MANCHESTER CITY are refusing to rule out joining a newly-formed Premiership Two... but only if football remains fair.

City's position, spelt out by chairman David Bernstein earlier this week, is that there should be a more even spread of TV cash so clubs relegated from the super-rich Premiership don't suddenly have to go into financial freefall.

But Bernstein is on record as being opposed to any plans that base entry into a restructured Premiership Two on fan base and size of ground rather than merit.

He has taken the moral high ground, arguing strongly that he doesn't want to take the romance out of football with clubs such as Crewe, Rotherham and neighbours Stockport cast out into an even further downgraded Nationwide League.

But as an astute accountant Bernstein is well aware of the need to spice the current first division with Scottish blood thus attracting more TV cash when the current TV contract ends in 2004.

'Full and thorough' review

Keith Harris, chairman of the Football League, and the League's chief executive David Burns, will now embark on what he calls a ''full and thorough'' review of the game in this country - with the outcome expected to eventually be the formation of a Premiership Two.

Immediately after yesterday's (Thursday) meeting of the 72 League club chairmen in Nottingham, Harris said: ''The executive of the Football League have been charged with the responsibility to undertake - together with the Football Association - a thorough review of the entire structure of football in this country.

''At the heart of that is the question of finance, and the future discussions of football's financial structure will be held under the auspices of the League. We shall be initiating immediately discussions with the FA to start that review.''

And some chairman believe that the review means it will only be a matter of time before Premiership Two comes into effect.

Tweet