Talk of a two-tier Premier League and breakaway Championship exposes the deepening chasm in English football.
Plans being whispered in boardrooms across the country are driven not by ambition or sporting fairness – but by sheer financial greed.
A Pyramid on the Brink
It’s been four years since the European Super League collapsed under the weight of fan fury. The memory of that disgraceful episode lingers — a reminder of just how far those in power are willing to go to protect their wealth. But now, a new threat has emerged, and this time it’s closer to home.
According to football finance expert Kieran Maguire, Premier League and Championship club executives are once again discussing drastic structural changes to the football pyramid. These include reducing the Premier League to 16 teams, forming a second “Premier League B,” and even severing the Championship from the EFL altogether in pursuit of their own TV deal. All of it, we’re told, to “free up time” for more lucrative friendlies and overseas tours.
Let’s call it what it is: a blatant cash grab.
Maguire notes that WhatsApp messages have been exchanged among senior figures about a new format. Proposals once floated under Project Big Picture — including trimming the top flight — are back on the table. The idea? Carve out space in an already congested calendar so that global brands like Manchester United and Liverpool can jet off post-season for a quick £8 million payday in Hong Kong or Dubai.
The Forgotten 72
This isn’t just about the top 20 clubs. If the Premier League splinters into two tiers, or if the Championship breaks away entirely, the already fragile solidarity model within the EFL collapses.
Right now, TV revenue is split 80% to the Championship, 12% to League One, and 8% to League Two. But some second-tier club owners don’t think that’s good enough. As Maguire explained, there are “owners in the Championship who do not like sharing money with clubs from League One and League Two.” The plan? Walk away from the EFL, keep 100% of the broadcast pot, and leave the rest to fend for themselves.
That means clubs like Accrington, Harrogate, and Colchester would lose vital funding overnight. It’s financial scorched earth — not because these clubs have failed, but because they don’t serve the revenue ambitions of a handful of billionaires.
Premier League Elitism on Full Display
At the heart of this is the warped logic that has come to dominate top-flight thinking: fewer matches equals more money.
Kieran Maguire made it clear that some executives favour cutting the league to 16 teams — effectively eliminating four clubs from the top table, and with them, eight matchdays. For clubs like Brighton, Crystal Palace, and Bournemouth, who rely heavily on gate receipts from those home fixtures, that’s a significant loss. And what for? So Manchester United can sell shirts in Shanghai while calling it a “friendly”?
The big six are no longer hiding their intentions. They want a league that works for them — not for the fans, not for the pyramid, and certainly not for competition. Their model is simple: global branding, closed-shop commercial events, and fewer games that risk losing points to clubs they feel shouldn’t be on the same pitch.
A History Lesson Ignored
Let’s not forget: the Premier League itself was born from a breakaway. In 1992, the top clubs walked away from the Football League in search of more lucrative TV deals. That move turbocharged football’s commercial growth, but it also planted the seed of division — a seed that is now threatening to become a chasm.
At least then, the new structure retained promotion and relegation. The current talk edges worryingly close to American-style franchising — elite clubs locked into guaranteed riches while others scrap for scraps. That’s not football. That’s financial engineering.
What Happens to the Fans?
The people pushing for this overhaul always forget one thing: the fans.
Fans didn’t ask for the European Super League. Fans didn’t ask for season openers in Sydney or winter breaks to allow for Saudi Arabia-based friendlies. Fans didn’t demand a two-tier Premier League. All of these ideas are borne from boardrooms detached from reality, obsessed with revenue over roots.
The identity of English football is its breadth — from Anfield to Accrington, from Selhurst Park to Salford. Tear that up, and you destroy the very soul of the sport.
Conclusion
What we’re witnessing is the slow erosion of English football’s integrity by a clique of super-rich clubs and self-interested owners. This isn’t about growing the game — it’s about hoarding the wealth. The very idea that clubs in the Championship would consider leaving the EFL just to stop supporting League One and Two sides should send shivers down the spine of any true supporter.
The pyramid works because it’s a system based on merit, not money. Tamper with that, and you’re playing a different game entirely.
This isn’t evolution. It’s greed — plain and simple.
