Sport Industry Group

SII 08: Scudamore refuses to condone Richards- 12 Jun 2008 07:27:00

Speaking at the Sport Industry Interview 2008, Richard Scudamore, chief executive of the Premier League, stated that his chairman David Richards had ‘probably not had the best of days’ following the latter’s comments about the league’s impact on the fortunes of the England national team.

Earlier in the day it had been revealed that Richards had commented at a sports conference in Dubai that the rising number of foreign players in the Premier League had hurt the national team and led to the firing of former England manager Steve McClaren.

Addressing an audience of 250 members of the sport industry at the Sport Industry Interview 2008 in association with Nolan Partners, Scudamore refused to condone his chairman’s comments, stating that his opinions weren't representative of the Premier League’s stance.

Scudamore added: ‘The presence of 10 England-qualified players on the field in last month's Champions League final between Manchester United and Chelsea pointed to a strong pool of English talent.

‘It's actually possible to put together a decent enough team from these English players to actually win something.

The Premier League chief executive added that Richards was ‘mortified’ by the quote attributed to him, however Scudamore refused to back the sentiment.

He stated: ‘There is no point in me saying that he didn't say it and there is no point in me apologising for him because he wouldn't want me to do that.

‘He is as distraught this morning as I have ever seen him, because he knows he has probably not had his best day. But the collective view of the Premier League is not the same as those expressed by the chairman.’