Premier League football clubs have rushed to distance themselves from claims they support a Remain vote in Thursday’s referendum, Breitbart London can exclusively reveal following conversations with most clubs.
Richard Scudamore, Executive Chairman of the Premier League, said yesterday that he and the League backed the Remain campaign, with Prime Minister David Cameron then claiming that all 20 clubs in the top tier of English football support staying in the EU.
Speaking to Wake Up To Money on BBC Radio 5 Live, Mr Scudamore explained why the League was backing Remain in Thursday’s vote.
“The real reason we have concluded that Remain is the best is because of our outlook. We are a global export, we look outwards, our success is core British values, it is core British football, but we are open to the world and we do business all around the world.”
Mr. Cameron then tweeted:
Breitbart London contacted every Premier League club this morning and at the time of writing only two – Stoke City and Tottenham Hotspur – have explicitly backed staying in the European Union, with the rest refusing to comment on their position, or the claims of Mr. Scudamore.
Spokesmen for Manchester City and West Ham United even went so far as to say their clubs were not taking a position on the referendum, contradicting Mr Cameron’s claim of support from all clubs.
The news that so many clubs have refused to back Mr Scudamore’s position will cause significant embarrassment for Mr Cameron and the Remain campaign.
The assertion had already sparked anger from Crystal Palace chief Steve Parish, who responded to Cameron’s claim:
He then went on to call for David Cameron to delete his tweet:
In April, former Arsenal footballer Sol Campbell said Brexit would boost British football, arguing that the Premier League was in danger of becoming a “free-for-all” with EU rules letting teams “load up with too many mediocre overseas footballers, especially from Europe, crowding out young English and British talent.”