The coronavirus pandemic has rocked the foundation of many sports leagues across the world and has forced many owners and players themselves to rethink both the league and the so-called ‘wealth distribution.’ No more is this true than across the pond in the United Kingdom where the Premier League, the top soccer league, in the world is facing a tough crossroads in the struggle for both wealth and power between the clubs.

   Quite ironically, both Manchester United and Liverpool FC, bitter rivals on and off the field, have devised ‘Project Big Picture.’ It is a trade-off in the sense that the bigger clubs of the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, and both Manchester United and Liverpool themselves, will allow greater distribution of wealth to the smaller clubs in order to give more opportunities for those not blessed with the unlimited funds more space to grow, while in return the bigger clubs will be given more power to run the top-flight league.

   A deeper dive into ‘Project Big Picture’ will see roughly $325 million immediately in hope that it will keep some clubs stable during the Coronavirus Pandemic, while also sharing 25 percent of future TV deals.

   This focuses in on the issue with new money in soccer pouring into the bigger clubs, teams like Manchester City have even been penalized for the unrealistic spending on players. The hypothetical ‘football pyramid’ would benefit the EFL greatly.

   Now to the criticized sector of this plan, more power going to the ‘big six (Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Manchester City and Tottenham).’ Benefiting them is the shortened season that cancels the League Cup and the Community Shield, two trophies that have become less important throughout the years. In place of these competitions would be more room for European competitions, giving the ‘big six’ room to rest in order to further their advancements in tougher tournaments.

   The league would also be cut down to 18 teams, adopting a format similar to that of the Bundesliga in Germany where the worst two teams get automatically eliminated and the third-worst has to play the third-best team in England’s second division, the Championship, to decide who gets the final spot in next year’s league.

   The opposition is fierce as top officials in both the Premier League and EFL view this as a desperate attempt from the big clubs to advance themselves while covering up the real problem with wealth in the lower leagues by cutting many games that would give clubs more money. 

   Whether COVID-19 is a factor, which it seems to be, in this new attempt for more power, it seems very unlikely as the days go on that this has any chance at being approved. Though it is still an interesting solution to a growing issue in sports.