Sutcliffe Defends Premiership Wages Remarks

While admitting that the figures he cited were not 100% accurate, new Minister for Sport Gerry Sutcliffe has stood by the ‘wider point’ of comments he made during an attack on ‘obscene’ Premiership wages at the FT Sport Industry Summit 2007.

Addressing the gathered delegates of the FT Sport Industry Summit, Sutcliffe attacked the sky-high level of player salaries, citing Chelsea and England captain John Terry as an example, as well as criticising Manchester United’s ticket prices.

He said: ‘Good luck to John, but it is obscene to be on £150,000 a week. And United season tickets went up by 13% – holders have to automatically buy European and Carling Cup games at £200, that takes it away from ordinary fans.’

‘Ordinary working people who want go and see Manchester United face being priced out. There is a danger that there will be a move away from the game and we don’t want to be in a position where people are alienated.’

‘People in the street cannot understand salaries like Terry’s. Chelsea are £250m in the red and they may be able to cope with that but it’s not the real world – £250m in the red is not sustainable.’

The comments prompted an angry response from Chelsea who stated that the figures used were not accurate – a viewpoint that Sutcliffe later admitted to.

A spokesman for Sutcliffe later commented: ‘The minister accepts that the figures may not be 100% correct but he stands by his wider point.’

The minister’s outburst also prompted a reaction from Manchester United chief executive David Gill who was speaking in a later panel at the FT Sport Industry Summit 2007: ‘Our average increase was 10.78% and we think the prices between £25 and £45 are very fair in relation to other clubs such as Chelsea and keep us in touch with our grass-roots supporters.’

A number of other leading figures in football including players, managers and players’ union boss Gordon Taylor have since come forward to criticise the minister’s comments.