LONDON: The Premier League announced Thursday that clubs have agreed to its proposal of handing outgoing chairman Richard Scudamore a total of 5 million pounds ($6.4 million) as a token of their appreciation for his services.
Each club is expected to provide a sum of 250,000 pounds ($320,000) over a period of three years to pool in the funds.
Scudamore will be stepping down from his role after 19 years and is credited widely for the Premier League’s rise as not only the top football competition in the world, but one of the most commercially viable and popular sporting events globally. The decision was made by the league’s Audit and Remuneration Committee and the non-executive directors, supported and endorsed by the clubs. T
he payments are in consideration of two other important areas:
• It was vital that a comprehensive set of non-compete clauses were extended, to ensure the best possible protection for the future of the Premier League.
• It was agreed that it is crucial for the league’s ongoing success that Scudamore’s unique knowledge and experience remain available in an advisory capacity.
However, many fans of the clubs including the Football Supporters’ Federation are against the Premier League’s ‘golden handshake’, terming the move as ‘unpopular’ and ‘negative PR’. The repercussions remain to be seen.
The competition has won more praise recently for appointing a woman named Susanna Dinnage, the head of Discovery’s Animal Planet as Scudamore’s successor.
