Tottenham and Chelsea chiefs are in the same WhatsApp group and hold regular “secret meetings” at an exclusive London venue with four other elite clubs, according to the Daily Mail.
The newspaper claim powerbrokers at the big-six clubs Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and Tottenham even have a WhatsApp group.
The Mail report the half-dozen giants “are still very much an item” as they discuss how to get an even bigger slice of the TV rights and frequently meet up at the exclusive private dining rooms at Mosimann’s in Belgravia.
OPINION
It is worrying that the Premier League’s six wealthiest and most powerful clubs are still desperate to feather their own nests with even more TV cash. Senior figures privately claim they should get a bigger share of the TV rights action as they are the biggest draw for supporters and viewers in the overseas markets, and those lower down the Premier League chain have nowhere near the same pulling power. While that may be true, the Premier League’s astonishing growth and global power is partly because of its drama and capacity for the unexpected, with sell-out stadiums generating atmosphere and a real sense of occasion. It is already fairly predictable, with the same six clubs finishing in the top six every season, and the league would become even more lop-sided if the big guns got an even bigger slice of the TV pie, Details of the secret meetings and WhatsApp group are nauseating, especially if you consider, say, the contempt in which the Tottenham and Chelsea boards have long held each other. Clearly, the big guns don’t get two hoots about the sanctity of the league, or what the people want.