 per cent based on creditworthiness. That's in line with the rest of the market, according to analysts
What about security?
The physical card has no numbers so purchases are made with the embedded chip and the digital version lives in your Apple Wallet on your phone, where it's protected by fingerprints or facial recognition. That means that even if someone steals your phone, they won't be able to use the card to buy things.
Is it easy to use?
Apple says users will be able to sign up for the card in the Wallet app on their iPhone and begin using it almost immediately. It also tracks spending on the phone in a more user-friendly format, eliminating some of the gibberish that fills a traditional credit card statement. Plus it includes some budgeting tools, such as tracking spending and providing estimates of how much interest could be charged on a purchase to help people make an informed decision.
* Associated Press
More on animal trafficking
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
A new relationship with the old country
Treaty of Friendship between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates
The United kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates; Considering that the United Arab Emirates has assumed full responsibility as a sovereign and independent State; Determined that the long-standing and traditional relations of close friendship and cooperation between their peoples shall continue; Desiring to give expression to this intention in the form of a Treaty Friendship; Have agreed as follows:
ARTICLE 1 The relations between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the United Arab Emirates shall be governed by a spirit of close friendship. In recognition of this, the Contracting Parties, conscious of their common interest in the peace and stability of the region, shall: (a) consult together on matters of mutual concern in time of need; (b) settle all their disputes by peaceful means in conformity with the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations.
ARTICLE 2 The Contracting Parties shall encourage education, scientific and cultural cooperation between the two States in accordance with arrangements to be agreed. Such arrangements shall cover among other things: (a) the promotion of mutual understanding of their respective cultures, civilisations and languages, the promotion of contacts among professional bodies, universities and cultural institutions; (c) the encouragement of technical, scientific and cultural exchanges.
ARTICLE 3 The Contracting Parties shall maintain the close relationship already existing between them in the field of trade and commerce. Representatives of the Contracting Parties shall meet from time to time to consider means by which such relations can be further developed and strengthened, including the possibility of concluding treaties or agreements on matters of mutual concern.
ARTICLE 4 This Treaty shall enter into force on today’s date and shall remain in force for a period of ten years. Unless twelve months before the expiry of the said period of ten years either Contracting Party shall have given notice to the other of its intention to terminate the Treaty, this Treaty shall remain in force thereafter until the expiry of twelve months from the date on which notice of such intention is given.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF the undersigned have signed this Treaty.
DONE in duplicate at Dubai the second day of December 1971AD, corresponding to the fifteenth day of Shawwal 1391H, in the English and Arabic languages, both texts being equally authoritative.
Signed
Geoffrey Arthur Sheikh Zayed
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
The Laughing Apple
Yusuf/Cat Stevens
(Verve Decca Crossover)
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
if you go
The flights
Etihad, Emirates and Singapore Airlines fly direct from the UAE to Singapore from Dh2,265 return including taxes. The flight takes about 7 hours.
The hotel
Rooms at the M Social Singapore cost from SG $179 (Dh488) per night including taxes.
The tour
Makan Makan Walking group tours costs from SG $90 (Dh245) per person for about three hours. Tailor-made tours can be arranged. For details go to www.woknstroll.com.sg
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Countdown to Zero exhibition will show how disease can be beaten
Countdown to Zero: Defeating Disease, an international multimedia exhibition created by the American Museum of National History in collaboration with The Carter Center, will open in Abu Dhabi a month before Reaching the Last Mile.
Opening on October 15 and running until November 15, the free exhibition opens at The Galleria mall on Al Maryah Island, and has already been seen at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum in Atlanta, the American Museum of Natural History in New York, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
Real estate tokenisation project
Dubai launched the pilot phase of its real estate tokenisation project last month.
The initiative focuses on converting real estate assets into digital tokens recorded on blockchain technology and helps in streamlining the process of buying, selling and investing, the Dubai Land Department said.
Dubai’s real estate tokenisation market is projected to reach Dh60 billion ($16.33 billion) by 2033, representing 7 per cent of the emirate’s total property transactions, according to the DLD.
Defence review at a glance
• Increase defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2027 but given “turbulent times it may be necessary to go faster”
• Prioritise a shift towards working with AI and autonomous systems
• Invest in the resilience of military space systems.
• Number of active reserves should be increased by 20%
• More F-35 fighter jets required in the next decade
• New “hybrid Navy” with AUKUS submarines and autonomous vessels
Six large-scale objects on show
- Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
- The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
- A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
- Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
- A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
- Torrijos Palace dome
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs%20
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ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
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Where can I submit a sample?
Volunteers can now submit DNA samples at a number of centres across Abu Dhabi. The programme is open to all ages.
Collection centres in Abu Dhabi include:
- Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC)
- Biogenix Labs in Masdar City
- Al Towayya in Al Ain
- NMC Royal Hospital in Khalifa City
- Bareen International Hospital
- NMC Specialty Hospital, Al Ain
- NMC Royal Medical Centre - Abu Dhabi
- NMC Royal Women’s Hospital.
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.6-litre V6
Transmission: nine-speed automatic
Power: 310hp
Torque: 366Nm
Price: Dh200,000
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Old Slave and the Mastiff
Patrick Chamoiseau
Translated from the French and Creole by Linda Coverdale
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Kanguva
Director: Siva
Stars: Suriya, Bobby Deol, Disha Patani, Yogi Babu, Redin Kingsley
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abu Dhabi GP schedule
Friday: First practice - 1pm; Second practice - 5pm
Saturday: Final practice - 2pm; Qualifying - 5pm
Sunday: Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (55 laps) - 5.10pm
