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      Forest Green Rovers set to spark fan anger and ignore stadium naming poll… as people voted for it to be called Kevin

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      FOREST GREEN Rovers have angered fans after ignoring a competition to name the new stadium – because the people’s choice was KEVIN. 
      The controversial decision comes despite widespread outrage when officials disregarded a poll to name a research ship Boaty McBoatface. 

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      Innocent New Lawn is set to become the new name of Forest Green Rovers stadium

      Fans of the club, who play Colchester on Tuesday, are likely to be left fuming after Innocent Smoothies revealed they won’t name their stadium Kevin.
      This is despite 65 per cent of the firm’s Twitter poll voters choosing one of the nation’s most popular names as their frontrunner. 
      The fruit drinks makers decided to opt for the more conventional choice of Innocent New Lawn as the ground’s name instead. 

      And it was a choice that caused bemusement amongst some Rovers followers with one describing the decision as ‘disappointing’ and another calling it ‘awful’. 
      Chairman Dale Vince took to Twitter to placate angry fans.
      Vince, 59, tweeted: “Sorry if you hoped the stadium would be called Kevin. Perhaps Forest Green and innocent will do a ‘Kevin’s Go Free’ game when fans are allowed back in?”
      The club’s fan poll for renaming the stadium came about after Innocent Smoothies won a ground naming rights contract with the League Two side 

      As part of the deal the company insisted their famous moniker be used as part of all new name suggestions.

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      Jeff Stelling backed Rovers’ fans choice of Kevin as the new name of their stadiumCredit: Sky Sports
      However, supporters of the League Two side decided to throw a spanner in the works and push for Kevin.
      Sky Sports icon Jeff Stelling was among those to throw their weight behind the popular fan choice. 
      And the Gillette Soccer Saturday said: “If it is Kevin, it is guaranteed a mention every week.”
      The decision to name Rovers stadium Innocent New Lawn arose after options were shortlisted to four choices including Innocent Sustadium and Innocent Fruit Bowl. 
      Forest Green are renowned for being the world’s first vegan football club. 
      Last season they made history by hiring Hannah Dingley to become the first woman to take charge of a football league club academy.

      From vegan pies to bamboo kits, Forest Green Rovers are the greenest football club in the world More

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      EFL clubs threaten to withhold taxes in desperate attempt to secure Government bailout after coronavirus hell

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      EFL clubs are threatening to refuse to pay their taxes this week — unless the Government bails them out.
      The revolutionary plan to get emergency financial aid was discussed at a meeting between hard-up teams.

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      EFL clubs are threatening to refuse to pay their taxes this week unless the Government bails them outCredit: PA:Press Association

      A monthly PAYE tax payment is due by each of the EFL’s 72 clubs to HMRC on Thursday but there is a plot for ALL owners to band together and refuse.
      It has been brewing for weeks and was on the table at a ring-round of executives and chairmen last week.
      A hardcore band of Championship chiefs are behind the idea, however many clubs in League One and League Two are happy to join in.
      It will need teams to stick together — but the mood within the ranks is that they are now simply desperate for cash.

      The ultimate punishment for clubs who do not pay tax is a winding-up order.
      One leading mover in the plot said: “It is the nuclear option but we are at this stage if there is no help from the Government or Premier League.
      “If we all do not pay, the Government can dish out winding-up orders on each of us — and shut the industry if they want.“But that would not be a good look.”
      The EFL is enduring the biggest crisis in its history, with supporters banned from grounds due to Covid-19. Yet players and staff have been back on full salaries and the tax is due.

      Many clubs were using the furlough scheme to help — however now the game is up and running that has gone.
      Many are struggling to pay HMRC anyway, but others think this is a chance to make a stand and bring the Government back to the table.
      The Premier League were told to help out, yet offers so far have fallen well below the request for £250million.
      There is anger among the clubs and that was shown when League One and League Two rejected an immediate grant worth around £400,000 each last week.
      The solidarity shown with that decision — due to Championship teams being offered nothing — is now set to carry on to the looming showdown with the tax man.

      Frank Lampard says he is frustrated in Chelsea vs Southampton post-match press conference More

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      Man Utd legend Gary Neville says ‘enough is enough’ as he demands reboot of English football

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      GARY NEVILLE is calling for a reboot of English football and warned: “Enough is enough.”
      The former Manchester United and England right-back is part of an eight-strong group who believe the game is running off the rails.

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      Gary Neville wants a government-appointed ‘regulator’ to mould football’s futureCredit: PA:Press Association

      This week’s dogfight over Project Big Picture has only brought home the ‘chaotic’ structure with the Prem, FA and EFL all fighting for authority.
      Sky pundit Neville, who is part-owner of League Two Salford, said only an independent, Government-appointed ‘regulator’ with the powers of NFL commissioner Roger Goodell can implement a new order.
      Nev, 45, said: “The pandemic has demonstrated a void in the Premier League leadership.

      “They did not lead and hadn’t even been able to come up with a short-term plan to restructure funding. Enough is enough. Football has to change.”

      The United legend is part of the group – along with former FA chairman David Bernstein and Olympian Denise Lewis – who yesterday published their manifesto for change, ‘Saving Our Beautiful Game’.
      Bernstein, FA boss from 2011-13, said: “We took a poll of fans that found nearly 80 per cent agreed change is needed.
      “There has never been a  better moment for change.”
      Neville told Sky Sports: “The principle is that we don’t trust that football can govern itself and create the fairest deal for all, whether that’s the Premier League, EFL clubs, non-League clubs or the fans.

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      These were the chief proposals of Project Big Picture before it was aborted

      “It has been proven over this past six months that football has struggled to bring everyone together and proven to be incapable over a 25-30 year period of transforming the money in the game into something that works for everybody.
      “I want the best Premier League in the world, but I want sustainable football clubs.
      “There is enough money in the game to be able to have an elite Premier League, a sustainable and competitive EFL, money passed down to non-League and grassroots and where fans can get a fair deal.
      “That’s where an independent regulator, with that spirit at the heart of it, can come in and say ‘that’s not fair’.”

      The amazing players who won the Premier League title but missed out on a winners’ medal, including Gary Neville TWICE More

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      EFL bosses BAN Armed Forces from attending matches on Remembrance weekend despite pleas from teams

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      EFL bosses have banned the Armed Forces from matches on Remembrance weekend.
      Many teams were hoping to invite military personnel to lead the tributes before kick-offs.

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      EFL bosses have banned the Armed Forces from matches on Remembrance weekendCredit: Rex Features

      But despite being put on standby by the Government to patrol the streets during any future lockdowns, bungling EFL execs do not believe they are safe enough to enter secure, virtually empty football stadiums.
      An email sent to Championship, League One and League clubs yesterday read: “We’ve had a few queries in respect of additional activity for Remembrance fixtures.
      “Due to Covid-19 restrictions and these fixtures being played behind closed doors, no additional personnel who are not attending the fixture to aid the delivery of the match should be in attendance, e.g. bugler or military personnel.
      “We are suggesting however that clubs pre-record activity and this can be played out on matchday.”

      Meanwhile, EFL clubs have turned down the Premier League’s offer of a £50million bail out – potentially driving League One and Two clubs to the wall.
      In a move seemingly certain to spark further top flight fury, the three lower divisions branded the offer ‘conditional’ as they declined to accept the money.
      The Premier League had offered £20m immediately for League One and Two with a further £30m to come, on top of the £27.2m in ‘solidarity’ payments already made, with no separate cash for the Championships.
      And after a day of twists and turns as the 72 clubs met virtually in their respective divisions, the EFL said: “The need for continued unity across the membership base was fundamental to discussions across all three divisions.

      “Therefore there was a strong consensus that any rescue package must meet the requirements of all 72 Clubs before it can be considered in full.
      “The League has been very clear in its discussions of the financial requirements needed to address lost gate receipts.
      “While EFL Clubs are appreciative that a formal proposal has now been put forward, the conditional offer of £50million falls some way short of this.
      The decision caused deep anger and resentment for some Premier League clubs, who were talking of ‘pulling the plug’ altogether.

      Manager Paul Fairclough talks about the England C team and its importance to the game More

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      EFL clubs set to accept Prem’s £50m bail out to keep League One and Two alive – and Championship can benefit despite row

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      EFL clubs are poised to accept the Premier League’s £50m bail out to keep League One and Two alive.
      But the cash will be taken ‘on behalf of the EFL’ and not just the two bottom tiers.

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      EFL chairman Rick Parry cause widespread anger for backing Project Big PictureCredit: Rex Features

      And EFL chiefs will say they plan to set up an effective £30m hardship fund with the second tranche of Prem money which CAN be used by cash-strapped Championship sides.
      The row between the Prem, FA and EFL has intensified by the selective leaking of emails accusing the various slides of double-dealing.
      But it seems that the clubs in Leagues One and Two will at least be able to get their hands on the first £20m in survival money that will allow them to continue in business.
      SunSport revealed how Championship sides believed they had veto power over whether to take the money, after the Prem deliberately excluded the EFL top tier.

      But the clubs were informed at a meeting this morning that, as the money came from the Prem and was effectively ‘solidarity’ cash, it was a Board decision, not one which the Championship had to sign off.
      While there was huge anger at the Prem stance, the Championship clubs recognised they would be ‘hung out to dry’ if they rejected the money and jeopardised the very existence of the 48 teams in League One and Two.
      That brought the idea, quickly agreed, that the Board should make clear it will accept the cash on behalf of the whole EFL.
      At the same time, the clubs in Leagues One and Two were said to have agreed they could not merely take the money for themselves at the expense of the Championship, effectively aligning themselves with the 24 top tier teams.

      The plan, which is expected to be ratified this afternoon, will see the EFL confirm it will take the initial £20m for immediate relief but will then take control of the dispersal of the extra £30m which is being forwarded as an interest-free loan.
      That will enable EFL chairman Rick Parry and chief executive David Baldwin to decide where the remaining funds are sent, allowing Championship clubs who are genuinely struggling to take advantage.
      It is envisaged that the vast majority of the £30m will still go to the smaller clubs but allows for some leeway and opportunity of a Championship clubs finds itself significantly distressed.
      Meanwhile emails by Parry and Premier League chairman Gary Hoffman have been leaked which demonstrate the scale of the rising animosity at the top of English football.

      According to Parry, the initial talks which led to the drafting of Project Big Picture were instigated by FA chairman Greg Clarke, who lambasted his EFL counterpart during yesterday’s meeting of the 20 top flight clubs.
      Parry’s email, said to have been sent to the EFL clubs, alleged Clarke signalled he was in favour of B teams and a regionalisation of the lower divisions, including non-league clubs.
      However, a number of EFL clubs insisted they had only received a ‘recall’ notice email and had never actually seen a copy of the original email.
      Hoffman’s email to the EFL, which follows his criticisms of Parry in the meeting, accuse the EFL chairman of seeking to ‘create divisions’ by acting as the frontman for the restructure plans which were officially binned by all 20 clubs.

      Trevor Sinclair is worried about smaller clubs under Project Big Picture plans More

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      Government claim fans will not be back into stadiums until coronavirus cases fall as Oliver Dowden demands EFL is saved

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      CULTURE Secretary Oliver Dowden ordered football’s warring factions to come together and save the EFL.
      In a clear statement of intent, Dowden told MPs the Government is prepared to intervene and force wholesale change on the game if it cannot sort out its most pressing issues.

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      Oliver Dowden has promised that action would be taken to save EFL clubsCredit: PA:Press Association

      Dowden agreed that Gareth Bale’s Tottenham weekly salary was “perverse” when the sum could have kept Macclesfield alive.
      He attacked the weekend launch of pay-per-view Prem games and called on BT to make this weekend’s Merseyside derby free to air rather than being screened behind a paywall.
      But he revealed he had been “promised” that action would be taken to ensure “no EFL club goes bust” as a result of the Covid crisis. 
      And Dowden admitted there were “inconsistencies” in the Government policy that has allowed some indoor venues to open to the public while fans are locked out of football stadiums.

      Pressed on his response to Project Big Picture by members of the DCMS Select Committee, Dowden said: “I’ve made clear my deep scepticism and concern about this.
      “This would tend towards a closed shop for effectively the six most powerful clubs in the Premier League.
      “More importantly there is a problem which football is perfectly capable of resolving itself, whereby the Premier League and the EFL just need to get together and do this deal. 
      “From the conversations I’ve had we know the EFL clubs will not be allowed to go bust – and there are resources there – but we need a comprehensive deal.

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      “This is a distraction at best from that and demonstrates we were wise to put in our manifesto the provisions for a fan-led review because it genuinely brings into question the ability of football to govern itself properly.
      “Football can show it can govern itself well is to get this deal over the line, where the Premier League uses its wealth to support the wider football family and the EFL comes properly to the negotiating table.”
      Dowden insisted the Government was not minded to dig into its own pocket to help keep clubs alive, citing his feeling that it would be wrong “to ask a pensioner in Hartlepool to pay her taxes” to spend on the national game.
      The Culture Secretary said he could “accept peoples’ frustration at the inconsistency” in policy over opening up venues.
      Dowden said: “I desperately wanted socially distanced fans in stadiums from the start of October but we had to pause that because of the rapidly rising rates of infection.
      “It’s not just the stadium. it is the journey to and from the stadium both on public transport and people being likely to want something to eat or drink on the way.
      “When we get to the point that we have confidence we have the disease under control so that it is not on a rapid upward curve I would rapidly return to this decision.”
      Dowden’s repeated reference to the “£1billion spent in the transfer window by Premier League clubs” is unlikely to go down well.

      PROPOSED PREMIER LEAGUE CHANGES IN FULL

      EFL given £250m for loss of matchday revenue – deducted from future TV earnings.
      Nine longest-serving clubs have ‘special status’ – with just six votes from those clubs needed to pass a new rule.
      Premier League to go from 20 clubs to 18.
      FA awarded £100m gift to help during Covid-19 pandemic to help non-league game, the women’s game and grassroots football.
      8.5 per cent of annual net Premier League revenue to go to ‘good causes’, including the FA.
      25 per cent of all combined Premier League and Football League revenues to go to EFL clubs.
      Six per cent of Premier League gross revenues to pay for stadium improvements across the top four divisions.
      New rules for the distribution of Premier League television income, overseas and domestic.
      League Cup and the Community Shield to be axed.
      24 clubs each in the Championship, League One and League Two reducing the professional game overall from 92 clubs to 90.
      A women’s professional league independent of the Premier League and FA.
      Two sides automatically relegated from the Premier League every season and the top two Championship teams promoted.
      The 16th place Premier League club plays in a play-off tournament with the Championship’s third, fourth and fifth placed teams.
      Financial Fair Play regulations in line with Uefa, and full access for Premier League executive to club accounts.
      Away tickets for fans to be capped at £20, with travel subsidised, a focus on a return to safe standing, a minimum away allocation of eight per cent capacity.
      Later Premier League start in August to give greater scope for pre-season friendlies, and requirement for all clubs to compete once every five years in a summer Premier League tournament.
      Huge changes to loan system allowing clubs to have 15 players out on loan domestically at any one time and up to four at a single club in England.
      *According to The Telegraph…

      Now will his agreement with committee head Julian Knight that Bale’s wages in the current financial situation were “perverse”, which he described as “an apt observation”.
      Further quizzed over the controversial PPV deal, with fans charged £14.95 to watch each of the 15 games over the next three weekends, Dowden said: “I was not massively impressed.
      “This goes to the whole concern that people have. These other things jar with the idea of coming together during this period of crisis for the country.
      “We had conversations with the broadcasters in the past and will continue to raise these issues with them.
      “If BT were able to make this weekend’s game free to air as a gesture it would be a great thing to do of course.”

      Ally McCoist can’t believe that Premier League clubs won’t financially help EFL clubs More

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      Premier League clubs set to make £50m bail-out offer to League One and Two clubs to save stricken EFL due to coronavirus

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      PREMIER LEAGUE clubs are set to make a £50million bail-out offer to keep League One and Two clubs alive.
      But there will be NO money available for Championship clubs.

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      Top flight teams will offer cash-strapped League One and Two sides £50mCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      And the top flight outfits are also expected to demand the head of English Football League chairman Rick Parry.
      The majority of Premier League clubs are furious at Parry for conducting secret negotiations with Liverpool and Manchester United that saw the EFL chairman become the public face of Project Big Picture.
      EFL clubs have come out in support of Parry, pointing to the promise of £250m immediately coming from the Premier League to the lower three divisions as a result of the plan.
      But there is fierce resistance among the Prem sides to handing over any money to Championship clubs – many of whom have wealthier owners than the top flight sides.

      The top tier sides do recognise there is an expectation from the fans and pressure from the Government on them to help keep the lower league clubs alive.
      And that will lead to what is expected to be a ‘take it or leave it’ offer to Leagues One and Two.
      That approach seems likely to divide the lower division sides with some determined to back Parry and Project Big Picture and others admitting self-interest and their own survival might prevail.
      Gillingham chairman Paul Scally conceded: “If there was no alternative, of course I would take it.”

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      Some Premier League clubs could call for EFL chairman Parry to quitCredit: Getty Images – Getty

      However, Championship clubs would be able to block any deal with the lower tier clubs.
      Under EFL rules, the Championship must be in favour for any policy to be agreed by the entire League and the 24 clubs would be certain to vote unanimously against a deal that cuts them out.
      But the fury of the clubs towards Parry will mean a vote is expected to formally call for him to step down from the EFL.

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      Aston Villa chief executive Christian Purslow slammed the former Prem boss as he said: “I think it’s amazing that the head of EFL, which is already receiving nearly £400m per year, would’ve chosen to go live with a plan without discussing it directly with the Premier League.
      “I applaud the notion that the Championship, League One and League Two want to engage with the Premier League.
      “But the way to do that is to talk to the chairman and chief executive of that league through the front door, not to head over to Florida and Boston and discuss it with only two teams.”

      Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden says he fears Premier League reform plans are a ‘power grab’ More