Pompeygate: Exclusive Latest News

By: PaulGTFC
Date: 19/02/2004

THE Pompey chief executive, Peter Storrie, outlined to me the latest position on the issue of the parachute payment when I called him today.

Both Peter Storrie and the club chairman, Milan Mandaric, have publicly stated at supporters' forum-type events that the parachute payment has been withheld as the Football League owe monies to their club. These monies are believed to amount to £325,000.

Peter Storrie confirmed to me that Pompey are willing to make the parachute payment in principle. However, the club are still awaiting the second tranche of the ITV Digital monies from the Football League. Until this sum is paid, Pompey will not make the parachute payment.

The second tranche has not been paid, as this was paid to the three clubs relegated from the Premier League last season (instead of the being paid to the three teams promoted from Division 1). This may seem a rather strange move from the Football League as the three relegated clubs would have received the BSkyB monies in respect of last season anyway.

Pompey are adamant that the second ITV Digital tranche is due to them; the Football League are adamant that it isn't. Hence the current impasse which appears unlikely to be broken, as Peter Storrie acknowledged. I have previously e-mailed the Football League referring to monies which Pompey say are due to them. The League reply stated that they were adamant that no sums were owing to Pompey but that dialogue was being maintained. Don't hold your breath.

Wolves and Leicester also missed out on the second ITV Digital tranche, so fair play to them for making their parachute payments. It would seem that despite this, the Football League appear to be the ones at fault here for a totally illogical distribution of the ITV Digital monies. Sadly this is of little consolation to us, as we have been left high and dry.

Thanks to Billo and Tony Hamilton for their earlier articles on this; to Hampshire Mariner for keeping this on the agenda both up here and down in Hampshire; to the person who put the post on the 606 site and to anyone else that kept this on the agenda. We have claimed a small victory by getting this highlighted at Pompey forums and in Southampton's fanzine, as well as on the Fishy and the OS. By doing this, we have finally got to the truth which can only be a good thing as traditionally, us supporters have been left in the dark.

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