Oliver Dowden will be ‘asking sports to help themselves’Leicester Tigers chairman Peter Tom warns of disasterThe government has ramped up the pressure on the
Premier League by confirming for the first time that it expects them to help lower league clubs in peril.
The warning came from the culture secretary Oliver Dowden, who said that while he was “acutely aware” of the devastating impact of postponing the return of fans, he would also be “asking sports to help themselves – starting with the Premier League in respect of football”. That position is shared by Downing Street and was reinforced by the sports minister Nigel Huddleston, who told parliament on Thursday: “Where it can, we will expect the top tiers of professional sport to look at ways it can support itself, with the government focusing on those most in need.”