The Premier League has said that its £50million rescue package to League One and League Two clubs remains available.
The EFL rejected the offer, designed to assist clubs affected by the coronavirus pandemic and made up of grants and interest-free loans, after divisional meetings with its clubs on Thursday.
In a statement, the Premier League added that there are “no conditions relating to promotion and relegation, setting the level of salary caps or loan deals, as is being claimed”.
The EFL’s statement described the Premier League’s offer as “conditional”, but the Premier League’s position is that the sole condition is that a club must prove it will soon go out of business because of the pandemic to access the grants and loans.
The proposals made provision for an immediate £250million package for EFL clubs and a 25 per cent share of future Premier League media revenues, but were criticised because they also sought to concentrate greater power in the hands of the top flight’s ‘big six’ clubs, and were rejected at a Premier League meeting on Wednesday.
Despite the EFL’s collective rejection of the Premier League offer, Forest Green chairman Dale Vince said prior to the Premier League’s statement there was a possibility one or more clubs would be in such dire straits that they could break ranks and go direct to the Premier League for help.
He said it was “decent” of the Premier League to leave the offer of support on the table, and added: “There may be some clubs that are in dire need and it may take too long for an alternative to come.
“Somebody may have to go to the Premier League and say, ‘look, we’re about to not be able to pay wages’ or something, but that’s not our position.
“We have lost revenue like everyone else has, but we’ve made adjustments and we can make more adjustments if we have to.”