Clubs fear worst over teleivison crisis

Last updated : 23 March 2002 By Notts County Mad
This WILL affect Notts County Football Club.

ITV Digital could ruin Notts
Messing with Lives. Messing with Communities. Messing with Football
Football League chairman Keith Harris warned of "widespread bankruptcies" after the league threw out proposals from ITV Digital and parent companies Carlton and Granada to renegotiate the £315million TV deal signed last year.

Matt Dunham, a partner with RSM Robson Rhodes - joint administrators of Second Division strugglers Bury - believes more than a third of clubs could fold if a compromise cannot be reached.

He said: "I've budgeted for this year's money coming through - it's another thing we can do without.

"It isn't going to make anything easier. It's going to create more uncertainty in the market for football clubs.

"People who might have bought football clubs won't want to now if they are unsure of the future.

"It's going to cause the clubs difficulty in the future. Clubs will have budgeted for players on two or three-year contracts on the assumption that this money was going to come through.

"I'm due one more payment from them. It's £24,000 of which £14,000 goes direct to the PFA to reduce the players' wages loan.

"It would make it far more difficult for me if there were to be problems."

He added: "Uncertainty generally tends to reduce prices in terms of attracting bidders. It's the last thing the game needs at the moment.

"Long-term, though, it won't do any harm because it might bring some sanity back into football.

"If you take out the clubs who have got a 'sugar daddy' looking after them then it will affect all the other clubs massively.

"From what I've seen the vast majority of clubs are seriously in trouble and this can only make it worse."

Lincoln chairman Rob Bradley claimed ITV Digital should "get their fingers out" and told BBC Radio 5 Live: "We are very reliant on this money - it is money that has been budgeted for.

"We have a new board paying off back tax and back debts and we are having a poor season. The supporters are disappointed but I tell them at least we have a football club.

"This, though, is the classic straw that could break the camel's back. They ought to get their fingers out and sort it out."

QPR are confident they can weather the storm surrounding the possible fall in television revenue.

Chief executive David Davies reckons the financial constraints that administration has imposed on QPR will help them cope.

"After the restructuring process we have been going through in the last 12 months and the strict financial controls administration has brought us, the club, in my view, is now in a better position to weather a renegotiation," he said.