03/03/2025
Premier League CEO Richard Masters has been talking to the Financial Times about the role he has played as “keeper of the peace” between 20 highly competitive clubs.
“The flipside of the popularity of the Premier League . . . is that it’s heavily scrutinised and everyone has a view,” Masters says, carefully. “You just have to accept it.”
“I don’t enjoy it,” he admits of the criticism, before adding a painful-sounding coda: “You just have to let it pass through you and move on.”
Accused of being a patsy for “Richard’s Masters” – the so-called Red Cartel of Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool, the Premier League’s top man was subjected to extensive condemnation for his role in prosecuting the PSR cases conducted against Everton, which saw the Premier League and Masters himself labeled as “Corrupt” in organized fan protests.
The spotlight now is on the case of 115 charges being pursued against Manchester City that has taken over 2 years to come under an independent commission, with charges dating back to 2010, with a verdict expected in the coming weeks.
If the club is found to have breached the rules, the independent panel will not decide on sanctions: that will be a separate process and the club — and the Premier League itself — will have the right to appeal.
“There is no happy alternative to enforcing the rules. The Premier League will survive the impact of all of this and come through it.”
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