Football Association chairman Lord Triesman’s criticism of the indebtedness of English football appears to have spooked bankers with at least three Premier League clubs receiving cautionary calls from lenders.

 By Paul Kelso, Chief Sports Reporter
Published: 10:04PM BST 08 Oct 2008

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Criticism: Lord Triesman unhappy with English clubs' finances Photo: Getty Images

Details of the banks’ concerns emerged as Culture Secretary Andy Burnham met the League’s chief executive Richard Scudamore at Westminster yesterday with the League under renewed pressure from Uefa over the financial state of England’s leading clubs.

A day after Triesman criticised the clubs for carrying as much as £3 billion in debt, The Daily Telegraph understands that several clubs were contacted by banks apparently disturbed by his suggestion that levels of debt are unsustainable.

Triesman’s comments have caused considerable irritation among Premier League clubs, not least because in the febrile economic atmosphere they appear to have worried some financial institutions.

The clubs’ dismay has been heightened by the belief that Triesman misrepresented the clubs’ financial position.

By highlighting the £3 billion figure without pointing out that the League’s revenue is more than £2 billion, they believe Triesman has created a false impression of crisis. They argue that with two years yet to run on a £2.7 billion television deal, the clubs enjoy a level of financial certainty.

At the meeting between Burnham and Scudamore in Whitehall, a session also attended by Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe, it is understood a wide range of issues were discussed, with particular focus on the subjects raised by Triesman.

Burnham and Sutcliffe are believed to share many of his concerns, particularly a desire to see greater scrutiny of owners and closer regulation of finances.

The ministers took the opportunity of the long-scheduled meeting to ask Scudamore to address the issues in an open and transparent way. Relations between the department and the Premier League are good and the ministers were left in no doubt that Scudamore takes the issues seriously.

Comments from David Taylor, the general secretary of Uefa, added more fuel to the debate on football finances as he warned that clubs could be barred from European competition if they failed to sign up to a tough new licensing scheme.

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